Invitation
May I hereby call 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 his heart
to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
The word ‘merciful’ links first reading, response psalm and gospel. This must have been particularly comforting for the penitents in the ancient Church. They see their lives reflected in the history of ancient Israel. Even after their exile, return to the bosom of the Church awaits. Every believer can pray the response psalm with deep conviction.
FIRST READING Dan. 9, 4b-10
We have sinned and done evil.
From the Prophet Daniel
O Lord, great and formidable God,
who establish the covenant and are full of mercy
for those who love You and keep Your commandments :
We have sinned and done evil,
we have acted wickedly and been rebellious,
we have departed from your commandments and your laws ;
we have not listened to your servants, the prophets ,
who spoke in your name to our kings,
dignitaries, heads of families
and to all the seated people of the land.
Lord,Thou art in thy right,
but we have reason to be ashamed
and we are now also ashamed,
we, the men of Judah,
the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel,
both those who dwell near and far
in the lands whither Thou hast cast them out,
because they have become unfaithful to You.
Lord, we should be ashamed, we, our kings,
our dignitaries and our heads of families,
because we have sinned against Thee.
May the Lord our God be merciful and forgiving,
for we have rebelled against Him
and we have not listened to the Lord our God
and have not lived according to the commandments which He has given us
through his servants, the prophets.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 79(78), 8, 9, 11, 13
Lord, do not deal with us as we deserve,
repay us not our debt. (Ps. 103(102), 10a)
Do not make us pay for past sins,
come with your mercy to meet us,
for we are but weak men.
Ah help us, God of our salvation, for your Name’s sake,
deliver us, forgive our sins ;
let no one say: Where is their God now?
To Thee rise the groaning of the handcuffed,
deliver with your power those who are consecrated to death.
But we are your people, Lord, your own flock,
we will praise You for all eternity,
singing your praises from generation to generation.
VERSE FOR THE GOSPEL II Cor. 6, 2b
Now is the auspicious time,
today is the day of salvation.
GOSPEL Lk. 6, 36-38
Speak freely and you will be acquitted.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time Jesus said to his disciples :
“Be merciful as your Father is merciful.
“Judge not ,
and you will not be judged.
“Do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned.
“Speak freely
and you will be acquitted.
“Give
and thou shalt be given :
A goodly measure, stamped, shaken and running over
they will pour into your lap.
“The measure that you use
they will also use for you.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
The human root of the ecological crisis
101. It serves us no purpose to describe the symptoms if we do not recognise the human root of the ecological crisis. There is a way of understanding life and human action that is wrong and contradicts reality to the point of destroying it. Why can’t we dwell on this to reflect on it? I therefore propose that we focus on the prevailing technocratic paradigm and the place of the human being and his actions in the world within it.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation