Born in 1890 in Corinaldo near Ancona. Became a victim of sexual assault at the age of 12.
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 except,
can experience that joy by opening his heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
The sacrifice of Isaac is the last and toughest hurdle on the road to the fulfillment of the promise. It is at once high point and low point of the Abrahamic cycle. Here Abraham’s faith is tested to the deepest darkness. At the same time, the story also has another theological meaning: our God does not desire human sacrifice. He is different from the gods of surrounding nations, where child sacrifices were not uncommon.
FIRST READING Gen. 22, 1-19
The sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham.
From the Book of Genesis
In those days it happened that God tested Abraham.
He said to him : “Abraham.”
And Abraham answered :
“Here I am.”
God said :
“Go with Isaac, your only son,
whom thou lovest, to the land of Moriah,
and carry him there on the mountain which I will appoint for thee,
as a burnt offering.”
The next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took two servants and his son Isaac with him,
and split wood for the burnt offering.
Then he set out
to the place God had appointed for him.
On the third day, Abraham saw the place in the distance.
Then Abraham said to his servants :
“Stay here with the donkey ;
I am going with the boy over yonder.
“After we have bowed down in worship ,
we shall return again.”
Thereupon Abraham gave his son Isaac
to carry the wood for the burnt offering;
himself he carried the fire and the sacrificial knife.
Thus they set out together.
Then Isaac said to his father Abraham : “Father.”
He answered : “Yes, my son.”
Isaac said :
“We do have fire and wood ,
but where is the sacrificial animal?”
Abraham replied :
“God Himself will provide the sacrificial animal, my son.”
And together they went on.
When they had reached the place
which God had appointed for them,
Abraham built an altar there,
piled up the wood, bound his son Isaac
and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
However, when Abraham reached out his hand for the knife
to cut his son’s throat with it,
the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven:
“Abraham, Abraham!”
And he answered :
“Here I am.”
The angel said :
“Do not touch the boy with a finger and do nothing to him!
“Now I know that thou fearest God ,
for thou hast not wanted to withhold from Me thy only son.”
Abraham looked around and noticed a ram,
stuck with its horns in the bushes.
He grabbed the ram and dedicated it as a burnt offering,
in place of his son.
Abraham called that place ‘God the Lord will provide it’;
hence it is still said today :
In the mountain of the Lord it will be provided for.
Then the angel of the Lord called for the second time
from heaven to Abraham and said :
“By Me I have sworn – saith the Lord –
because thou hast done this
and have not withheld from Me your own son,
therefore I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants
more numerous than the stars in the sky
and the grains of sand on the beach of the sea.
“Your descendants will possess the gate of their enemy.
“Through your descendants
shall come blessing upon all the nations of the earth,
because thou hast listened to Me.”
Thereupon Abraham returned to his servants;
together they went to Berseba.
And Abraham continued to dwell in Berseba.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 116A(114), 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
I may live again under God’s eye
in the land of the living.
Or : Alleluia.
The Lord I love, for He listens,
He hears my pleading voice;
He has given me attention
whenever I called to Him.
Death held me in all his snares,
the net of the phantom realm fell upon me,
I was weighed down by sorrows.
Then I called on the Name of the Lord :
Ah, save me, Lord, from death!
The Lord is good and just,
merciful is our God.
The simple, He offers protection ;
He saved me from distress.
The Lord delivered my soul from death,
He dried my tears and supported my foot.
I may live again under God’s eye
In the land of the living.
ALLELUIA Hebrews 4, 12
Alleluia.
The word of God is alive and powerful,
and it penetrates to the fulcrum of soul and spirit.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt. 9, 1-8
The crowd glorified God,
who had given such power to men.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time Jesus went out in a boat,
crossed over and came into his city.
One brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.
When Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic :
“Have courage my son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Some of the scribes now said to themselves :
“That man speaks blasphemously.”
But Jesus knew their thoughts and said :
“Why think ye evil to yourselves?
“What is easier, to say :
Thy sins are forgiven thee, or :
Arise and walk ?
“Well, that ye may know
that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins
-and now He spoke to the paralytic :-
Get up, take your bed and go home.”
And the paralytic got up and went home.
When the crowd saw this they were seized with awe
and they glorified God,
who had given such power to men.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
Joy and peace
222. Christian spirituality proposes another way of understanding quality of life and encourages a style of prophetic and contemplative living that is capable of knowing deep joy without being obsessed by consumption. It is important to follow up on an ancient teaching present in various religious traditions and also in the Bible. It concerns the belief that “less is more.” Indeed, the constant accumulation of opportunities to consume distracts the heart and prevents it from appreciating each thing and each moment. Quietly facing each reality, no matter how small, on the other hand, opens to us more possibilities for understanding and personal realization. Christian spirituality implies a growth in sobriety and an ability to enjoy with little. It is a return to simplicity that allows us to pause to enjoy the little things, to give thanks for the opportunities that life offers, without attaching ourselves to what we have, or becoming sad for what we do not possess. This requires avoiding the dynamics of domination and sheer accumulation of pleasures.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays.
Laudato Si Official English translation
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