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
Our times are characterised by a great diversity of opinions and opposing viewpoints. It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide what is truth and what is not. In society, familiar values are being questioned, great principles are perishing, we have to defend our faith rather than be given the opportunity to proclaim it boldly. It is exactly this situation that Paul faces in his time. He advocates returning to the source when we no longer know the way, or when we threaten to put on blinders in self-defence. Christians may turn to God’s word. Then they become open and receptive people, able to distance themselves from outer riches in a healthy way, and live detached.
FIRST READING I Tim. 6, 2c-12
Thou, man of God, must strive for righteousness.
From the holy apostle Paul’s first letter to Tomóteus.
Dearly beloved,
Thus thou must teach and exhort.
He who preaches dissenting doctrine
and does not keep
to the sound principles of our Lord Jesus Chritus
and to the teachings of our religion,
is a conceited man:
without real science
but with a morbid interest
in contentious questions and war of words.
From this nothing can arise but envy,
discord, slander, suspicion and endless discussions,
the work of people whose minds are confused
and devoid of truth.
They see in godliness a source of income.
Now no doubt godliness brings great profit
but only to him who is satisfied with what he has.
For we have brought nothing into this world
nor can we bring anything from it.
If we have food and clothing, that should be enough for us.
Those who want to enrich themselves fall into temptation
and into the snare of all kinds of foolish and evil desires
which plunge a man into ruin and destruction.
For greed for money is the root of all evil.
Because of this passion, some have already strayed from the faith
and have tortured themselves with afflictions without number.
Thou, however, man of God, must shun all this.
Strive for righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness.
Fight the good fight of faith,
grasp eternal life.
To this end thou art called,
to this end ye have made the good confession
before many witnesses.
INTERLUDIUM Ps 49(48), 6-7, 8-10, 17-18, 19-20
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for to them belongs the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:3).
Why should I fear bad times ,
when I am beset by evil-doers?
By people who count on their wealth
and who boast of their possessions.
Surely there is no man who can buy himself free,
pay his own ransom to God ?
Too high is the price for eternal life,
never is there enough to escape death.
So do not lose heart when someone becomes rich,
when in his house wealth is ever growing.
He will not be able to take anything with him when he dies,
his riches will not go with him into the grave.
Though during his life he praises himself happily :
You are to be envied, you will do well ;
yet he must one day join his fathers
who will never again see the light of the sun.
ALLELUIA Ps. 130(129),5
Alleluia.
On the Lord I put my hope,
in his word I trust.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 8, 1-3
Women accompanied the Lord ;
they cared for Him out of their own resources.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
In those days Jesus went around preaching
through town and village
and proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
The twelve accompanied Him
and also some women
who were delivered from evil spirits and diseases :
Mary, called Magdalene,
from whom seven devils had departed,
Johanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuzas,
Susanna and many others, who cared for them out of their own resources.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
The weakness of responses
53. This situation cause the groaning of sister earth, which unites with the groaning of the abandoned of the world, with a lament that demands of us a different course. Never have we mistreated and damaged our common home like in the last two centuries. On the contrary, we are called to become instruments of God the Father, so that our planet could be what He dreamed of when He created it, responding to His plan of peace, beauty and fullness. The problem is that we do not yet have the necessary culture to cope with this crisis, and it is necessary to form leaderships that show ways to respond to the needs of current generations, all of them included, without endangering future generations. It becomes necessary to create a system of norms that contains inviolable boundaries and ensures the protection of ecosystems, before the new forms of power derived from the techno-economic paradigm end up destroying not only politics but also freedom and justice.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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