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The remembrance of St Joseph Worker on 1 May was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955.
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
“So God has also given to the Gentiles conversion to life”. This is the main piece of the reading. Peter gives to the congregation in Jerusalem the official account of a first admission of a Gentile into the Church. It is especially typical (in Luke) that Peter, of his own accord, goes to Joppa, because that was a Jewish city. To Caesarea, the gentile city, he is ‘called’, and for Luke this is divine intervention. Throughout Acts, it will always be clear that Luke attaches great importance to the action of the Spirit guiding the Church and its ministers.
FIRST READING Acts 11:1-18
God has granted conversion to life also to the Gentiles.
From the Acts of the Apostles
In those days the apostles and the brethren in Judea heard
that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
When Peter then came to Jerusalem
the believers from the circumcision reproached him :
“Thou hast entered the house of uncircumcision
and thou hast eaten with them.”
Now Peter began to give them a regular account :
“I was
-so he said –
in the city of Joppa praying
when, in a spirit rapture, I saw a vision :
An object, in the form of a large sheet ,
which was lowered from heaven at the four points,
descended from heaven and came to near me.
“I looked at it with tense attention
and saw four-footed animals,
wild beasts, crawling animals and birds.
“Moreover, I heard a voice saying to me :
Come on Peter, slaughter and eat.
“But I said :
That by no means, Lord,
for never did anything unholy or unclean enter my mouth.
“But the voice from heaven made itself heard a second time
and gave me in answer :
Do not consider as unholy
what God has declared clean.
“This happened up to three times
and then everything was lifted up to heaven again.
“Immediately after that
three men joined me at the house where we were staying ;
they had been sent to me from Caesarea.
“The Spirit commanded me
without a second thought to go with them.
“These six brothers also went with me
and we entered that man’s house.
“He told us
how he had seen an angel standing in his house saying :
Send someone to Joppe
to get Simon, nicknamed Peter,
who will tell you
in what way thou and all thy house may find salvation.
“Just then I had begun to speak
when the Holy Spirit came down on them
as in the beginning also on us.
“Then I thought back to the word of the Lord,
how He had said :
John baptised with water
but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.
“Now if God gave them the same gift as to us
who already believed in the Lord Jesus Christ ,
how then would I have been able to stop God?”
When they had heard that
they were reassured
and they glorified God with the words :
“So God has also given to the Gentiles
conversion to life.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 42(41), 2-3 ; Ps. 43(42), 3, 4
My soul thirsts for God, the God who lives.
Or : Alleluia.
As a deer seeks the brooks,
so my spirit seeks Thee, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, the God who lives,
will I ever reach Him and see his Face ?
Send me Your light, Your support to guide me,
to lead me to your mountain and into your tent.
Then I will go to your altar, God who gives joy,
and praise You by the zither, God, my God.
ALLELUIA John 10, 14
Alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord.
I know mine and mine know Me.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 10, 1-10
I am the door of the sheep.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time Jesus said :
“Verily, verily, I say unto you :
Whoever does not pass through the door
but by another way enters the sheepfold ,
he is a thief and robber.
“But he who enters by the door
is the shepherd of the sheep.
“Him the doorkeeper opens.
“The sheep listen to his voice ;
he calls his sheep by their names and leads them out.
“And when he has brought out all his sheep
he goes out before them ,
while they follow him because they know his voice.
“A stranger, however, they will not follow ;
on the contrary, they will flee from him
because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
This parable Jesus told them,
but they did not understand what He wanted to tell them.
On another occasion, Jesus said to them :
“Verily, verily, I say unto you :
I am the door of the sheep.
“All those who have come before Me
are thieves and robbers ,
but the sheep have not listened to them.
“I am the door.
“If anyone enters through Me
he will be saved ;
he will enter and go out and find pasture.
“The thief comes only to steal ,
slaughter and destroy ;
I have come that they may possess life ,
and abundantly so.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
The principle of the common good
156. Human ecology cannot be separated from the concept of the common good, a principle that plays a central and unifying role in social ethics. It is “the sum total of those social conditions by which both groups and individuals can achieve their own perfection more fully and more quickly”.
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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