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
Joseph is invited to accept Mary’s child as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. He is asked to trust and engage in God’s plan. This plan consists in saving people from their sins. In this, God’s gracious justice exists. He wants to be a ‘God with us’. In Jesus, Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. The time is fulfilled: Jesus is the legitimate scion of David, who leads His people ‘with competence’, ‘justly and honestly’. To the weak, He gives life again. The Lord be praised (Ps 72.13.18) Does He also bring us back into God’s friendship?
FIRST READING Jer. 23:5-8
A lawful descendant of David do I raise up.
From the prophet Jeremiah
“Believe Me, the time is coming – so speaks the LORD –
that I will raise up a legitimate descendant of David.
He will rule with ability
and govern the land justly and fairly.
Then Judah will be liberated, Israel will live safely.
This is the name people give Him:
God the LORD, our righteousness.
One day the time will come – so speaks the LORD –
when one no longer says:
Behold God lives!
Who led the Israelites out of Egypt,
but: So that God lives,
Who has brought
back from the north,
from all the lands to which He had driven them.
On their own soil they shall dwell again.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 72(71) 2, 12-13, 18-19
Righteousness will blossom in his days
and prosperity everywhere till the end of the months.
My God, grant the king your wisdom,
the king’s son your justice.
May he rule your people justly,
your poor with equity.
The poor who seek support he will deliver,
the unfortunate without help.
He will take care of the deprived,
the weak he will restore life to them.
The Lord be praised, Israel’s God,
Who performs miracles like no other.
Praised be his holy Name forever,
his glory fill the earth.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
leader of the house of Israel :
Moses on Sinai thou gavest the Law ;
come and deliver us with thy strong arm.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 1:18-24
Jesus was born of Mary, the betrothed of Joseph, son of David.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
she, before they went to live together,
pregnant with the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph, her husband, was righteous
and did not want to compromise her,
he considered
quietly divorcing her.
While he was contemplating this,
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
who spoke to him:
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, to yourself;
the child in her womb is of the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son whom you must name Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins.”
All this was done so that it might be fulfilled
what the Lord spoke through the prophet, saying:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive
and give birth to a son
and they will give Him the name Immanuel.”
That is in translation:
God with us.
Awakened from sleep
Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife to himself.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
140. Based on the quantity and variety of elements to be taken into account, the moment one determines the impact on the environment of the concrete activity of an enterprise, it becomes indispensable to give researchers a permanent role and facilitate their interaction with broad academic freedom. This ongoing research should lead to the understanding of how different creatures interact and form larger units that we today call “ecosystems”. We consider them not only to determine their wise use, but also because they have an intrinsic value independent of that use. Just as every organism in itself is good and wonderful by virtue of being a creature of God, the same is true of the harmonious set of organisms in a given space functioning as a system. Even if we are not aware of it, we depend on that whole for our very existence. It is necessary to recall that ecosystems play a part in absorbing carbon dioxide, purifying water, fighting diseases and pests, soil composition, decomposing waste and in very many other services that we forget or ignore. When they realise this, many people again become aware that we live and act from a reality that is given to us in advance, that precedes our abilities and existence. Therefore, when talking about “sustainable use”, one should always open with a consideration of the capacities for restoration of each ecosystem in its various sectors and aspects.
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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