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 this joy by opening his heart
to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day
CONSIDERATION
This gospel reading provides a penetrating psychological analysis of human powerlessness. Wanting the good is not yet doing the good. It is a beautiful description of the experience that we find with almost all masters of spirituality: The pursuit of perfection so often leads to an impasse from which we no longer see a way out. Then comes the salutary cry for help and the realisation that only with God is salvation: In God’s free gift of grace in Christ.
FIRST READING Rom 7, 18-25a
By whom shall I be saved from this life of death?
From the letter of the holy apostle Paul to the Christians of Rome
Brothers and sisters,
I am aware that in me,
that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells.
Good will is within my reach
but not the good deed.
I do not do the good that I want
but the evil that I do not want.
When I do what I don’t want,
I am no longer the acting person
but the sin that lives in me.
So I discover in me this ‘law’:
If I want to do good
evil forces itself upon me.
My inner self delights in God’s law,
but in my actions I discover another law
which opposes the law of my reason
and delivers me captive
to the dominion of sin over my actions.
Wretched man that I am!
Who will save me from this existence of death?
Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ our Lord!
INTERLUDIUM Ps 119(118), 66, 68, 76, 77, 93
Only let me know, Lord, what Thou hast ordained.
Then give me understanding and wisdom,
for in thy commandments I put my trust.
Good are Thou, and good are Thy deeds ;
only let me know what Thou art able to do.
Let thy compassion now comfort me,
as thou once promisedst thy servant.
Through thy mercy I may live,
because I find my joy in thy law.
I will never forget thy commands,
for by them Thou givest me life.
I am thine, make me happy,
I try to do what thou dost command.
ALLELUIA Ps. 119(118), 105
Alleluia.
Your word is a lamp to my feet, Lord,
it is a light upon my path.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 12, 54-59
Of the image of land and sky
you know the right meaning,
but why not of our time?
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time Jesus said to the crowd :
“When you see a cloud coming from the west, you say at once, “It will rain.
“And when you see a wind blowing from the south, you say:
It is going to be hot, and it is happening.
“Hypocrites!
“From the image of land and sky
you know the meaning of,
but why not of this time?
“How is it
why do you not draw from yourselves the right conclusions?
“When you go to the government with your opponent,
make an effort to free yourself from him on the way;
otherwise he may take you to court .
The judge will hand you over to the bailiff
and the bailiff shall cast you into prison.
“I say unto you:
You will not get out
until you have paid up to the last penny.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care of the Common Home
88. The bishops of Brazil have pointed out that nature as a whole not only manifests God but is also a locus of his presence. The Spirit of life dwells in every living creature and calls us to enter into relationship with him. Discovering this presence leads us to cultivate the “ecological virtues”. This is not to forget that there is an infinite distance between God and the things of this world, which do not possess his fullness. Otherwise, we would not be doing the creatures themselves any good either, for we would be failing to acknowledge their right and proper place. We would end up unduly demanding of them something which they, in their smallness, cannot give us.
To be continued
The Bible text in this edition is taken from De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Recitals from Liturgical Suggestions for the Weeks and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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