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
Like Simeon, Hanna looks forward to deliverance with hope and faith, prayerfully and intensely.
She devoted herself completely and for many years to this expectation and promise. In the encounter with Jesus, Hanna confirms Simeon’s insight as a second witness: Jesus the liberator. She thanks God and speaks about Jesus to all those who share her expectation. His coming means forgiveness of sin and the end of the power of evil. From now on, one knows the Father as He is. The answer to this means concretely: To turn away from every form of selfishness and to tune in to what is dear to God. Then the love of the Father truly dwells in us. The grace and wisdom of God may also increase in us and make us strong inwardly. We will then confirm: The Lord rules (ps 96,10).
FIRST READING 1 Jn 2:12-17
He who does the will of God endures forever.
From the first letter of the holy apostle John
I write to you, children,
that your sins are forgiven
for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ.
I write unto you, fathers,
that you know Him
who was there from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
that you have overcome the evil one.
Again, children,
I am writing to you that you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
that you know Him
Who was there from the beginning.
I am writing unto you, young men,
that you are strong:
The word of God dwells in you
and you have overcome the evil one.
Do not lose heart to the world
or the things of the world!
If anyone loves the world
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world
– The lust of lust
and the lust of the eyes
and the pride of money –
it comes not from the Father
but from the world.
And that world passes by
with all its lust,
but he who does the will of God
abides forever.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 96(95), 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
The heavens shine and the earth rejoices.
Praise the Lord, all the tribes and nations,
praise the Lord for his glory and his power,
praise the Lord for the glory of His name.
Bring your sacrifice to Him and enter into His court,
and worship Him in holy garments.
Tremble before the Lord, all ye men of the earth,
Say one to another: the Lord reigns!
He created the earth unchangeable,
He governs the nations with equity.
ALLELUIA Hebr. 1, 1-2
Alleluia.
After God had spoken to our fathers many times and in many ways
God spoke to our fathers through the prophets,
He has now, at the end of the age,
spoken to us through the Son.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 2, 36-40
Hanna speaks about Jesus to all those who were expecting the liberation of Jerusalem.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
In those days there was a prophetess named Hanna,
a daughter of Fanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was very old
and after her youth had lived seven years with her husband.
Now she was an eighty-four year old widow.
She dwelt continually in the temple
and served God day and night by fasting and prayer.
At this moment she came nearer,
thanked God and spoke about the child to all those
who were expecting the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the requirements of the Lord’s law,
they returned to Galilee, to their city Nazareth.
The child grew and increased in strength ;
he was filled with wisdom
and the grace of God rested upon him.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care of the Common Home
152. Lack of housing is a grave problem in many parts of the world, both in rural areas and in large cities, since state budgets usually cover only a small portion of the demand. Not only the poor, but many other members of society as well, find it difficult to own a home. Having a home has much to do with a sense of personal dignity and the growth of families. This is a major issue for human ecology. In some places, where makeshift shanty towns have sprung up, this will mean developing those neighbourhoods rather than razing or displacing them. When the poor live in unsanitary slums or in dangerous tenements, “in cases where it is necessary to relocate them, in order not to heap suffering upon suffering, adequate information needs to be given beforehand, with choices of decent housing offered, and the people directly involved must be part of the process”. At the same time, creativity should be shown in integrating rundown neighbourhoods into a welcoming city: “How beautiful those cities which overcome paralyzing mistrust, integrate those who are different and make this very integration a new factor of development! How attractive are those cities which, even in their architectural design, are full of spaces which connect, relate and favour the recognition of others!”
To be continued
The Bible text in this edition is taken from
The New Translation of the Bible,
©Netherlands Bible Society 2004/2007.
Recitals from Liturgical suggestions for the week days and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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