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
After the stoning of Stephen, the persecution of the Church erupted in all its violence. In this, we can notice three things: As a fine historian, Luke notes that persecution and dispersion is a core issue for mission. But as a believing theologian, he looks even deeper. Stephen’s sacrifice is not fruitless. He places the story of his burial between two remarks about persecution. Finally, he places Paul’s name next to Stephen’s : The martyr next to the persecutor of the church. It is as if he already foreshadows the conversion and calling of the missionary to the Gentiles : The persecutor of the Church who will one day become a martyr.
FIRST READING Acts 8:1-8
They went around proclaiming the word of the Good News.
From the Acts of the Apostles
After the death of Stephen
a fierce persecution broke out
against the church of Jerusalem.
All scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except for the apostles.
Pious men buried Stephen
and held a great lamentation over him.
Saul, however, raged against the church,
breaking into one house after another, dragging away men and women
and handed them over to be imprisoned.
Now those who had dispersed went about
and proclaimed the word of the Good News.
So Philip came into the city of Samaria
and preached the Messiah there.
Philip’s words met with general approval
when the people heard what he said
and when they saw the signs he performed.
Out of many possessed people
the unclean spirits went away with loud cries
and many lambs and cripples were healed.
Great joy arose over this in that city.
INTERLUDIUM Ps 66(65), 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a
Rejoice before God, all the nations of the earth,
sing to the glory of his Name.
Jubilate before God, all the nations of the earth,
sing to the glory of His Name.
Bring Him your homage and say to your God :
Astonishing are all Your deeds.
All the earth should worship Thee,
chant Your holy Name.
Come and behold what God has done,
staggering deeds among men.
He made the sea a dry valley,
they passed through the bed on foot.
Let us rejoice for joy for Him
Who reigns forever by His power.
ALLELUIA John 10, 14
Alleluia.
I am the good Shepherd, says the Lord.
I know mine and mine know Me.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 6:35-40
This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son should possess eternal life.
Ut the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time Jesus said to the crowd :
“I am the bread of life :
Whoever comes to Me shall hunger no more,
and whoever believes in Me will never thirst again.
“But I said to you already that ye nevertheless believe not ,
though ye have seen Me.
“All that the Father gives Me shall come unto Me ,
and whoever comes to Me I will not cast out.
“For I came down from heaven ,
not to do My own will
but the will of Him who sent Me ;
And this is the will of Him who sent Me,
that I let nothing of what He has given Me perish
but raise it up at the last day.
“This is the will of My Father ,
that every one who, when he sees the Son and believes in Him,
possesses eternal life ;
and I will raise him up at the last day.”
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APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION LAUDATE DEUM
FROM THE HOLY FATHER
POPE FRANCISCUS
TO ALL PEOPLE
OF GOOD WILL
Human causes
11. The human – ‘anthropic’ – origins ofclimate change. Let us see why. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which causes global warming, was until the nineteenth century stable, below 300 ppm (parts per million). But in the middle of that century, the emissions, along with industrial development, began to increase. In the past fifty years this increase significantly accelerated, as the Mauna Loa observatory, which has been taking daily measurements of carbon dioxide since 1958 has taken daily measurements of carbon dioxide, has confirmed. When I was writing Laudato Si’ was writing, they reached an all-time high – 400 ppm – until they reached came out at 423 ppm. More than 42% of total net emissions since the year 1850 were produced after 1990.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Deum Official English translation
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