On the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the temple.
The Church celebrates that Mary’s parents dedicated her in the temple.
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
OPENING WORD
As we celebrate at Candlemas that Mary and Joseph
dedicated their child Jesus in the temple,
so today we celebrate the Assignment of Mary herself.
We remember how Mary was wholly available
for God’s act of salvation.
In the Magnificat, this is given voice in Mary’s own words:
On my little life He looked down,
on me, nothing but His handmaid.
He has dealt with me according to his greatness.
Even now God continues his action of salvation
through our availability.
Consideration
Mary evokes the image of the believing woman who allowed herself to be moulded completely by God’s word. Like no other, the mother of Jesus opened herself up to the work of God: ‘May it be done to me according to your word’. Self-giving and availability to the utmost marked her life. Just as we celebrate Mary’s dedication of her child Jesus in the temple on 2 February, today we celebrate Mary’s own dedication.
FIRST READING Zech 2, 14-17
Rejoice, daughter Zion, for behold, I am coming
From the Prophet Zechariah
Thus is the divine word of the Lord :
‘Rejoice and rejoice, daughter Zion,
for behold, I am coming and I will dwell with you.
‘In that day many nations will
will join the Lord;
they shall be my people
and I will dwell with them.’
Then you will know,
that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
The Lord will take possession of Judah
as His inheritance on the holy ground
and He will choose Jerusalem again.
Swing before the Lord, all that lives!
He will arise and come out of His holy dwelling.
INTERLUDIUM Lk. 1, 46-47,48-49,50-51,52-53,54-55
Blessed art thou, Virgin Mary,
thou hast borne the Son of the eternal Father
carried in thy womb.
High now my soul exalts the Lord,
delighted is my spirit for God, my redeemer.
His choice fell on His simple handmaid :
From now on every generation praises me blissfully.
Wonderful is what He did to me,
the Mighty One, great is His Name!
Merciful is He for ever and ever
To all who acknowledge Him.
He asserts Himself with a mighty arm,
He scatters the foolish.
He brings down the mighty from their throne,
He raises the simple to prominence.
He gives abundance to the needy
but the rich go away with empty hands.
He takes care of His servant Israel,
remembering His gentle mercy,
as He promised the fathers,
to Abraham and his generation forever.
ALLELUIA Ps. 119(118), 36a, 29b
Alleluia.
My heart be set on what You ordain, Lord ;
Give me Thy law as a guide.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 12, 46-50
Gesturing to his disciples, Jesus said :
Behold my mother and my brothers.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, while Jesus was speaking to the people ,
it happened that his mother and brothers were standing outside
trying to speak to Him.
Someone now came and said to Him :
‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside
and want to speak to You.’
But He replied to the one who came to tell Him this :
‘Who is my mother and who are my brothers?’
And gesturing to His disciples, He said :
‘Behold my mother and my brothers ;
For my brother, my sister and my mother are those
who fulfil the will of my Father in heaven.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
104. Nor does one achieve equality by abstractly defining that
‘all human beings are equal’, but it is the result of the
conscious and pedagogical cultivation of fraternity. Those who only
capable of being partners create closed worlds. What sense can
in this scheme have the person who does not belong to the circle of partners
and comes to dream of a better life for himself and his family?
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tuttii Official English translation
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