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 God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
Jesus’ words cannot be applied literally in our contemporary society. Jesus’ message is not meant to make the law and legal rules redundant or undermined: there are circumstances when a person has the right – or even the duty – to defend himself or others. Jesus’ words challenge us to question ourselves. The evil that is done to us does not disappear when we take revenge: on the contrary, it achieves a double victory: not only is it done to us, but it also takes possession of us. Do we dare to fight evil with good? Do we dare to fight hate with love?
FIRST READING 1 Kings 21, 1-16
They led Naboth out of the city and stoned him.
From the first book of Kings
Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel,
next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.
One day Ahab addressed the request to Naboth:
‘Give your vineyard to me;
Then I will make it an orchard,
For it lies beside my palace.
‘I will give you a better vineyard in its place,
Or, if you wish, I will buy it from you for money.
But Naboth said to Ahab
‘May the Lord deliver me
May He give you the inheritance of my fathers.
Then Ahab went home, gloomy and angry at Naboth’s answer.
Because of the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had given him:
I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.
He lay down on his bed
He turned away his face and would not eat anything.
Then his wife Izebel came to him and asked him:
‘Why are you so gloomy anyway and won’t eat anything?’.
Ahab replied:
‘I asked Naboth the Jezreelite to sell his vineyard .
To sell his vineyard ,
or, if he wanted, to exchange it for another.
‘But he answered me:
I will not give you my vineyard.’
Then his wife Izebel said to him:
‘Are you now the man who exercises royal power in Israel?
‘Get up, eat something and you will recover;
I will see to it that you take over this vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
He wrote a letter in Ahab’s name,
sealed it with his seal
and sent it to the elders and notables
who lived in the same city as Naboth.
In that letter, she had written :
‘Announce a fast
and put Naboth at the head of the assembly of the people.
‘Then let some wicked men sit before him and accuse him of blasphemy .
And accuse him of blasphemy and desecration of majesty.
‘Then take him out of the city and stone him.’
Naboth’s fellow citizens,
the elders and notables who lived in the same city as him,
did everything Izebel had ordered them to do.
And what was in the letter she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast
and made Naboth sit at the head of the public assembly.
Then came two mean fellows
who sat down before Naboth
and declared before all the people:
‘Naboth has cursed God and the king.’
They led Naboth out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they reported to Izebel:
‘Naboth has been stoned, he is dead.
As soon as Izebel heard that Naboth had been stoned ,
he said to Ahab:
‘Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite ,
which he would not sell to you.
For Naboth no longer lives, he is dead.
As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead ,
he went out
to seize the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
INTERLUDIO Ps. 5, 2-3, 5-6, 7
Hear, Lord, my sighs of pain.
Lord, hear what I want to say to you,
hear my sigh of pain.
Listen to the voice that cries out to you
for You are my God and my King.
Already early in the morning You hear my voice,
early in the morning my hope and my desire.
Surely You are not a God who endures injustice,
with You no evildoer can dwell.
No sinner can look into Thy eyes,
You abhor those who do injustice.
You destroy those who speak lies,
You abhor bloodlust and cruelty.
Alleluia Ps. 95,(94), 8ab
Hallelujah
Listen today to the voice of the Lord
And do not be stubborn.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt. 5, 38-42
I tell you: do not resist injustice.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
‘You have heard that it was said :
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
‘But I say to you, do not resist injustice ,
but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Turn to him the other also.
‘And if anyone wants to bring you to justice
and take away your underwear
then let him take your outer garments too.
‘And if someone demands that you go a mile with him, go two miles with him.
Go two miles with him.
‘Give to whom you ask
and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow anything from you.’
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APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION LAUDATE DEUM
FROM THE HOLY FATHER
PAUS FRANCISCO
TO ALL PEOPLE
OF GOOD WILL
72. If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about twice
higher than that of someone living in China, and about seven times higher than the
average of the poorest countries, we can argue that a broad change in the
irresponsible lifestyle associated with the Western model would have a significant
impact in the long run. As a result, along with
indispensable political decisions, make progress towards genuine care for each other.
To be continued.
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
The New Bible Translation, ©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections on liturgical suggestions for the week and Sundays
Laudato Deum Official English translation
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