According to a tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared for the first time
on Saturday 9 December 1531 to Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548).
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to make you partakers of 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
As once a way was paved for the people of Israel through the desert, a second exodus from exile to Jerusalem now follows. God’s intervention is so powerful that the exiles do not go the (detour) way along the roads usually followed by caravans, but return home on a royal road paved by God himself. Every mountain, every hill will be broken down so that the road can be travelled without obstacles. What obstacles do I encounter when I want to go on the road with God?
FIRST READING Isa 40:1-11
God comforts his people.
From the Prophet Isaiah
“Comfort, comfort yet my City, – says your God -,
speak courage to Jerusalem,
cry to her, that her time of punishment is over,
that her iniquity is forgiven,
that from the hand of God
her sins have been doubly paid for.”
A voice calls out :
“Make way for the Lord in the steppe,
pave for our God a lordly way in the desert,
every valley must be filled,
every mountain and hill to be swept down,
every unevenness must be leveled,
the rock masses become a valley.
“And appear shall the glory of the Lord ,
and all flesh shall witness it :
The mouth of the Lord has said it !”
A voice speaks : “Call!”
And I ask : “What should I call out?”
“All flesh is like grass ,
And all its glory like a flower in the field :
The grass withers, the flower withers
as soon as a hot wind blows over it :
The grass is the people !
“The grass withers, the flower withers ,
but the word of our God endures forever!”
“Climb the highest mountain, ye Zion, messenger of joy,
lift up mightily thy voice, Jerusalem, messenger of joy !
“Proclaim it loudly, know no fear,
cry to the cities of Judah :
Your God is coming !
“Behold, God the Lord comes with power,
His arm leads the reign ;
His reward comes with Him,
His reward goes before Him.
“Like a shepherd He will pasture His sheep,
in His arms gather them together,
carry the lambs against His bosom,
guide the sheep with a gentle hand.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 96(95), 1-2, 3, 10 ac, 11-12, 13
God our Lord will come with power (Isa. 40(9)).
Sing to the Lord a new song,
sing to the Lord, all nations.
Sing to the Lord and glorify His Name,
proclaim his salvation all the days.
Report to the nations his glory,
His wondrous deeds to all nations.
Tremble before the Lord, all the people of the earth,
the nations He governs with equity.
Then the heavens shine and the earth rejoices,
the sea hums along with all that lives there;
the fields sway with all their crops,
the forest giants bow their crown.
They cheer the Lord because He is coming,
He is coming as King of the Earth.
Righteously He will rule the world,
the people fair and faithful.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
Come Lord, do not tarry,
and wipe out the crimes of your people.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 18:12-14
God does not want these little ones to be lost.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples :
“What do you think?
“If a man has a hundred sheep
and one of them goes astray ,
shall he not leave
the ninety-nine alone in the mountains
to go in search of the stray one ?
“And shall he succeed in finding it, verily I say to you,
he shall rejoice more over that one
than over the ninety-nine who were not lost.
“Likewise, your heavenly Father does not want
that any of these little ones should be lost.”
________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
134. Although no conclusive proof exists that GM cereals may be harmful to human beings, and in some regions their use has brought about economic growth which has helped to resolve problems, there remain a number of significant difficulties which should not be underestimated. In many places, following the introduction of these crops, productive land is concentrated in the hands of a few owners due to “the progressive disappearance of small producers, who, as a consequence of the loss of the exploited lands, are obliged to withdraw from direct production”.The most vulnerable of these become temporary labourers, and many rural workers end up moving to poverty-stricken urban areas. The expansion of these crops has the effect of destroying the complex network of ecosystems, diminishing the diversity of production and affecting regional economies, now and in the future. In various countries, we see an expansion of oligopolies for the production of cereals and other products needed for their cultivation. This dependency would be aggravated were the production of infertile seeds to be considered; the effect would be to force farmers to purchase them from larger producers.
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
_____________________________________________________________________________