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
Today two major texts are juxtaposed. On the one hand the Emmanuel prophecy of Isaiah: A child will be born and his name will be ‘God-with-us’. On the other hand, the Gospel of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, with its message to Mary. It is the gospel we also read on 8 December. God makes himself known as a ‘God for people’. He is not only the unapproachable Holy One, but the benevolent one who says ‘Do not fear’. He does not come as a scorching fire but enters into dialogue with mankind. We must be open to the coming of this God: See the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.
FIRST READING Isaiah 7, 10-14
Behold, the virgin shall conceive.
From the Prophet Isaiah
In those days Isaiah spoke to Achaz :
“Ask the Lord your God for a sign,
either high in the sky or deep in hell.”
But Achaz answered :
“I do not ask for a sign ;
I do not wish to put the Lord to the test.”
And Isaiah spoke :
“Listen then, house of David,
is it not enough for you to vex people,
that you should vex my God also?
“Therefore the Lord also gives you an unasked-for sign :
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and she shall call him ‘Immanuel’ : ‘God-with-us’.”
Interludium Ps. 24(23), 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
The Lord of the heavenly powers,
He is the King of Glory.
To God belongs the earth and all that is upon it,
the earth and all that dwelleth therein ;
for he hath founded it upon the waters,
established it upon the sea.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord,
who shall stand in his sanctuary?
Who is clean of hands and pure of heart,
who shall not set his heart on what is evil.
He shall be blessed of the Lord,
rewarded by God, his redeemer.
So does the generation that turns to Him,
that stand before the face of Jacob’s God.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
Key of David,
Thou openest the gates of the heavenly kingdom :
Come and deliver those who are shackled
and imprisoned in darkness.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 1, 26-38
You shall conceive and bear a son.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time
the Angel Gabriel was sent by God
to a town in Galilee, Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David;
the virgin’s name was Mary.
He entered into her house and said :
“Rejoice, O blessed one, the Lord is with thee,
Thou art blessed among women.”
She was shocked by this word
and wondered what the greeting could possibly mean.
But the angel said to her:
“Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God.
“Behold, you shall conceive and bear a Son
and give him the name of Jesus.
“He shall be great
and shall be called the Son of the Highest.
“God the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David
and He shall be King over the house of Jacob forever
and His kingship will never end.”
Mary, however, spoke to the angel :
“How can this be, since I do not know any man?
To this the angel answered her:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore, whatever is brought into the world
will be called holy, Son of God.
“Know that even Elizabeth, your kinsman,
conceived a son in her old age
and, though she was barren,
she is now in her sixth month;
for nothing is impossible for God.”
Now said Mary :
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
be it done unto me according to thy word.
And the angel departed from her.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care of the Common Home
142. If everything is related, then the health of a society’s institutions has consequences for the environment and the quality of human life. “Every violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the environment”. In this sense, social ecology is necessarily institutional, and gradually extends to the whole of society, from the primary social group, the family, to the wider local, national and international communities. Within each social stratum, and between them, institutions develop to regulate human relationships. Anything which weakens those institutions has negative consequences, such as injustice, violence and loss of freedom. A number of countries have a relatively low level of institutional effectiveness, which results in greater problems for their people while benefiting those who profit from this situation. Whether in the administration of the state, the various levels of civil society, or relationships between individuals themselves, lack of respect for the law is becoming more common. Laws may be well framed yet remain a dead letter. Can we hope, then, that in such cases, legislation and regulations dealing with the environment will really prove effective? We know, for example, that countries which have clear legislation about the protection of forests continue to keep silent as they watch laws repeatedly being broken. Moreover, what takes place in any one area can have a direct or indirect influence on other areas. Thus, for example, drug use in affluent societies creates a continual and growing demand for products imported from poorer regions, where behaviour is corrupted, lives are destroyed, and the environment continues to deteriorate.
To be continued
The Bible text in this edition is excerpted from The New Bible Translation, ©
Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Contemplations from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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