H. Anselmus lived from 1036-1086
Bishop of Lucca from 1061-1086
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
Today, we carry with us a precious word from Gamaliel: “Go it forth from God, however, thou shalt not be able to scatter them”. Was it Gamaliel’s wisdom that convinced the Sanhedrin to leave the apostles alone? Or was it the heavy opposition between Sadducees and Pharisees? Sadducees were people of tradition, conservation-minded and thus against the idea of resurrection as novelty. Pharisees, like Gamaliel, were law-abiding but progressive and open to new ideas like resurrection. One could not break them apart despite death. So it emanated from God.
FIRST READING Acts 5, 34-42
They went away rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer reproach for the sake of the name of Jesus.
From the Acts of the Apostles
In those days in the Sanhedrin there was a Pharisee,
Gamaliël, a scholar of the law
who was held in esteem by all the people.
He had the apostles brought out for a moment.
Thereupon he said :
“Men of Israel,
consider what you will do with these men.
“For before our time there was Teudas,
who claimed to be a man of consequence
and with him joined a group of about four hundred men.
“He was killed
and all who trusted in him were dispersed.
“After him, in the days of the census
Judas the Galilean appeared
and dragged many people with him,
and all those who trusted in him were scattered.
“As for our case I say to you :
Do not meddle with these people
but let them go their way.
“Does this scheme or work emanate from people,
it will come to nothing.
“If, however, it comes from God,
you will not be able to break them up;
otherwise it might appear that you are in opposition to God.”
They allowed themselves to be persuaded by him.
They called the apostles,
had them scourged,
forbade them to speak in the name of Jesus
and set them free.
The apostles left the Sanhedrin
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.
They continued
teaching daily in the temple and in the homes
and proclaiming the Good News
that Jesus is the Messiah.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 27(26), 1, 4, 13-14
One thing only I ask the Lord,
more I shall not wish :
That I may dwell in God’s house as long as I live.
or : Alleluia.
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?
One thing only I ask the Lord,
and I will not wish for more:
That I may live in God’s house as long as I live.
That I may experience the Lord’s loveliness,
see his temple with my own eyes again.
I count on being able
to experience the benefits of the Lord.
Look forward to the Lord and stand firm,
be of good courage and trust in the Lord.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
Christ rose from the grave
and became a Light to all
whom He redeemed in his blood.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 6, 1-15
He had the loaves and the fishes distributed among those sitting there, as much as one wanted.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
In those days Jesus went to the other side
of the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias.
A great multitude followed Him
because they saw the signs He was giving to the sick.
Jesus went up the mountain
and settled down there with his disciples.
It was shortly before Easter, the feast of the Jews.
When Jesus lifted up his eyes
and saw that a large crowd was coming toward Him
He asked Philip :
“How shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
– This He said to put Him to the test,
because He Himself knew what He was going to do. –
Philip answered Him :
“Does each one want to get even a small piece
then for two hundred denarii of bread is still too little.”
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter
remarked :
“There is a boy here with five barley loaves and two fish ,
but what does that mean for such a number?”
Jesus however said :
“Let the people sit down.”
For there was much grass there.
They then sat down ;
the number of men was about five thousand.
Then Jesus took the loaves
and after speaking the prayer of thanksgiving
He had them distributed among the people sitting there,
as well as the fish, as much as they wanted.
When they were satiated He said to his disciples :
“Now collect the remaining chunks
so as not to let anything go to waste.”
They picked them up
and filled twelve baskets from the five barley loaves with lumps,
which had been left over by the people after eating.
When the people saw the sign He had made they said :
“This is surely the prophet who must come into the world.”
Since Jesus understood
that they wanted to seize him
and proclaim Him king,
He withdrew back into the mountains,
all alone.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
146. In this sense, it is indispensable to pay particular attention to the indigenous communities with their cultural traditions. They are not simply one of the minorities among the others, but rather they must become the main interlocutors, especially at the time when one proceeds to major projects affecting their territories. After all, for them, land is not an economic asset but a gift from God and the ancestors who rest in it, a sacred space with which they must interact to nurture their identity and values. When they remain in their territories, it is they who best take care of this. In various parts of the world, they are the subject of pressure to leave their territories and release them for reclamation, agriculture and cattle ranching projects that pay no attention to the degradation of nature and culture.
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 the weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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