Two major groups who have given their lives for Christ in Back Asia between 1798 and 1861.
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 that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
CONSIDERATION
In ordinary life, it is not so easy to track God. Where do we see that boundless, temperless love and plea for justice as Jesus advocated at the time? Our culture is one of so many images, we are part of so many lives of strangers thanks to social media, that we fail to see where it happens, where God comes to light, and where He leaves His mark. Because the way God becomes visible in our lives never corresponds to the images we are used to. That is when it is important to become vigilant again, to pay attention to where life takes on extra sparkle and bears fruit: That is where we find God!
FIRST READING I Tim. 3, 14-16
The secret of our religion is undoubtedly lofty.
From the holy apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy
Dear one,
I write this to you in the hope of coming to you fairly soon.
Should I be delayed,
then thou knowest how one ought to behave in the house of God,
that is, the church of the living God,
pillar and foundation of the truth.
Yes, the secret of our religion is undoubtedly exalted:
Christ was revealed in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
appeared to the angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed in all the world, and taken up in glory.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 111(110), 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Great is all that the Lord performs.
Alleluia.
To the Lord, I give thanks from all my heart,
in the midst of the pious, for all the congregation.
Wonderful is all that He performs,
captivating the attention of all who contemplate it.
Gentleness and majesty speak from His deeds,
eternally He remains righteous and faithful.
Miracles He performed never to be forgotten,
affable and loving, the Lord shows Himself.
Food He gives to those who honour Him,
always remembering His covenant.
He showed His people the power of His deeds
and gave them possession of the pagan land.
ALLELUIA John 6, 64b, 69b
Alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are spirit and life;
Your words are words of eternal life.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 7, 31-35
We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
We have sung a song of mourning, and ye have not wept.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
At that time Jesus said:
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
To whom do they resemble?
They resemble children sitting in the marketplace
calling to one another:
We have played the flute for you
and ye have not danced;
we have sung a song of mourning
and ye have not wept.
After all, John the Baptist has come,
eat no bread and drink no wine
and ye say, He is possessed of the devil!
The Son of Man has come, He does eat and drink and ye say:
Look at that glutton and wine drinker,
that friend of tax collectors and sinners!
But Wisdom finds vindication with all her children.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
51. Inequity affects not only individuals but entire countries; it compels us to consider an ethics of international relations. A true “ecological debt” exists, particularly between the global north and south, connected to commercial imbalances with effects on the environment, and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time. The export of raw materials to satisfy markets in the industrialized north has caused harm locally, as for example in mercury pollution in gold mining or sulphur dioxide pollution in copper mining. There is a pressing need to calculate the use of environmental space throughout the world for depositing gas residues which have been accumulating for two centuries and have created a situation that currently affects all the countries of the world. The warming caused by huge consumption on the part of some rich countries has repercussions on the poorest areas of the world, especially Africa, where a rise in temperature, together with drought, has proved devastating for farming. There is also the damage caused by the export of solid waste and toxic liquids to developing countries, and by the pollution produced by companies that operate in less developed countries in ways they could never do at home, in the countries in which they raise their capital: “We note that often the businesses which operate this way are multinationals. They do here what they would never do in developed countries or the so-called first world. Generally, after ceasing their activity and withdrawing, they leave behind great human and environmental liabilities such as unemployment, abandoned towns, the depletion of natural reserves, deforestation, the impoverishment of agriculture and local stock breeding, open pits, riven hills, polluted rivers and a handful of social works which are no longer sustainable”.
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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