Flemish Belgian priest. Born in Temse on Dec. 18, 1890, and died in Moerzeke on June 10, 1923.
Beatified on 3/10/1999
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 except,
can experience this joy by opening his heart to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
Tobit is praised for his righteousness. Tried and tested, and marked by suffering, he remains faithful to God. He lives according to God’s commandments, perseveres in prayer and does works of mercy. It is telling that the one does not have to get in the way of the other, as is the case with the Scribes in the Gospel. While Tobit dedicates himself to others by performing good deeds and giving alms, the angel in his place dedicates his prayers to God. The good deeds are, as it were, the continuation of prayer. We must not think that prayer is more important than doing the necessary good at that moment – like the Scribes. We should be encouraged by the angel’s lesson from the first reading.
FIRST READING Tob. 12, 1. 5-15. 20
I ascend to Him who sent me.
Praise the Lord and declare all his wondrous deeds.
From the Book of Tobit
In those days called Tobit his son unto him
and said to him :
“What can we give to this holy man,
who has accompanied you?”
Then they called the man aside and asked him
if he would accept half of everything they had brought.
Then the angel said to them:
“Praise God in heaven
and praise Him in front of all living things
for He has shown you mercy.
“It is good to
keep the secrets of kings,
but to make known the deeds of God is an honourable thing for His servants.
“Prayer and fasting are good
and charity is better than the hoarding of gold.
“For the giving of alms saves from death,
it cleanses from sins
and earns mercy and everlasting life.
“But the sinners and the unrighteous
are the enemies of their own life.
“I am going to tell you the truth
and hide nothing from thee.
“When thou hast prayed under tears
and left thy breakfast to bury the dead,
by day thou hast hidden the dead in thy house
to bury them at night,
then I commend your prayer to the Lord.
“But because you were pleasing to God,
thou hadst also to be tried by suffering.
“Now God has sent me
to cure thy blindness
and to deliver your daughter-in-law, Sarah, from the evil spirit.
“I am Raphael,
one of the seven angels
who stand before the throne of the glory of God
and offer Him the prayers of the saints.
“Now it is time for me to return
to Him that sent me ;
ye, however, praise the Lord, and declare all his wondrous works.”
INTERLUDIUM Tob. 13, 2, 6, 7, 8
Praise be God, who liveth forever.
It is He who saves and it is He who takes care,
who leads to death and resurrects,
no man can escape his hand.
Therefore consider what ye can expect of Him
and give thanks with a loud voice.
Glorify the Lord, who is just,
and proclaim the praises of the King of ages.
I will honour Him in this land of exile,
showing His power to these sinful people.
Thou sinner, repent and do what pleases Him,
and He will surely be merciful to you.
ALLELUIA Ps. 130(129), 5
Alleluia.
In the Lord, I put my hope,
in his word I trust.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk 12, 38-44
The poor widow offered the most
of all those who threw something into the offering box.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
At that time, Jesus also gave this warning during his teaching:
“Beware of the scribes,
who like to walk about in long robes,
who like to be greeted in the marketplace,
who are eager for the most important seats in the synagogues
and the places of honour at meals,
but who swallows up the houses of widows
while they perform long prayers for the sake of appearances;
on these people shall be judged a more severe sentence.”
He sat down opposite the offering-box
and watched as the people threw pieces of copper into it
while many a rich person dropped a great deal into it.
A poor widow also came and threw in two pennies worth a cent.
Now he called his disciples to him and said :
“Verily, I say unto you :
That poor widow has sacrificed the most
of all those who threw something into the offering box;
they all threw something in from their abundance
but she sacrificed of her poverty all that she possessed,
everything she had to live on.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the Care of the Common Home
196. What happens with politics? Let us keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity, which grants freedom to develop the capabilities present at every level of society, while also demanding a greater sense of responsibility for the common good from those who wield greater power. Today, it is the case that some economic sectors exercise more power than states themselves. But economics without politics cannot be justified, since this would make it impossible to favour other ways of handling the various aspects of the present crisis. The mindset which leaves no room for sincere concern for the environment is the same mindset which lacks concern for the inclusion of the most vulnerable members of society. For “the current model, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance, does not appear to favour an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak or the less talented to find opportunities in life”.
To be continued.
The Bible text in this edition is taken from De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Recitals from Liturgical suggestions for the week and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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