John of Capestrano was a minor brother who helped preach to the people in the 15th century.
He was canonised in 1690.
Invitation
May I draw your attention to
the daily Gospel reading
This invitation wants to share with you 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
That the Gentiles are included in the Church as equals (co-heirs, co-members) is what Paul calls the secret of God that he can reveal through the preaching of the gospel. It is an extraordinary honour for him that he has been chosen, entirely undeservedly, as a minister for this purpose.
FIRST READING Ephesians 3:2-12
Now the mystery of Christ has been revealed,
that the Gentiles are co-heirs of the promise.
From the holy apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus
Brothers and sisters,
You have heard
How the grace of God has revealed itself
which has been given to me with a view to you;
by revelation the knowledge of the secret has become known to me, as I have already
as I have already briefly described.
When you read this ,
you will be able to form an idea
of my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
Never among former generations has it been made known to the
made known to the children of men,
as it is now revealed through the Spirit
to his holy apostles and prophets:
That the Gentiles in Christ Jesus are co-heirs,
members and partakers of the promise
through the gospel.
Of this I have become a servant
By virtue of the gift of God’s grace,
Given to me by the working of His power.
To me, the least of all saints,
is the grace given
To the Gentiles
To proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ
and to make clear the fulfilment of the mystery.
He was from all eternity hidden in God,
the Creator of the universe,
so now to the dominions and powers in the heavens
through the Church
the manifold wisdom of God be made known.
That was His eternal purpose
which He accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
In Him we have,
through faith in Him,
free access to God.
INTERLUDIUM Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
You will draw water with joy
From the springs of your Saviour.
Yes, God is my salvation, in him I trust,
I need not fear calamity.
The Lord is my strength, the Lord gives me strength,
He shows Himself my helper and saviour.
You will draw water with joy
From the springs of your saviour.
Thank the Lord and praise His name,
proclaim his deeds to the nations,
make his greatness known everywhere.
Sing loudly to the Lord, who has done wondrous things,
let all the earth hear.
Rejoice and be glad, ye who dwell in Zion!
For the Holy One of Israel dwells among you.
HALLELUJAH cf. Eph. 1, 17-18
Alleluia.
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten our inner eye
to see how great is the hope
To which he calls us.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk 12:39-48
To whom much is given, much will be required.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Understand this:
If the lord of the house knew
at what hour the thief comes
he would not break into his house.
‘Be ye also prepared ,
for the Son of Man is coming
at an hour when you do not expect him’.
Peter asked him
‘Lord, are you speaking this parable to us or to everyone?
The Lord spoke:
‘Who will be that faithful and wise steward ,
whom the Lord will appoint over his servants
To give them their portion of wheat at the appointed time.
‘Happy is the servant
who finds that the master is busy with it on his arrival.
‘Truly, I say to you
He will put it on everything he owns.
‘But the servant will say to himself
My master will be away for some time to come ,
and he begins to beat the servants and maidservants
and indulges in eating and drinking,
then the servant’s master will come
on a day he does not expect him
and at an hour he does not know;
he will punish him with the sword
and make him suffer the fate of the unfaithful.
‘The servant who knew the will of his lord ,
but makes no provision and does not act according to his will
will be severely punished.
‘However, whoever through ignorance
has done things worthy of discipline ,
will be punished only lightly.
‘From him to whom much has been given, much will be demanded ;
and from him to whom much has been entrusted
much more shall be demanded of him’.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
75. “Robbers” usually find secret allies in those who “pass by and look the other way”. There is a certain interplay between those who manipulate and cheat society, and those who, while claiming to be detached and impartial critics, live off that system and its benefits. There is a sad hypocrisy when the impunity of crime, the use of institutions for personal or corporate gain, and other evils apparently impossible to eradicate, are accompanied by a relentless criticism of everything, a constant sowing of suspicion that results in distrust and confusion. The complaint that “everything is broken” is answered by the claim that “it can’t be fixed”, or “what can I do?” This feeds into disillusionment and despair, and hardly encourages a spirit of solidarity and generosity. Plunging people into despair closes a perfectly perverse circle: such is the agenda of the invisible dictatorship of hidden interests that have gained mastery over both resources and the possibility of thinking and expressing opinions. The ‘street robbers’ often have as secret allies those ‘who pass in the street and look the other way’. The circle closes between those who use and cheat society to suck it dry, and those who think that in their all-important function of preserving purity, but at the same time live off the system and its resources. There is a sad hypocrisy where impunity for crime, the use of institutions for crime, the use of institutions for personal or business interests, and other evils we cannot eliminate, go hand in hand with a constant disqualification of everything, the constant sowing of mistrust, the sowing of distrust and confusion. At the misdirection of ‘everything is going wrong’ responds a ‘no one can put things in order’, ‘what can I do?. Disappointment and hopelessness are fed and this does not foster a spirit of solidarity and generosity. To plunge a people into despondency is to close a perfect vicious circle: this is how the invisible dictatorship of the real hidden interests that have taken over the means and ability to form opinions and views.
Continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
The New Bible Translation, ©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections on liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation.
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