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
Mark, Matthew and John have the anointing in Bethany and the criticism of waste, Mark speaks of “some,” Matthew of “disciples,” and Judas gets the full brunt with John. What is the point of this story? Certainly not the focus on the poor, but the emphasis is on the fact that Jesus will not always be with them. The woman proves by her approach how precious Jesus’ presence is. She expresses his Highness to all present. At the same time, it is a prophetic statement about the glory that overcomes suffering, death and burial.
FIRST READING Isa 42, 1-7
He does not call out, nor does he raise his voice in the street.
From the Prophet Isaiah
Thus speaks the Lord :
“This is my Servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I am pleased :
I pour out my spirit on him,
righteousness will he pour out on the nations.
“He does not cry out, he does not shout
and in the street he raises not his voice.
“The kinked reed he will not break,
the languishing flaxen flame not quench,
in truth he will make righteousness shine.
“Untiring and unbroken
He will make justice prevail on earth :
The distant coasts look forward to his teaching.”
Thus speaks God the Lord,
He who created the firmament and stretched it,
Who spread out the earth and its crops,
Who gave breath to the people thereon
and a spirit to all who move there :
“I, the Lord, call you in righteousness,
I will take you by the hand and watch over you
and make you a sign of my covenant to men
and a light to the nations.
“Blind people you will open their eyes,
deliver captives from their dungeon
and out of prison all who sit in darkness.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 27(26), 1, 2, 3, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my guide.
The Lord is my light and my guide,
whom should I fear ;
the Lord is the shelter of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid?
Though evildoers storm in to devour me ;
my enemies stumble, all my adversaries succumb.
Though they stand in battle before me, I am not afraid,
though they make war upon me, yet I remain confident.
I count on being able during my life
to experience the benefits of the Lord.
Look forward to the Lord and stand firm,
be of good cheer and trust in the Lord.
VERSE FOR THE GOSPEL
Do we pay homage to our King,
for He alone has shown mercy
for our trespasses.
GOSPEL John 12, 1-11
Let her be. She has maintained this custom in advance of my burial.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
Six days before Easter Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus dwelt
whom He had raised from the dead.
A meal was given there in His honor.
Martha served
and Lazarus was one of those who dined with Him.
Now Mary took a pound of nardus balm,
real and very precious,
anointed Jesus’ feet with it
and dried them with her hair.
The house was full of the scent of balsam.
Then Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, said,
the same one who was to hand Him over :
“Why was not this balm sold for three hundred denarii
and the money given to the poor?”
He said this not because he was concerned for the poor ,
but because he was a thief
and took from the purse he kept what came into it.
Jesus however said :
“Let her be.
“She has maintained this custom
in anticipation of the day of my burial.
“For the poor thou keepest always with thee,
me, however, not always.”
Meanwhile, a great many Jews had come to know
that Jesus was there
and came there,
not only for the sake of Jesus
but also to see Lazarus
whom He had raised from the dead.
The high priests then decided to take Lazarus out of the way as well,
because of him many Jews ran away and believed in Jesus.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
129. If employment is to remain possible, it is indispensable to promote an economy that favors diversification of production and creativity of enterprise. For example, there is a wide variety of small-scale food farming systems that continue to feed most of the world’s population, using a limited amount of land and water and producing less waste, whether on small plots of arable land and in kitchen gardens, as in hunting and forestry, or in fishing. Especially in the agricultural sector, economies of scale are forcing small farmers to sell their land or move away from their traditional cultures. Attempts by some of them to develop other, more diversified forms of production are proving futile based on the difficulty of accessing regional or world markets or because the infrastructure of sales and transport is at the service of the large corporations. The authorities have the right and the responsibility to take measures that clearly and forcefully support small producers and the diversification of production. For economic freedom to truly benefit all, it may sometimes be necessary to place limits on those who possess the most resources and financial power. Simply proclaiming economic freedom, however, when real conditions prevent many from actually having access to it, and access to work is reduced, becomes a contradictory story that does not do justice to politics. The activity of entrepreneur, which is a noble vocation, aimed at prosperity and the betterment of the world for all, can be a very fruitful method of boosting the region in which the activity takes place, especially if it is understood that job creation is an indispensable part of the service to the common good.
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