Saint Cecilia Came from a Roman distinguished family
Died of martyrdom around 222
Patron saint of music
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.
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
All the suffering of humanity today is summed up in one image: “And she saw her seven sons die in one day.” Why does such heinous injustice happen? It is in tears that humanity sometimes asks this question – cries out – to God. Why after all? The comforting answer is not given to us by many non-committal words and theories, but by a living human being: Jesus. He came to be beaten, humiliated, killed. He did not step around suffering with a curve, but is in the middle of it even today. He shares it, bears it, understands it. And He promises to each of us that death is only a transition to new life.
FIRST READING 2 Makk. 7, 1. 20-31
The Creator of the world, in his mercy, will give you back the breath of life.
From the second Book of Maccabees
In those days
seven brothers were also arrested with their mother
and beaten with rods and straps at the king’s command
so as to force them to eat the forbidden pork.
Extraordinarily admirable was the mother
and her memory deserves to be honoured.
She saw her seven sons die in a single day,
but stood her ground bravely,
because she trusted in the Lord.
Animated with noble feelings
she encouraged each of them in their mother tongue
and spoke to them :
“I know not how ye were formed in my womb ;
not I have given you the breath of life,
not I have arranged the constituents that make up each one of you,
into a harmonious whole,
but the Creator of the world;
He works the creation of man,
as He is the origin of everything.
“He will in His mercy restore to thee the breath of life ,
because for His law’s sake ye spare not yourselves now.”
Antiochus believed the woman was smirking at him
and he suspected her of insulting language.
Therefore, he tried to kill her youngest son,
the only one still alive,
not only with admonishing words
to persuade her to disavow ancestral morals,
but he also promised on oath,
that he would make him rich and happy,
that he would include him among his friends
and would entrust him with the management of state affairs.
When the boy paid no attention to this at all,
the king called the mother and urged her to
to make the little fellow understand
that his welfare was at stake.
Since he urged her to do so,
she finally agreed to convince her son.
She bowed to him
and mocking the cruel despot,
she said to him in their mother tongue:
“Child, have mercy on me.
“I carried you in my womb for nine months,
fed you for three years and nurtured you
and raised you into the boy you are now.
“I beg you, my child,
contemplate the heavens and the earth with all that they contain
and remember that God made all this out of nothing
and that the human race too was created in the same way.
“Do not be afraid of that executioner ,
but show yourself worthy of your brothers and accept death,
then I will get you back with your brothers
on the day God takes care of us.”
Hardly had she said this, or the boy exclaimed:
“What are you waiting for?
“I do not obey the king’s command :
I obey what the law commands ,
which was given by Moses to our forefathers.
“Thou art the cause of all the calamity
which afflicts the Hebrews ,
but ye shall not escape the hand of God.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 17(16), 1, 5-6, 8b, 15
Your sight, Lord,
satiate me when I awaken.
Listen, Lord, for my cause is righteous,
heed my loud cry.
Will hear my prayer ;
my lips do not deceive Thee.
Steadfastly I follow the path of the law,
my foot does not stumble in Your ways.
Now I call upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me,
So turn your ear to me, hear my voice.
Hide me under the shelter of Thy wings.
I am righteous and may behold Thee,
Your sight sates me when I awaken.
ALLELUIA Hebr. 4, 12
Alleluia.
The word of God is alive and powerful,
and it penetrates to the fulcrum of soul and spirit.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 19, 11-28
Why didn’t you take my money to the bank?
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
In those days Jesus had come near Jerusalem,
and since it was believed that the Kingdom of God
was going to appear immediately,
He told this parable:
“A man of high birth went on a journey to a far country
to obtain kingship and then return.
“He called ten of his servants,
gave them ten pounds and spoke to them :
Do business with them during my absence.
“His countrymen, however, hated him
and sent an envoy after him to say :
We do not want this man to be king over us.
“When he had returned ,
having obtained the kingship after all,
he sent for those servants to whom he had given his money.
“The first one came and said :
Lord, your pound has yielded ten.
“He replied :
Excellent, good servant !
Because thou hast been faithful in something small
thou shalt have authority over ten cities.
“Thereupon the second came and spoke :
Lord, thy pound hath yielded five.
“To him also the Lord answered :
And thou, thou shalt have authority over five cities.
“Then came the third and said :
Lord, here is thy pound ;
I tucked it away in a cloth and kept it that way ;
I had fear of thee
Because thou art a stern man,
who reclaims what you have not put out
and who reaps what thou hast not sown.
“To him the lord replied :
With your own words I will condemn you, bad servant.
“You knew that I am a strict man
who reclaims what I have not expelled
and who reaps what I did not sow.
“Then why didn’t you take my money to the bank?
“Then I could have claimed it with interest on my return.
“And to those who stood by, he ordered :
Take from him that pound
and give it to him who has the ten pounds.
“They threw up :
Lord, he already has ten pounds.
“But he continued :
I say to you :
To every one who has shall be given ;
but to him who has not, it will still be taken away
even what he has.
“And those enemies of mine ,
those people who did not want me to be king over them :
Bring them here and stab them before me.”
After Jesus had spoken these words
He moved on and went up to Jerusalem.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
114. What is happening presents us with the need to move forward in a courageous cultural revolution. Science and technology are not neutral, but from the beginning to the end of a process can contain different intentions and possibilities and be shaped in different ways. No one wants to return to the stone age, but it is necessary to take pace back to look at reality in a different way, gather the positive and tenable developments while recovering the values and great purposes destroyed by megalomaniacal unrestraint.
To be continued
The Bible text in this edition 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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