Saint Clement was leader of early Christianity
Pope from 88 or from 92 to 97
Drowned by the Romans in the sea
St. Columbanus (540-615) was an Irish abb,
missionary and founder of several monasteries.
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.
Considerations
We are tempted to label these pages from the Book of Maccabees as religious fanaticism. Faith and politics are closely linked there, the term “holy war” falls. But the battle also testifies to absolute loyalty to a received word. One defends not “oneself”, not “one’s own tradition”, not one’s “own customs”. The insurgents are no master, no owner of the message they are spreading, defending. And it is certainly not their own soul’s peace that they have in mind. The Bible calls them witnesses:The literal meaning of the Greek term “martyr”.
FIRST READING I Makk. 2, 15-25,27-29
We remain faithful to the ancestral covenant.
From the first book of the Maccabees
In those days the royal officials came
whose job it was to force the people to apostate from the law,
also came to the city of Modin to offer sacrifices.
Many Israelites went to them,
but Mattatiah and his sons kept away.
The royal officials
therefore addressed Mattatja with these words:
“Thou art a man of authority in this city;
thou enjoyest honour and prestige
and have the support of sons and brothers.
Therefore be the first to step forward
to fulfil the king’s command.
All the nations have already obeyed it
as well as the Judeans,
especially those still living in Jerusalem.
Do ye what the king asks ,
then you and your sons
be included among the king’s friends,
then you and your sons shall be honored
with gold, silver and all kinds of other gifts.”
To this Mattatja replied in a loud voice:
“Even if all the nations in the kingdom obeyed the king ;
though all fell away from the religion of their forefathers
to conform to his commands,
I, my sons and my brothers
remain faithful to the ancestral covenant.
May God keep us from
denying the law and its commandments.
We will not obey the king’s command
and will in no respect
deviate from what our religion commands us.”
Hardly had he said so,
when before all eyes a Jew stepped forward
to, according to the king’s command
to sacrifice on Modin’s idol altar.
When Mattatia saw this he ignited in fierce anger
and he trembled with indignation;
he gave free rein to his rightful wrath,
leapt forward
and struck the Jew down on the altar;
then he also killed the royal official,
who had come to force the people to sacrifice,
and destroyed the idol altar.
Immediately afterwards Mattatia marched through the city
and shouted in a loud voice:
“Whoever wants to show his zeal for the law
and stands up for the covenant, follow me!”
He himself and his sons
left goods and chattels in the city
and fled into the mountains.
At that time, many were
who wanted to live righteously and according to the law,
had fled to the desert
to settle there.
INTERLUDIUM Ps 50(49), 1-2, 5-6,14-15
He who walks straight paths finds the salvation of God.
The Lord, the God of gods, speaks,
He calls the earth from east to west.
His splendour shines from the Zion, the full,
He approaches, our God, and is silent no more.
Brings here all who are devoted to Me,
who with sacrifice have ratified My covenant.
The heavens testify His righteousness :
It is God Himself who judges.
Rather bring to God the sacrifice of your praise,
fulfil your vows to the Most High.
Then you may cry out to Me in tribulation;
I will save thee if thou worship Me.
ALLELUIA Jak. 1, 21
Alleluia.
Accept with meekness the word of God
which was planted in you
and has the power
to save your souls.
Alleluia
GOSPEL Lk 19:41-44
May you too on this day realise what makes you peaceful!
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time Jesus approached Jerusalem
He looked upon the city
and wept over her while He said:
“May ye also this day see what is for your peace!
But now it is hidden from your eyes.
The days will come upon you
when your enemies will raise a rampart against you,
surround you and shut you in on all sides;
they shall smite thee down with thy children that dwell in thee
and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon another,
because thou hast not acknowledged the time
in which mercy was looked down upon thee.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
Crisis and consequences of modern anthropocentrism
115. Modern anthropocentrism has ended up paradoxically placing technical reason above reality, because this human being “no longer feels nature as a valid norm, nor as a living refuge. It sees her objectively, without hypothesis, as space and matter within which a work must be accomplished on which one must throw oneself completely, and it does not matter what the result will be.” Thus, the intrinsic value of the world is trivialised. But if man does not rediscover its true place, it adequately fails to understand itself and ultimately contradicts its own reality. “Not only is the earth given to man, who must use it respecting its original purpose, according to which it was given to him as a good, but man too is given to himself by God and he must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he is endowed.”
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