The holy bishops Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianze
are considered the founding fathers of Eastern Christian monasticism.
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wishes 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
As on 30 December, behind these lines we suspect one of the first schisms in the Church. The new disciples
confess as a Christological confession that “Jesus is the Messiah, come in the flesh”. Those who deny this ,
caused the schism. The community is urged to remain faithful to their faith.
FIRST READING I John 2:22-28
See to it that what you have heard from the beginning remains alive in you.
From the first letter of the holy apostle John
Friends,
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Saviour ,
is not that the liar?
That is the ‘antichrist’ :
The denier of both the Father and the Son.
He who denies Christ
cannot find God ;
He who confesses the Son
also has the Father.
As for you,
take care
that in you remain alive
what thou hast heard from the beginning ;
then ye yourselves shall abide in the Son and also in the Father.
And ye know the promise
Which He Himself has made to us :
The promise of eternal life.
This in view of those who wish to deceive you.
As for yourselves,
the consecration you received from Him
remains with you,
you need no other teacher.
His ordination instructs you in everything ;
it is true and without guile.
Abide in Him,
as it teaches.
And now children,
abide in Him.
Then we will be confident when He will appear,
and we need not be ashamed at His coming.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 98(97), 1, 2-3ab, 3c-4
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
Sing to the Lord a new song
Because He did wonders.
His hand asserted itself mightily,
the power of His holy arm.
His benefits He made known to us,
His justice to the nations.
Once again His goodness and faithfulness proved
in favour of Israel’s house.
All the earth beheld
what our God did for us.
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
ALLELUIA John 1, 14 and 12b
Alleluia.
The Word has become flesh
And has dwelt among us.
To all who accepted Him
He gave the ability
to become children of God.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 1:19-28
He who comes after me was before me.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
This is the testimony of John,
when the Jews from Jerusalem
sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him :
“Who art thou!”
Thereupon he declared
without any reservation and with great firmness :
“I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him :
“Then what?
Art thou Elijah?”
He said :
“I am not.”
“Art thou the prophet?”
He replied :
“Nay.”
Then they said to him :
“Then who art thou?
“Surely we must give an answer
To those who sent us.
“What sayest thou about thyself?”
He spoke :
“I am, as the prophet Isaiah expresses it
the voice of one crying out in the desert :
Make the way straight for the Lord!”
The emissaries were from the circle of the Pharisees.
They asked him :
“What then baptize ye
if thou art not the Messiah .
Nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
John answered them :
“I baptize with water
but among you is He whom ye know not,
He who comes after me,
I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.”
This happened at Bethany,
across the river Jordan.
Where John was baptising.
________________________________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On the care of the common home
154 -155. The ecology of man also involves a very profound aspect: The necessary relationship of man’s life to the moral law inscribed in his own nature. This relationship is essential to constitute a dignified environment. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of an “ecology of man” based on the fact “that man has a nature which he must respect and cannot manipulate at will.” It is enough to recognise that our bodies establish themselves in a direct relationship with the environment and with other living beings. Accepting our bodies as a gift from God is vital to welcoming and accepting the whole world as a gift from the Father and as our common home. Thinking we have absolute power over our bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking we have absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our bodies, care for them and respect their full meaning is an essential element for any authentic human ecology. Likewise, appreciating the femininity or masculinity of one’s own body is necessary for recognising myself in an encounter with another who differs from me. In this way, we can joyfully accept the various gifts of another man or woman – the work of God the Creator – to become mutually enriched as a result. It is not a healthy attitude to “erase the gender difference because we no longer know how to deal with it.”
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.