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
Opening word
We cannot help but marvel
at God’s goodness to each of us.
God’s love is so great that it is far beyond our comprehension.
This makes it both easy and difficult at the same time.
We all share in the full measure of God’s grace
and yet we would like to be able to earn them too,
especially when it comes to others.
We are here together to celebrate that ever-unearned, overflowing measure
of God’s goodness in Jesus Christ.
FIRST READING Isa 55:6-9
Your thoughts are not my thoughts.
From the prophet Isaiah
Seek the Lord now that He is found,
call on Him now that He is near.
The unrighteous must leave his way,
the sinner his thoughts;
he must return to the Lord
– the Lord will have mercy –
your thoughts are not my thoughts,
my ways not your ways
– is the word of the Lord –
but as the heavens are high above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts your thoughts.
Responsorial Ps. 145(144), 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Refrain
Near is the Lord to everyone who calls on Him.
You I want to praise every day,
glorifying Your Name forever.
The Lord is great and worthy of all praise,
His greatness is unfathomable.
The Lord is full of love and compassion,
longsuffering and most gracious.
The Lord is concerned for every human being,
merciful to all that He made.
The Lord is just in all His ways,
and holy in all that He does.
Near is the Lord to everyone who calls on Him,
to everyone who prays sincerely to Him.
SECOND READING Phil. I, 20c-24.27a
To me, life is Christ.
From the letter of the holy apostle Paul to the Christians of
Philippi
Brothers and sisters,
Whether I should live or die,
Christ will be glorified in me.
For me anyway, life is Christ
and dying a gain,
but if I live, fruitful labour awaits me.
Therefore, I do not know what to choose.
I am drawn to two sides:
I long to go to be with Christ,
because that is by far the best.
But for you it is more useful that I remain here.
Alone, thou must live a life
worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Verse for the gospel Cf. Acts 16, 14b
Alleluia.
Make our hearts receptive, Lord,
that we may understand the words of your Son.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 20, 1-16a
Are ye evil because I am good?
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, Jesus told his disciples
the following parable:
“With the kingdom of heaven, it is as with a landowner
who went out early in the morning
to hire labourers for his vineyard.
“He agreed with the workers for a tenner a day
and sent them to his vineyard.
“Around the third hour, he went out again
and saw others standing idly in the marketplace.
“And He said to them:
Go also to my vineyard
and I will give you what is fair.
“And they went.
“About the sixth and ninth hour he went out again
and did the same thing.
“Around the eleventh hour, he went out again
and found others standing there again.
“He said to them:
What art thou standing here idly all day?
“They answered him:
No one has hired us.
“Thereupon he said to them:
Go ye also into my vineyard.
“At nightfall
the owner of the vineyard spoke to his steward:
Call the workers and pay them out,
beginning with the last and so on to the first.
“When the workers of the eleventh hour came ,
they each received a tenner;
now when the first ones also came,
these thought they would get more,
but they too were each given the agreed tenling;
“They did take it ,
but began to grumble against the landowner
and said:
Those here who came last ,
have only worked one hour
and you equate them with us
who have borne the burden of the day and the burning heat.
“But he answered one of them:
“Friend, surely I do thee no injustice?
“Art thou not agreeing with me for a tenner?
“Take what is due you and go.
“I want to give to the one who came last,
as much as to thee.
“May I not sometimes do with mine what I prefer
or are ye evil because I am good?
“Thus the last shall be the first
and the first shall be the last.”
________________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
55. Gradually, some countries can show important progress, developing more efficient control and a more sincere fight against corruption. The ecological sensitivity of peoples has grown, even if it is not enough to change harmful consumption habits, which do not seem to be decreasing, but expanding and developing. This is happening, to give just a simple example, with the ever-growing increase in the use and intensity of air conditioners: the markets, in seeking immediate gain, further stimulate demand. If someone were to look at the planetary community from the outside, they would be amazed at such behaviour, which sometimes seems suicidal.
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
Laudato Si Official English translation