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 excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
God did not abandon Jonah, despite his wandering ways. What the prophets failed to do for centuries, Jonah does in barely a day: The inhabitants of Nineveh repent. And God shows mercy – much to Jonah’s anger. God’s mercy, however, extends to all sinners – including those living far outside the circle of the chosen people. His message is also addressed to all people today, all over the world. On the other hand, this world has become incredibly complicated and multifaceted. Today’s life patterns seem at odds with what God wants. For Christians, it is far from obvious to call for conversion. Are we living in such a way that it can be seen that we are Christians?
FIRST READING Jon. 3, 1-10
The inhabitants of Nineveh returned from their unholy ways ,
and God regretted having threatened them with calamity.
From the Book Jonah
The word of the Lord was spoken a second time
addressed to Jonah :
“Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city of Nineveh ,
and tell her
what I have given you to say.”
And Jonah got up and went to Nineveh,
as the Lord had commanded.
Nineveh was a tremendously large city ;
it took three days to pass through it.
Jonah began to go into the city, one day’s journey away.
Then he called out :
“Forty days more ,
and Nineveh will be razed to the ground!”
But the Ninevites sought their support from God ;
they proclaimed a fast, and all ,
from great to small, put on penitential clothes.
The word of Jonah also came
to the king of Nineveh ;
he rose from his throne,
took off his state robe,
put on a garment of repentance and sat down in the dust.
He made an announcement in Nineveh :
“By order of the king and of his imperial magnates !
“People and animals, large animals and small animals ,
they must not eat anything
they must not graze or drink water.
“Men and animals must put on penitential clothes
and cry out to God with all their might ;
every one must return from his unholy ways
and from the iniquity that clings to his hands.
“Who knows whether God will not then return to his decision
and regret it ;
who knows whether He will not return to His flaming wrath ,
lest we perish.”
And God saw what they did ;
He saw how they returned from their unholy ways.
And God became sorry,
that He had threatened them with doom.
He did not bring it to pass.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 130(129), 1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8
If Thou continueest to remember sins,
Lord, who will stand?
Out of the depths I cry, Lord,
listen to my voice.
Will attentively hear
to my supplication ?
If You continue to remember sins,
Lord, who will stand?
But with Thee I find forgiveness,
therefore my heart seeks Thee.
For the Lord is ever merciful,
His mercy unlimited.
He will deliver Israel
from his iniquity.
ALLELUIA Ps. 119(118), 105
Alleluia.
Your word is a lamp to my feet, Lord,
it is a light in my path.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 10, 38-42
Martha received Jesus into her home.
She chose the best part.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
In those days Jesus came to a village
where a woman called Marta received Him into her dwelling.
She had a sister, Mary who was
– seated at the feet of the Lord –
listened to His words.
Marta was engrossed in the busyness of ministry,
but she joined them for a moment and said :
“Lord, let it be indifferent to You
that my sister let me serve alone?
“Then tell her to help me.”
The Lord answered her in reply :
“Marta, Marta ,
how much you worry and worry about many things.
“Only one thing is necessary.
“Mary has chosen the best part
and it will not be taken away from her.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
71. Although “the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Gen 6:5) and the Lord “was sorry that he had made man on the earth” (Gen 6:6), nonetheless, through Noah, who remained innocent and just, God decided to open a path of salvation. In this way he gave humanity the chance of a new beginning. All it takes is one good person to restore hope! The biblical tradition clearly shows that this renewal entails recovering and respecting the rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator. We see this, for example, in the law of the Sabbath. On the seventh day, God rested from all his work. He commanded Israel to set aside each seventh day as a day of rest, a Sabbath, (cf. Gen 2:2-3; Ex 16:23; 20:10). Similarly, every seven years, a sabbatical year was set aside for Israel, a complete rest for the land (cf. Lev 25:1-4), when sowing was forbidden and one reaped only what was necessary to live on and to feed one’s household (cf. Lev 25:4-6). Finally, after seven weeks of years, which is to say forty-nine years, the Jubilee was celebrated as a year of general forgiveness and “liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants” (cf. Lev 25:10). This law came about as an attempt to ensure balance and fairness in their relationships with others and with the land on which they lived and worked. At the same time, it was an acknowledgment that the gift of the earth with its fruits belongs to everyone. Those who tilled and kept the land were obliged to share its fruits, especially with the poor, with widows, orphans and foreigners in their midst: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after the harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner” (Lev 19:9-10).
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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