October 7 is the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wishes to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
That on 7 October 1571 the West was freed from the threat of the Turks through the victory at Lépanto is attributed to the Rosary. However, this anniversary is not an invitation to commemorate a historical event, but to discover Mary’s place in the mystery of salvation of Christ. In a special way, Mary is linked to the incarnation, suffering and glorious glorification of the Son of God. As the Mother of God, we greet her with the words of the angel Gabriel: ‘Hail Mary’. (From the Missal for weekdays and celebrations of saints).
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FIRST READING Acts 1:12-14
They persisted in prayer in unison,
with Mary, the mother of Jesus.
From the Acts of the Apostles
After Jesus was taken up into heaven
the apostles returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.
This mountain is close to Jerusalem within Sabbath distance.
Once there, they went to the upper room
where they were staying :
Peter and John, James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Simon the Zealot and Judas, the brother of James.
They all persisted in prayer in unison
together with the women,
with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
INTERLUDIUM Lk. 1, 46-47,48-49,50-51,52-53,54-55
Blessed art thou, Virgin Mary,
thou hast borne the Son of the eternal Father
carried in thy womb.
High now my soul exalts the Lord,
delighted is my spirit for God, my redeemer.
His choice fell on His simple handmaid :
From now on every generation praises me blissfully.
Wonderful is what He did to me,
the Mighty One, great is His Name!
Merciful is He for ever and ever
to all who acknowledge Him.
He asserts Himself with a mighty arm,
He scatters the foolish.
The mighty He brings down from their throne,
He raises the simple to prominence.
He gives abundance to the needy
but the rich go away with empty hands.
He takes care of His servant Israel,
remembering His gentle mercy;
as He promised the fathers,
to Abraham and his generation forever.
GOSPEL Lk. 1, 26-38
Thou shalt conceive and bring a son into the world.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time
the angel Gabriel was sent by God
to a city in Galilee, Nazareth,
to a virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph,
from the house of David;
the virgin’s name was Mary.
He entered her and spoke :
“Rejoice, Gifted One, the Lord is with thee,
Thou art the blessed one among women.”
She was startled by that word
and wondered what that greeting could mean anyway.
But the angel said to her :
“Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
“Behold, thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son
and thou must give Him the name Jesus.
“He shall be great
and be called Son of the Most High.
“God the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David
and He shall be King over the house of Jacob for ever and ever
and His kingship will never come to an end.”
Mary, however, spoke to the angel :
“How shall this come about since I know no man?”
To this the angel answered her :
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore whatever is brought into the world
shall be called holy, Son of God.
“Know that even Elisabeth, thy kinswoman,
in her old age conceived a son
and, though she was called barren ,
she is now in her sixth month ;
for before God nothing is impossible.”
Now Mary said :
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord ;
unto me according to thy word.”
And the angel went from her.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
68. This responsibility for God’s earth means that human beings, endowed with intelligence, must respect the laws of nature and the delicate equilibria existing between the creatures of this world, for “he commanded and they were created; and he established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds and he set a law which cannot pass away” (Ps 148:5b-6). The laws found in the Bible dwell on relationships, not only among individuals but also with other living beings. “You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and withhold your help… If you chance to come upon a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs; you shall not take the mother with the young”
(Dt 22:4, 6). Along these same lines, rest on the seventh day is meant not only for human beings, but also so “that your ox and your donkey may have rest” (Ex 23:12). Clearly, the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures.
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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