Invitation
May I draw your attention to
The daily reading of the Gospel
This invitation seeks to convey the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception
can experience that joy by opening his or her heart
to the healing power of the Word of God.
Available every day
Consideration
The liturgy juxtaposes the Book of Wisdom, Psalm 34 John: “Let us plead with the righteous” and “because the Jews wanted to kill Him”. This is not true prophecy, but an impressive foreshadowing. Mt 27:32-43 would be even more impressive. Let us listen sentence by sentence to the beautiful first reading and we will recognise the Passion in it.
FIRST READING Wis. 2, 1a.12-22
Let us condemn the righteous to a shameful death.
From the book of Wis.
In false deceit, the wicked say to one another :
“Let us plead with the righteous, for he is good for nothing,
he goes against our works,
He accuses us of sins against the law
He accuses us of transgressions against our upbringing.
“He pretends to possess the knowledge of God
and calls himself a son of the Lord;
He has become to us a reproach against our conceptions;
His mere sight is a burden to us
For his way of life differs from that of others
and his behaviour is unusual;
He regards us as counterfeit money
He shuns our ways as if they were unclean;
calls the end of the righteous blessed,
he boasts that God is his father.
“Let us see if his words are true ,
and let us take as evidence what happens at his death.
“For if the righteous man is the son of God ,
He will come to his aid
and save him from the hand of his adversaries.
“Let us deal with him insolently and painfully ,
to see whether he is truly meek
and to test his patience.
“Let us condemn him to an ignominious death.
After all, he says, he will be protected anyway.”
Thus they reasoned, but in doing so they erred,
for their wickedness blinded them.
They did not understand the mysteries of God,
they expected no reward for a holy life,
nor did they believe in a reward of honour for immaculate souls.
INTERLUDIUM Ps 34(33), 17-18, 19-20, 21, 23
The Lord is close to grieved hearts.
He turns His face away from evildoers,
they are forgotten on earth.
The Lord listens to the godly who cry out
and delivers them from every need.
The Lord is close to the hearts of the afflicted,
He helps those who acknowledge their guilt.
Many calamities will threaten the godly,
From each of them the Lord saves him.
The Lord will watch over his bones
So that none of them will break.
The Lord saves the lives of those who serve Him,
All who flee to Him have no punishment to fear.
Vers for the Gospel John 3:16
God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son
so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish.
GOSPEL John 7:1-2,10,25-30
The Jews wanted to seize Jesus, but their hour had not yet come.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
At that time Jesus was travelling through Galilee,
for he did not want to go through Judea
because the Jews wanted to kill him.
He came on one of the Jewish feasts,
the Feast of Tabernacles.
When his brothers left for the feast
he also left,
not openly but discreetly.
Some people in Jerusalem said:
“Isn’t this the man they want to kill?
“And behold now
He preaches in public, and the people say nothing against Him.
“Have the authorities now really recognised that He is the Messiah?
That He is the Messiah?
“But we know where this man comes from;
But when the Messiah comes
no one knows where He comes from.
While Jesus was teaching in the temple
he exclaimed in a loud voice
“You know me and know where I have come from;
but I have not come from myself
but He who sent me is true;
Him you do not know.
“I know Him
for I am from Him and He sent me”.
They wanted to seize Him
but no one laid hands on Him
because His hour had not yet come.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
227. One expression of this attitude is to pause to give thanks to God before and after the meal. I suggest that the faithful adopt this precious habit and live it deeply. This moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us that we depend on God for our lives, strengthens our sense of gratitude for the gifts of creation, is a thanksgiving to those whose work produces these goods, and reinforces solidarity with those most in need.
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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