Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with You the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Opening word
‘Yes is yes and no is no’.
It sounds simple,
yet often it is also extremely difficult.
In our lives we are given the opportunity
to take different paths
and go in different directions.
God leaves us free to determine our direction,
though He gives us through the law of Moses and the life of Jesus
clear directions.
By gathering here and celebrating Eucharist
we want to feed on God’s Word and his Life-giving Love.
FIRST READING Sir. 15, 15-20
He has commanded no one to sin.
From the book of Wisdom of Jesus Sirach
When ye will, ye can keep the commandments,
and it is also wise to do what pleases the Lord.
He has set fire and water before thee:
Ye may stretch out your hand according to what ye prefer.
Before men lie life and death
and whatever pleases a man is given to him.
For great is the wisdom of the Lord,
his power is great and He sees all things.
His eyes are fixed on those who fear Him
and every deed of man is known to Him.
He has commanded no one to sin
nor given leave to anyone to do evil.
Responsorial Ps 119(118), 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
Refrain
Happy those who proceed according to the law of the Lord.
Happy those whose way of life is pure,
who continue according to the law of the Lord.
Happy who heed what He decrees,
seeking Him with all their heart
You have given your commands
that they may be faithfully fulfilled.
May my ways be straight,
directed to what Thou hast ordained.
Grant that thy servant may live,
then I will always keep your word.
Open my eyes to behold
the glory of your law.
Show me the way, Lord, which Thou hast ordained,
and I will never depart from it.
Give me understanding to observe your law,
to follow it with all my heart.
SECOND READING I Cor. 2, 6-10
God from all eternity designed and destined wisdom for our glorification.
From the holy apostle Paul’s first letter to the Christians of Corinth
Brothers and sisters,
We speak of wisdom among the perfected,
but it is not the wisdom of this world
or of the powers that control this world,
whose downfall, by the way, is imminent.
We proclaim a divine wisdom
that was hidden,
the secret plan,
designed by God from all eternity
and destined for our glorification.
None of the rulers of this world have known about it.
If they had known about it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
These are the things of which Scripture says:
“No eye has seen them, no ear has heard them,
no man can imagine,
all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
But to us God has revealed it through the Spirit,
for the Spirit of God fathoms all things,
even the deepest secrets of God.
Verse for the gospel Mt 11:25
Alleluia.
Blessed art Thou, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because Thou hast revealed to children the secrets of the kingdom.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 5, 17-37
You have heard what was said to our ancestors, but I say to you.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come
to lift up Law or Prophets.
“I have not come to lift up ,
but to bring fulfilment.
“For verily I say to you:
Sooner yet shall heaven and earth perish,
than that one iota or scrap of the Law perish,
before all things are done.
“Whoever, therefore, one of these precepts,
even the slightest,
lifts up and so teaches men,
shall be esteemed the least in the kingdom of heaven,
but whoever upholds and teaches them,
shall be esteemed great in the kingdom of heaven.
“I say unto you, if your righteousness not
far exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees ,
ye shall certainly not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
“Ye have heard that it was said to our forefathers:
Thou shalt not kill.
“Whoever kills shall be punishable in court.
“But I say to you:
All who are wroth with their brother ,
shall be punishable in court.
“And whoever says to his brother: Raka,
shall be punishable before the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says: Fool,
shall be punishable with the fire of hell.
“If ye come and bring your gift to the altar
and there it occurs to thee
that thy brother hath something against thee ,
then leave thy gift before the altar,
first reconcile with your brother
and then return to offer your gift.
“Hasten to agree with your counterpart,
while you are still on the road with him;
otherwise your opponent
may well turn you over to the judge ,
and the judge deliver thee to the bailiff,
and thou wouldst be cast into prison.
“Verily, I say unto thee:
Thou shalt not come out of that ,
till thou hast paid to the last penny.
“Thou hast heard that it was said:
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
“But I say unto thee:
All who look at a woman to covet her ,
hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.
“If thy right eye threateneth to bring thee to sin ,
pluck it out and cast it away from you;
for it is better for thee,
that one of thy body parts be lost
than that the whole of thy body should be cast into hell.
“And if thy right hand threatens to bring thee to sin ,
cut them off and cast them away from thee;
for it is better for thee,
that one of thy body parts should be lost
than that the whole of thy body should end up in hell.
“It has also been said:
Whoever rejects his wife ,
must give her a letter of divorce.
“But I say to you:
Whoever rejects his wife ,
except in case of fornication,
causes her to become an adulteress;
and whoever marries an outcast woman ,
commits adultery.
“Likewise ye have heard
that to our forefathers it was said:
Thou shalt not take false oaths ,
but thou shalt keep thy oaths before the Lord.
“But I say to you not to swear at all ;
nor by heaven,
for that is the throne of God;
nor by the earth,
for that is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem,
for that is the city of the great King.
“Nor by thy head must thou swear ,
for thou canst not make one hair white or black.
“But thy yes must be yes, and thy no, no;
and that which is added to it is out of the question”.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
79. In this universe, composed of open systems that interact with each other, we can discover innumerable forms of relationship and participation. This also leads us to think of the whole as open to the transcendence of God, within which it develops. Faith allows us to interpret the meaning and mysterious beauty of what is happening. Human freedom can make its intelligent contribution to positive evolution, but it can also add new evils, new causes of suffering and moments of true decline. This causes an exciting and dramatic history of man, capable of turning into a flowering of liberation, growth, salvation and love, or into a trajectory of decay and mutual destruction. Therefore, the Church’s actions not only seek to recall the duty to care for nature, but at the same time, “it must above all protect man from the destruction of himself”.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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