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
Today we get the announcement of the rupture of the kingdom from a different point of view, i.e. from the north. Again, this prophecy of doom is drawn to God. Yesterday, it was God himself who announced the rupture of Solomon. Here Jeroboam receives this message through the prophet Achiah. As so often in the Bible, this happens in a symbolic act: the word is accompanied by a clearly symbolic gesture: the prophet tears a new cloak into twelve pieces and gives ten to Jeroboam. (Note also the symbolic value of that new cloak. Solomon’s kingdom is not a dying kingdom but a matchless shining kingdom).
FIRST READING 1 Kings 11, 29-32 ; 12, 19
The Israelites broke with the house of David.
From the first Book of Kings
In those days it happened that Jeroboam
was travelling from Jerusalem
and met the prophet Achiah from Silo on the way.
They were alone in the open field.
Achiah was wearing a new cloak.
He took it, tore it into twelve pieces
and said to Jeroboam :
“Take ten pieces ,
for, saith the Lord, the God of Israel :
Ten tribes of Solomon’s kingdom
I tear loose from his hand and give them to you.
“One tribe he may keep ,
for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.”
Thus the Israelites broke with the house of David ;
this has remained so until the present day.
INTERLUDIUM PS. 81(80), 10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15
I am the Lord, your only God,
hear then, my people, when I warn you!
Never should there be a foreign god with you,
do not worship gods from other lands.
For I am the Lord, your only God,
who led you out of Egypt.
But Israel did not hear My voice,
my people did not obey.
Then I let them go with their hard minds,
they went their own ways.
Ah, now if only my people listened to Me,
if only Israel walked in My ways;
I would bring down their enemies at once
and I would turn My hand against their tormentors.
ALLELUIA Ps 119(118), 36, 29b
Alleluia.
My heart be set on what You ordain, Lord ;
Give me Thy law as a guide.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 7, 31-37
He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
At that time
Jesus departed from the region of Tyre
and went over Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
in the middle of the region of Dekápolis.
One brought to Him a deaf-mute
and begged Him to lay hands on him.
Jesus took him aside, outside the circle of the people,
put His fingers in his ears
and touched his tongue with saliva.
Then He lifted up His eyes to heaven,
sighed and spoke to him : “Effeta”,
which means : Open up,
and the band of his tongue was loosened
so that he spoke normally.
He forbade them to say it to anyone ;
but with the more emphatically He forbade it ,
the louder they proclaimed it.
Beside themselves with amazement they exclaimed :
“He has done everything well,
He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
192. A trajectory of a more creative and better-oriented development of production could, for example, correct the inequality between excessive technological investment for consumption and scarce investment for solving humanity’s pressing problems; it could generate sensible and profitable forms of reuse, functional recovery and recycling; it could improve the energetic efficiency of cities, and so on. The diversification of production offers the human mind very extensive opportunities to create and innovate, while protecting the environment and creating more jobs. This would be a creativity capable of rekindling the nobility of man, because it shows more dignity with courage and responsibility to use the mind to find forms of sustainable and equitable development within the framework of a broader conception of quality of life. Conversely, it shows less dignity and creativity and greater superficiality to continue creating forms of plundering nature just to provide new opportunities for consumption and immediate returns.
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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