Italian priest and educator
Born 16/8/1815 and died 31/1/1888 Canonised on 1/4/1934
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.
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
A miracle first and foremost presupposes faith. By this we are not saying that being a believer is a prerequisite for being healed or healed: we are saying that without faith the unimaginable is not recognised, is not understood. It is only against a believing background that a miracle is seen as a miracle. This presents us with an interesting paradox. Sometimes we think that people no longer believe because of the church (‘There is no longer decent teaching’),because of school (‘They no longer teach religion’) or family (‘They no longer raise their children Christian.’). But when Jesus wanted to proclaim in his own person, in his own home town and then to his own family and neighbours, even He was not understood
FIRST READING 2 Sam. 24, 2.9-17
Only I have sinned, but these sheep,
what have they done?
From the second Book of Samuel
In those days, King David said to Joab, his army captain :
“Go around to all the tribes of Israel ,
from Dan to Berseba,
and count the people;
I want to know how numerous the people are.”
When the counting was done
Joab announced the result to the king :
Israel counted eight hundred thousand able-bodied men
who could wield the sword
and Judah five hundred thousand.
But when David had ordered the census to be taken,
his heart began to pound with fear
and he said to the Lord :
“I have sinned grievously in doing that.
“Oh Lord, forgive the sin of your servant ;
I have acted very foolishly.”
When David rose the next morning,
the word of the Lord had already come to the prophet Gad,
David’s seer :
“Thou must go and say to David :
Thus saith the Lord :
Three things do I lay before thee ,
one of which thou must choose ;
Therewith will I afflict thee.”
Gad went to David,
laid this before him and asked:
“Should seven years of famine come upon thy land ,
will you spend three months
pursued by your enemies on the run ,
or should plague pass through your land for three days ?
“Think carefully and then decide
what I should answer to Him who sends me.”
Then David said to Gad :
“I do not know myself,
but we had better fall into the hand of the Lord
– for his mercy is great –
than in the hands of men.”
So the Lord unleashed the plague on Israel
from that morning until the appointed time
and there died from Dan to Berseba
seventy thousand people.
When the angel of the Lord reached out his hand
to afflict Jerusalem too,
the Lord regretted the calamity and said to the angel
who was causing destruction among the people :
“It is enough ; lower your hand.”
The angel of the Lord then stood
by the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel afflicting the people
he said to the Lord :
“Ah Lord, only I have sinned,
only I have done wrong,
but these sheep, what have they done?
“Rather let your hand be upon me
And on my father’s house !”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 32(31), 1-2, 5, 6, 7
Before the Lord I confess my fault ;
And Thou hast forgiven my sin.
Happy the one whose fault was forgiven,
whose sin was covered by God.
Happy the one who has no fault with God,
whose heart hides no crime.
Toe I confessed my sins before Thee,
denied my guilt no longer.
I spoke : before the Lord I confess my fault ;
then Thou hast forgiven my sin.
Therefore the pious will turn to Thee
when he is threatened by calamity ;
Though a deluge break upon him,
the calamity will not touch him.
My refuge be Thou, my saviour in trouble,
Thou envelopest me in prosperity and joy.
ALLELUIA Mt 4, 4b
Alleluia.
Not from bread alone does man live,
but from all that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 6, 1-6
A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own city.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
At that time
Jesus went to his father city
and His disciples went with Him.
When it was Sabbath, He began to teach in the synagogue.
The numerous listeners asked in amazement :
“Where did He get that from?
“And what wisdom is this that was bestowed on Him ?
“And what wonders are these that His hands perform ?
“Is that not the carpenter, the son of Mary
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon ?
“And don’t his sisters live here with us?”
And they took offence.
But Jesus spoke to them :
“A prophet is honoured everywhere
except in his own city,
among his relatives and in his own circle.”
He could do no miracle there,
except that He healed a small number of sick people
whom He laid hands on.
He was amazed at their unbelief.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
183. A study of environmental impact should not come after the elaboration of a production project or any policy, plan or programme. It should be included from the beginning and elaborated in an interdisciplinary, transparent manner independent of any economic and political pressure. It must be linked to an analysis of working conditions and the possible effects on people’s physical and mental health, on the local economy, on security. This will allow one to foresee the economic results in a more realistic way, taking into account the possible scenarios and possibly anticipating the need for greater investment to solve unwanted effects that can be corrected. It is always necessary to get consent from the various social actors, who can bring different perspectives, solutions and alternatives. But in the debate, the residents of the place should have a privileged place: they ask themselves the questions about what they want for themselves and their own children, and they can consider the ends that transcend the immediate economic interest. One must move away from the idea of “intervening” in the environment to make way for a politics that is considered and debated by all stakeholders. Participation requires all to be adequately informed about the different aspects and the different risks and opportunities, and is not limited to a decision at the beginning on a project, but also involves control and constant monitoring. There is a need for honesty and truth in scientific and political discussions without being limited to taking into account what is or is not allowed by legislation.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue 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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