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
God does not allow Himself to be bound, not even to the ark. He remains a free God and no one can force Him to intervene. That the Israelites lose the battle while God’s ark is in their camp; that the ark of God is captured; it seems inconceivable to certain Jewish mindsets. But even later, the people of Israel repeatedly found that God was not bound, either to the ark or the temple. A receptive heart that expects everything but claims nothing for itself is the place where God can freely come home.
FIRST READING I Sam. 4, 1-11
The Israelites were defeated
and the ark of God was captured.
From the first Book of Samuel
In those days
the Israelites went to war against the Philistines ;
they pitched their camp at Eben-Haëzer,
while the Philistines were encamped at Afek.
The Philistines drew up an order of battle against the Israelites.
It came to an all-out battle.
The Israelites were defeated
and the Philistines killed along the front in the open field
about four thousand men.
When the people returned to the camp ,
the elders of Israel said :
“Why did the Lord smite us by the Philistines today?
” We are going to remove the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Silo.
“It must come into our midst
to deliver us from the hands of our enemies.”
The people had the ark taken out of Silo,
the ark of the covenant of God,
the Lord of the heavenly powers,
who sits enthroned on the kerub.
The two sons of Eli, Chofni and Pinechas,
accompanied the ark.
When the ark of the Lord’s covenant
arrived at the camp,
the Israelites raised such mighty cheers
that the ground trembled with it.
The Philistines heard it and asked :
“What must that loud cheering be
in the camp of the Hebrews?”
When they learned that the ark of the Lord
had come into the camp,they became afraid.
They said :
“God has come into the camp!
“Woe to us, that has never happened before!
“Woe to us!
“Who will save us from the hands
of that awesome God?
“After all, this is the same God
who struck the Egyptians in the desert
struck with all kinds of plagues?
” Be brave, Philistines, and behave like men.
“Otherwise you will become the slaves of the Hebrews ,
as they have been yours.
“Be men and resist.”
The Philistines went on the attack, over.
The Israelites were defeated
and fled to their tents.
It was a heavy defeat ;
thirty thousand men foot soldiers of Israel died :
the ark of God was captured
and the two sons of Eli, Chofni and Pinechas, perished.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 44(43), 10-11, 14-15, 24-25
Rise up and come to our aid, Lord,
save us in your mercy.
Thou hast cast us off and shamed us,
and go out no more with our armies.
Thou hast made us flee from the enemy,
those who hate us plunder us.
now we are jeered at by our neighbours,
those around us mock us.
We are spoken of among the heathen,
the nations shake their heads over us.
Why hid Thou Thy face from us ?
Do Thou not see our suffering and affliction ?
We are humbled to the dust,
we lie glued to the earth.
ALLELUIA Ps. 19(18), 9
Alleluia.
Your precepts, Lord, are trustworthy,
ignorant they make wise.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 1, 40-45
Immediately the leprosy disappeared and the man was cleansed.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
Once a leper came to Jesus
Who fell on his knees and begged Him :
“If Thou wilt, Thou canst cleanse me.”
Moved by compassion, Jesus reached out His hand,
touched the man and spoke to him :
“I will, become clean.”
Immediately the leprosy disappeared and he was cleansed.
As Jesus sent him away, He admonished him emphatically :
“Take care not to say anything to anyone ,
but go and show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses has prescribed,
to give them proof.”
Once he left
the man began telling his story everywhere in public
and publicised it,
with the result
that Jesus could no longer enter the city openly ,
but stayed outside in lonely places.
Still, people came to Him from all sides.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
Some lines for orientation and action
163. I have sought to examine humanity’s current situation, both in terms of the cracks in the planet we inhabit and the deeply human causes of environmental degradation. While this consideration of reality in itself points us to the need for a change of direction and suggests some action, we now seek to outline major pathways for dialogue that should help us get out of the spiral of self-destruction in which we are entering.
To be continued
The Bible text in this edition is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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