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.
Consideration
When the Jews speak of the Law (Torah), they usually mean the five books of Moses (Pentateuch); by Prophets, they mean the historical books from Joshua to Kings (and not what we call prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc…). The phrase ‘Law and Prophets’ therefore stands for the whole of the Old Testament. Clearly, Jesus could not possibly accept that his message would go against the deep sense of the Old Testament.
FIRST READING Deut. 4:1.5-9
Act according to the precepts of the Lord, and implement them punctually.
From the Book of Deuteronomy
In those days Moses spoke to the people :
“Listen then, Israel ,
to the precepts and provisions which I teach you ,
and act accordingly.
“Then you shall live and go and take possession of the land
which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
“I have now taught you the precepts and provisions,
as the Lord your God had instructed me.
“Act accordingly in the land you are about to take possession of
and implement them punctually,
for from it shall appear to the nations
prove your wisdom and your understanding.
“When they hear all these precepts, they will say :
That mighty people are wise and prudent.
“Is there sometimes any other great nation ,
to whom their gods are so near
as the Lord our God is near to us, as often as we call upon Him ?
“Or is there any other great nation
that has such perfect precepts and provisions
as the law I give you this day ?
“Be on your guard, therefore, and take care,
that thou forget not what thou hast seen with thine own eyes.
“Let not that depart from thy mind all thy life
and pass it on to thy children and grandchildren.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps 147, 12-13, 15-16, 19-20
Praise now the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise now the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, glorify thy God !
For He has firmly locked your gates,
blessed your sons within your wall.
He sends forth his command over the earth
and hastens his word.
The snow He drops like flakes of wool,
and hoarfrost He scatters like ashes.
It is He who sent Jacob his word,
his law and commandments for Israel.
Never was there a people He treated like this,
no other does He make his ways known.
VERS FOR THE GOSPEL cf Lk 8:15
Blessed are those who keep the word they heard
keep in a good and noble heart
and bring forth fruit by their steadfastness.
GOSPEL Mt 5:17-19
He who keeps and teaches the precepts will be esteemed great.
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 and Prophets
but to bring fulfilment.
“For verily I say unto 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.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
110. The specialisation inherent in technology means that it takes considerably more effort to have a general overview. The fragmentation of knowledge fulfils its function the moment it comes to concrete applications, but it often leads to losing the sense of the whole, the relations that exist between things, the vast horizon, the sense then becomes irrelevant. This same fact prevents discovering adequate ways to solve the most complex problems of today’s world, especially the problems of the environment and the poor, which cannot be addressed by starting from one point of view or one kind of interest. A science that purports to offer solutions to the big issues would necessarily have to take into account everything that knowledge has produced in other fields of knowledge, philosophy and social ethics included. But that is a mode of action that is hard to muster today. Therefore, one cannot really recognise ethical reference horizons either. Life becomes a reliance on conditions conditioned by technology, understood as the main source to interpret existence. In the concrete reality that questions us, various symptoms appear that show the error, such as environmental decay, anxiety, the loss of the meaning of life and coexistence. Thus, once again, it appears that “reality is beyond idea”.
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
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