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 book of Exodus contains deep symbolism (with sometimes ironic allusions). For example, it is no accident that Pharaoh wants to drown all of Israel’s young boys, that his own daughter, of all people, pulls Moses out of the water, and that later Pharaoh’s army will drown in pursuit of that man. The “reed” that saves Moses, and the Reed Sea where the Israelites are saved are also typical. The name of Moses himself helps to emphasize that symbolism. ‘I rescued him from the water.’ The whole people, by the way, will be saved through the water.
FIRST READING Ex. 2, 1-15a
The child was called Moses
because he was rescued from the water.
When he grew up he went to his brothers.
From the Book of Exodus
In those days a certain person from the tribe of Levi
took to wife a girl from that tribe.
The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son.
When she saw how beautiful the child was,
she kept it hidden for three months.
But when she no longer saw a chance
to keep it hidden any longer,
she took a basket of reeds,
laced it with asphalt and pitch, and placed the child inside.
Then she placed it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile.
At some distance, the child’s sister positioned herself concealed,
to see what would happen.
Now Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe,
while her servants kept walking up and down
along the bank of the river.
Suddenly she saw the basket among the reeds
and sent her slave girl to fetch it.
She opened it, looked, and there lay a weeping little boy.
Full of pity, she cried out:
“Of course a Hebrew child!”
Then the child’s sister came
and asked Pharaoh’s daughter:
“Shall I go and find a nurse among the Hebrew women,
to feed the child for you?”
Pharaoh’s daughter replied, “Yes, do so.”
The girl rushed away and fetched the child’s mother.
Pharaoh’s daughter commanded her:
“Take this child and feed it for me;
I will personally reward you for it.”
Then the woman took the child and fed it.
And when the child had grown up,
she brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter.
The latter adopted him as her own son.
She named him Moses, for, she said,
I pulled him out of the water.
Once, when Moses had grown up, he went to his brothers
and witnessed their forced labor.
He saw an Egyptian strike down a Hebrew,
one of his brothers.
He looked in all directions and when he saw
that no one was around, he struck the Egyptian down
and hid him under the sand.
The next day he went out again
and saw two Hebrew men fighting with each other.
He asked the wrong one:
“Why are you beating your comrade?”
The man replied:
“Who appointed you lord and judge over us?
Do you sometimes intend to kill me too,
just like that Egyptian?”
Then Moses became frightened and thought:
“So it has become known after all.”
Pharaoh also heard of the event
and had been intent on killing Moses ever since.
But Moses managed to escape Pharaoh
and fled to Midian.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 69(68), 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34
Behold, ye lowly ones, and rejoice,
take courage, all of you who seek God.
Deeply I sink in the mud,
my foot finds no solid ground.
I sink in the waves,
the current drags me down defenseless.
But my prayer, Lord, I turn to You,
now is the time of mercy.
Hear me because You are merciful
And faithful in giving help.
I bow down under my grief ;
God, let Your help protect me.
God’s Name will I praise in my singing,
praise it gratefully everywhere.
Behold, humble ones, and rejoice,
take courage, all of you who seek God.
God listens to what a poor man asks Him,
and does not forget his prisoners.
ALLELUIA Ps. 27(26),11
Alleluia.
Show me your way, Lord, in the face of opposition,
Lead me along smooth paths.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt. 11, 20-24
The fate of Tyre and Sidon
will be better to bear on the judgment day than yours.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
In those days, Jesus began to reproach
the cities in which most of his miracles had happened,
that they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chórazin; woe to you, Betsáïda!
Tyre and Sidon
would long ago, in sackcloth and ashes, have been converted,
if it had happened to them the miracles
which have taken place with you.
Yes, I say to you:
The fate of Tyre and Sidon
will be better to bear on the judgment day than yours.
And thou, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
Down to the underworld, thou shalt sink.
If in Sodom
had the miracles happened which have been done to thee,
it would have continued to this day.
Yet I say to you:
The Fate of the Land of Sodom
will be better to bear on the judgment day than yours.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
234. St. John of the Cross taught that all that is good in the things and experiences of the world is “eminently infinite in God, or rather He is each of these greatnesses proclaimed.” Not because the limited things of the world are truly divine, but because the mystic experiences the intimate bond that exists between God and all beings, and thus “feels that God is everything to him.” When he admires the height of a mountain, he cannot separate it from God and becomes aware that this inner admiration he experiences is based on the Lord: “The mountains have peaks, they are high, imposing, beautiful, lovely, flowery and fragrant. The Beloved is like those mountains to me. The lonely valleys are peaceful, charming, fresh, shady, and rich in fresh water. The variety of their trees and the pleasant songs of the birds invigorate and entertain the senses, and in their solitude and silence they offer refreshment and rest: the valleys are for me my Bemind.”
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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