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
The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, is reminiscent of many Old Testament images. There is the scapegoat of the Great Day of Atonement, sent into the desert laden with all the sins of the people. There is the suffering servant, led like a lamb to the slaughter. There is the paschal lamb, which John says is slaughtered at the moment Jesus hangs on the cross. He became human to take on the weight of evil and the burdens of suffering. What burden of our existence do we want to lay before Him ? What do we want to shed on the cross ?
FIRST READING 1 Jn 2:29-3:6
He who abides in the Lord does not sin.
From the first letter of the holy apostle John
Friends,
Since ye know that Jesus is wholly without sin,
ye must understand
that every one who does good is also a child of God.
How great is the love shown to us by the Father!
We are called children of God
and we are.
The world does not understand us
and it does not know us
because it has not recognised Him.
Friends,
already now we are children of God
and what we shall be has not yet been revealed ;
but we know
that when it is revealed
we will be like Him
because we shall see Him as He is.
Those who expect such salvation from God ,
makes himself pure
as Christ is pure.
He who commits sin commits evil
for sin is wickedness.
And you know
that Christ appeared to take away sins
and there is no sin in Him.
He who abides in Him
sins not ;
the sinner has not seen Him and does not know Him.
INTRODUCTION Ps. 98(97), 1, 3cd-4, 5-6
All the earth beheld
What our God did for us.
Sing to the Lord a new song
Because He did wonders.
His hand asserted itself mightily,
the power of His holy arm.
All the earth beheld
what our God did for us.
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
Sing to the Lord by the zither,
with zither and psalters.
Lat sound trumpet and trombone
and dance before the Lord your king.
ALLELUIA Hebrews 1, 1-2
Alleluia.
After God had once spoken many times and in many ways
to our fathers through the prophets,
He has now, at the end of time,
spoken to us through the Son.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 1:29-34
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time John saw Jesus coming towards him and said :
“Behold, the Lamb of God
Who takes away the sin of the world.
“This one it is of whom I said :
Behind me comes a man
Who is before me ,
for He was before me.
“Neither did I know Him,
but that He might be revealed to Israel,
therefore I came to be baptised with water.”
Further, John testified :
“I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove
and He remained upon Him.
“Neither did I know Him
but Who had sent me to baptise with water,
He had spoken to me :
On whom ye shall see the Spirit descending and abiding,
it is He who baptises with the Holy Spirit.
“I myself have seen it and I have testified :
This is the Son of God.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
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
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