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.
OPENING WORD
After forty days of preparation for Easter,
we now sing out our joy for fifty days.
In the liturgy, the “alleluia” resounds more frequently and intensely.
We learn the reason for this from the mouth of the Apostle Paul:
God raised Jesus to life after untying the snares of death.
We want to celebrate this mystery of God’s love
in communion with Christians worldwide, filled with joy and gratitude.
Consideration
After Easter, we follow the first thirty years of our Church. That the expansion of the Church took such a great flight is due to God’s Spirit. He united and animated the first Christians to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection with indestructible faith. The resurrection is not a historical fact of which we need only remember place and date. She is an everlasting mystery, and challenges us too to be Christians who dare to bear witness. How do I approach witnessing about something like the resurrection? Can it be done in my daily life?
FIRST READING Acts 2, 14.22-32
This Jesus is the resurrection of God, to which we are all witnesses.
From the Acts of the Apostles
On Pentecost Peter stepped forward with the eleven
and raised his voice to address the word to them :
“All of you,
men of Israel,
listen to these words :
Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose mission to you was authorized by God.
“For ye yourselves know the mighty deeds, wonders and signs
which God has performed among you through Him.
“Him,
who according to God’s appointed counsel
and foreknowledge has been delivered,
by the hand of the wicked, you have
nailed to the cross and put to death.
“But God raised Him up to life
having loosed the snares of death ;
for it was impossible that He should be held fast by it.
“Aiming at Him nevertheless David says :
The Lord I had before me, always through,
He is at my right hand
that I might not falter.
“Therefore there is joy in my heart
and my mouth shall rejoice;
yea, even my body shall find rest in hope,
because thou wilt not leave my soul to the abyss,
Thou dost not deliver thy servant to the grave.
Ways to life Thou hast made known unto me,
Thou shalt fill me with joy before Thy face.
“Men brethren,
I may freely say to you of the patriarch David
that he has died and been buried ;
for we have his grave with us to this day.
“Well,
because he was a prophet,
and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that He would cause one of his descendants to sit on his throne,
he said, looking into the future
concerning the resurrection of Christ,
that He was not left to the realm of the dead
and that his body has not seen decay.
“This Jesus has caused God to resurrect
and of this we are all witnesses.”
INTERLUDIUM SONG Ps. 16(15), 1-2a, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
Preserve me, God, to You I take refuge,
or : Alleluia.
Preserve me, God, to Thee do I take refuge ;
Thou art my Lord, I acknowledge it,
I find no happiness but in Thee.
The Lord is my inheritance, my drink from the cup,
He holds my destiny in His hand.
I thank the Lord who has always led me,
He speaks into my heart even at night.
Always I keep my eyes fixed on the Lord,
I do not fall, for He stands beside me.
Therefore I am cheerful and happy in spirit,
therefore I can sleep peacefully.
My soul Thou dost not leave to the realm of the dead,
Thou deliverest not thy servant to the grave.
Thou wilt show me the way of life
to find all my joy with Thee,
perpetual happiness at thy side.
ALLELUIA Ps. 118(117), 24
Alleluia.
This is the day, which the Lord has made,
We shall celebrate it in joy.
Alleluia.
SEQUENCE
Let us praise the Lamb of Easter,
Let us honour the Lamb of God with sacrifice.
Yes the Lamb saves the sheep,
Christ through his innocence
us poor sinners to the Father.
Death and life, oh miracle,
must fight together.
Who died, He lives, He is our King.
Tell us, Mary,
what is it you have seen?
Christ’s tomb, which was empty,
the glory of Him who rose again,
angels as witnesses,
the sweatshirt and the shroud.
My hope, my Christ alive!
Behold He goeth before thee into Galilee.
Truly Christ is risen : Rose from the dead.
O King, our Hero, give us peace. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 28, 8-15
Goes to bring the message to my brothers that they should go to Galilee, and there they will see me.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time
the women immediately went away from the tomb
with fear and great joy,
and they hastened
to convey the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus came to meet them and said :
“Hail.”
They stepped up to Him,
clasped his feet and worshipped him.
Then Jesus spoke to them :
“Do not be afraid.
“Go and bring the message to my brothers
that they should go to Galilee
and there they will see Me.”
While the women were still on the road,
some of the guards went to the city
and reported to the high priests
everything that had happened.
The latter held a meeting with the elders
and, after consulting with them, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money
with the order :
“Saying :
His disciples came to steal Him in the night
while we were asleep.
“And if the governor should hear of this,
we will calm him down
and see to it that you are not troubled.”
They took the money and did as they were told.
This story has been passed down among the Jews
to this day.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
135. Undoubtedly, constant attention is needed that leads to taking into account all the ethical aspects involved. It is therefore necessary to ensure a scientific and social debate that is responsible and broad, capable of taking into account all available information and calling a spade a spade. Sometimes people do not bring all the information to the table, but select them according to their own interests, whether political, economic or ideological. This makes it difficult to develop a balanced and sensible judgment regarding different issues, keeping in mind all the variables at play. It is necessary to have places where those who might find themselves in any way directly or indirectly involved (farmers, consumers, authorities scientists, seed producers, the population in the vicinity of the treated fields and others) can debate and explain their problems or have access to comprehensive and reliable information to make decisions aimed at the present and future common good. The issue of genetically modified crops (GMO) is complicated in nature and requires that it be addressed in all its aspects and this would at least call for a major effort to fund several lines of autonomous and interdisciplinary research that could shed new light on 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
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