Invitation
May I hereby call your attention
for 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
Faith does not just live in your head and heart. It requires actions. It has to bear fruit. Only then does Christian faith gain authenticity, and we are able to truly bear witness to what Jesus does to us. In other words, our speech and actions become witnesses of faith only when both reflect a deep, inner fidelity to God and to the Church. Are we good trees ? What fruit do we bear?
FIRST READING 2 Kings 22, 8-13 ; 23, 1-3
The king read to the people all that was written in the book of the covenant, and he made
the covenant before the face of the Lord.
From the second Book of Kings
In those days, high priest Chilkiah said to the scribe Safan :
‘I have found in the temple of the Lord the book of the law’.
Chilkiah gave the book to Safan and the latter read it.
Thereupon the scribe Safan went to the king ;
he reported to him and said :
“Your servants have found the money
the money that was in the temple
and handed it over to the workmen who have the supervision
over the work in the temple of the Lord.”
Further, scribe Safan informed the king,
that the priest Chilkiah had given him a book.
And Safan read it to the king.
As soon as the king heard what the book of the law said,
he tore his clothes in half,
and he gave the following order to the priest Chilkia,
to Achikam the son of Safan, to Akbor the son of Mikaja,
to the scribe Safan and to his courtier Asaiah :
“Thou goest to consult the Lord ,
for me and for the people, for all Judah.
concerning what is to be read
in the book we have found.
“The Lord must have been inflamed against us in fierce wrath ,
since our fathers did not listen
to the words of this book
and have not acted according to all that is written in it.”
The king then summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem
and they gathered with him.
He went to the temple of the Lord,
accompanied by all the men of Judah,
all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
the priests, the prophets and all the people,
from small to great.
He read to them all that was written
in the book of the covenant,
which was found in the temple of the Lord.
The king stood on the exaltation
and he made the covenant before the face of the Lord :
They were to follow the Lord
and with all their heart and all their soul
keep his commandments, ordinances and regulations,
in order thereby to fulfil the provisions of the covenant,
which were written in the book.
All the people agreed to this covenant.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 119 (118), 3-34, 35-36, 37, 40
Show me the way, Lord, which Thou hast ordained.
Show me the way, Lord, which Thou hast ordained,
and I will never depart from it.
Give me understanding to keep Your law,
to follow it with all my heart.
Lead me along the paths of Your commandments,
in which I find my joy.
My heart be set on what You ordain
and not on vain gain.
Restrain my eye from idle things,
but let me live according to Thy way.
Behold, I desire to follow Your commands :
Then let me live, righteous God.
ALLELUIA Ps. 145(144), 13cd
Alleluia.
True is God in all his words
And holy in all He does.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 7, 15-20
By their fruits you will know them!
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time Jesus said to his disciples :
“Beware of the false prophets,
people who come to you in sheep’s clothing
but are inside predatory wolves.
“By their fruits you will know them.
“Does one sometimes pluck grapes from thorns
or figs from thistles?
“Thus every good tree brings forth good fruit,
but the sick tree brings forth bad fruit.
“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit
nor a sick tree good fruit.
“Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit
shall be cut down and thrown into the fire.
‘By their fruits thus shall ye know them.’
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To be continued
Every morning at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays _____________________________________________________________________________