Born in Nursia (c.480-543) Twin sister of St Benedict
Patron saint against thunderstorms
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wishes 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
Political and religious centralisation had gone hand in hand under David and Solomon. It is now obvious that political schism will also lead to reigious confusion, and thus to idolatry. We should not forget that this was not a new fact at all. There was a strong countercurrent present that wanted to put an end to the people going up to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. The ancient sanctuaries and places of sacrifice had not all totally disappeared. A new period is now dawning in the Bible when they will be officially recognised again.
FIRST READING I Kings 12:26-32 ; 13:33-34
Jeroboam had two golden bull statues made.
From the first Book of Kings
In those days Jeroboam thought to himself :
Finally my kingdom will
yet come again to the house of David.
If this people keep going to Jerusalem
to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord ,
they will once again attach themselves to Rehabeam,
the king of Judah, their lord.
After careful consideration, the king had two golden bull statues made
and said to the people :
“You have now gone up to Jerusalem long enough ;
these, Israelites, are the gods
who led you out of Egypt.”
One image he set up at Betel
and the other he placed in Dan.
This caused the Israelites to sin.
The people led the second image to Dan.
Jeroboam also built sacrificial heights
and appointed priests from among the common people,
who did not belong to the tribe of Levi.
Furthermore, Jeroboam conducted
on the fifteenth day of the eighth month
introduced a feast similar to the one that existed in Judah.
On that occasion, he mounted the altar
which he had had made at Betel,
to sacrifice to the bull images
which he had manufactured.
And in Betel he installed the priests
of the sacrificial heights he had built.
Despite the words of the prophet
Jeroboam did not repent of his wrongdoing.
On the contrary, he appointed from the common people
priests for the sacrificial heights ;
all whom he wanted he ordained priests of a sacrificial height.
Herein consisted the sin of the house of Jeroboam
and this was the reason
why his kingdom was destroyed
and was to be destroyed from the face of the earth.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 106(105), 6-7a, 19-20, 21-22
Do not forget me, Lord, who is well pleased with your people.
We have sinned like our fathers,
committed fornication and evil.
For our fathers in Egypt
forgot the miracles that You did.
They made a sacred calf at Horeb
and threw themselves down before a casting of gold.
Their Glory they exchanged for an idol,
the image of a grass-eating ox.
They had forgotten that God had saved them,
He who had shown His power in Egypt ;
who had performed miracles in Cham
and at the Reed Sea amazing things.
ALLELUIA Ps. 95(94), 8ab
Alleluia.
Listen today to the voice of the Lord
And be not obstinate.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 8, 1-10
The people ate until they were satiated.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
When in those days again many people were gathered together
and they did not have food to eat,
Jesus called his disciples to him and spoke to them :
“I have compassion on these people ,
because they have been staying with Me for three days
so that they are now without food.
“If I let them go home without food
they will succumb on the way ;
some of them have come from far away.”
His disciples answered Him :
” Where can anyone here, in such a lonely place
get bread to satiate them?”
He asked them : “Then how many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied.
He ordered the people to sit down on the ground.
Then He took the seven loaves,
and after the thanksgiving prayer He broke them
and gave them to His disciples to put before the people ;
and they did so.
They also had some fish :
After saying the blessing over them, He said
that they should serve those too.
The people ate until they were satisfied
and to the remaining chunks they collected seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.
Then He sent them home.
Immediately He set sail with His disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanúta.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
193. In any case with, if in some cases sustainable development will entail new ways of growing, in other cases in the face of an eager and irresponsible growth that has taken place for many decades, one should still remember to hold the pace somewhat, set some reasonable limits and also retrace one’s steps, before it is too late. We know that the behaviour of those who consume and destroy more and more is unsustainable, while others fail to live in accordance with their own human dignity. Therefore, the hour has come to accept a certain reduction in growth in some parts of the world and provide resources so that healthy growth can be achieved in others. Benedict XVI said that “it is necessary for technologically advanced societies to be prepared to promote behaviour characterised by frugality by reducing their own energy consumption and improving the conditions for its use”.
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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