Japanese Jesuit. Lived from 1565 to 1597
One of the first martyrs of the Far East.
Invitation
May I draw your attention to
The daily reading of the Gospel
This invitation wants to share with you the joy of the Gospel.
Everyone, without exception
can experience that joy by opening his or her heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
Who does not seek wisdom, a solution to difficulties, a wise companion to counsel? Solomon’s fame is illustrated here in a beautiful oriental story. Prosperity and wisdom go together here, and a theological note is not missing: for instance, the queen of Sheba praises and blesses the God of such a wise king. The wisdom of which the gospel speaks, however, is totally different. For Jesus, the ultimate and binding criterion is not outward display or pomp, nor outward behaviour per se, but only inward behaviour.
FIRST READING I Kings 10:1-10
The queen of Sheba discovered how wise Solomon was.
From the first book of Kings
In those days the glory
which the Lord had bestowed on Solomon
had also reached the queen of Sheba
and she wanted to test him personally with riddles.
She went to Jerusalem
with a very large procession of camels,
laden with incense, much gold and precious stones.
When he arrived at Solomon’s house
he told him everything he had in mind.
But Solomon knew the answer to all his questions;
Nothing was so unclear to the king
that he could not answer.
When the queen of Sheba discovered what a wise man Solomon was
and saw the palace he had built for himself,
the food on his table,
the courtiers who sat with him,
the footmen in uniform, the wine-breakers,
the burnt offerings he regularly sacrificed in the temple of the Lord,
he was beside himself with amazement.
He said to the king
“So it is true what I have heard in my own country
About your wisdom and your undertakings.
“I could not believe it
until I came here and saw it with my own eyes.
“Truly, I have not been told half of it;
You possess more wisdom and wealth than I had heard.
“What a privilege for your men ,
…what a privilege for your servants…,
That they stand before you continually
and can listen to your words of wisdom.
“Blessed be the Lord your God ,
who is so pleased with you
That he has set you on the throne of Israel,
and in his steadfast love for Israel
has made you king
to uphold law and justice.
He gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold,
much incense and also precious stones.
Never more was so much incense brought
as what the queen of Sheba
gave to King Solomon.
INTERLUDIUM Ps 37(36), 5-6, 30-31, 39-40
The mouth of the godly proclaims wisdom.
Entrust your way of life to the Lord,
Trust in him, he will take care of it.
Your honour will shine like the dawn
Your righteousness like the noonday sun.
The mouth of the godly proclaims wisdom,
his tongue speaks true language.
The law of his God is in his heart
His steps do not falter.
The salvation of the godly comes from the Lord;
He is his refuge in hard times.
The Lord is by their side and delivers them,
He saves those who turn to Him.
ALLELUJA Mt 11:25
Alleluia.
I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for you have revealed these things to those who are near to you.
Because you have revealed these things to little children.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mc 7,14-23
Whatever comes out of man, that defiles man.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
At that moment, Jesus called the people together again and spoke to them:
“Listen to me, all who wish to understand:
nothing can defile a man
that which enters into him from without.
“But what comes out of a man
That defiles a man.
“Whoever has ears to hear, listen.”
After he had withdrawn from the village
and had returned home
his disciples asked him questions about the parable.
He answered them:
“Do you also understand so little?
“Do you not realise
that what enters man from outside cannot defile him?
cannot defile him
For it does not enter his heart but his belly
and ends up in a certain place?”
Thus He declared all food clean.
“But ,
– He said –
that which comes out of man
that defiles man.
“For from within, from the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication
come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, robbery, murder,
adultery, greed, covetousness, malice, deceit,
debauchery, envy, envy, blasphemy, pride, levity.
“All these evil things come from within
and defile a person.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
190. In this context, it should always be kept in mind that “environmental protection cannot be guaranteed solely on the basis of financial cost-benefit calculations. The environment is one of the goods that cannot be adequately protected or promoted by market mechanisms”. 1 Again, we should avoid a magical idea of the market that tends to think that problems are solved only by the growth of corporate or individual profits. Is it realistic to expect those obsessed with profit maximisation to stop and think about the environmental impacts they leave for future generations? Within the profitability schema, there is no room to think about the rhythms of nature, its times of decay and rebirth, and the complexity of ecosystems that can be seriously affected by human intervention. Moreover, when biodiversity is discussed, it is at most seen as a reservoir of exploitable economic resources, but the real value of things, their significance to people and cultures, the interests and needs of the poor, are not seriously considered.
Continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
Netherlands Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections on liturgical suggestions for the week and on Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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