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
Today we listen to another very difficult text, which can only be understood if one takes into account the nature of the apocalyptic images and their symbolic value. The numbers ‘a thousand’ cannot possibly be understood literally and certainly not as chronological succession. The deepest sense of the text boils down to this: through all the vicissitudes and ups and downs of church history, the victory of Jesus will be irrevocable. Every age, including ours, is radically determined by a central event: Death and resurrection of the Lord and thus acquires its deepest meaning and future.
FIRST READING Apok. 20, 1-4.11-21, 2
The dead were judged according to their deeds.
I saw the holy City, Jerusalem, coming down from heaven.
From the revelation of the holy apostle John
I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven
with the key to the Abyss
and a great chain in his hand.
And he seized the Dragon, the ancient Serpent
– that is the Devil, Satan –
and he captivated him for a thousand years,
and he cast him into the Abyss
which he bolted and sealed above his head,
so that he would no longer tempt the nations
before the thousand years were over.
Then he must be released for a short time.
And I saw thrones
and they sat on them
And judgment was given to them.
I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
For the testimony of Jesus and the word of God,
who had not worshipped the Beast and his image
and had not taken the mark
on their foreheads and their hands.
And they became alive again and reigned with Christ
for a thousand years.
Then I saw a great white throne
And Him seated on it.
The earth and heaven fled away from His face
and their place was no longer found.
And I could see the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
And the books were opened.
Yet another book was opened,
the book of life.
And the dead were judged according to their deeds
as they were described in the books.
And the sea gave back its dead,
and death and the underworld gave back their dead
And they were judged,
each according to his deeds.
Then death and the underworld were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire.
And every one whose name was not in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth ;
the first heaven and the first earth were gone
and the sea no longer existed.
And I saw the holy City, the new Jerusalem
of God descending from heaven,
beautiful as a bride adorned for her husband.
INTERLUDIUM Hymns Ps. 84(83), 3, 4, 5-6a, 8a
See here God’s dwelling among men !
(Apok. 21, 3b)
My soul longs and yearns for your sanctuary.
My heart and all my being
go out rejoicing to You, the God who lives.
For even the sparrows do find shelter,
the swallows a nest for their brood ;
to me that is Your altar, Lord of heavenly powers,
my King and my God!
Happy they who dwell in thy house, O Lord,
who may praise Thee there always.
Happy those who may lean on You,
he shall continue his way with renewed strength.
ALLELUIA John 14, 5L
Alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord ;
no one comes to the Father except through Me.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk 21:29-33
When you see all these things
know then that the kingdom of God is at hand.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
At that time Jesus made a comparison
and said to his disciples :
‘Look at the fig tree and all the other trees :
As soon as they sprout you will automatically know when you see it,
that summer is coming.
‘Likewise, when you see all these things
then know that the kingdom of God is at hand.
‘Verily, I say unto you :
This generation shall not pass away until all this is done.
‘Heaven and earth shall pass away
but My words shall not pass away.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
Promoting the morally good
112. We cannot fail to say that the desire for and the
pursuit of the good of others and of all humanity also
involves a commitment to the maturing of people and societies
in the various moral values that lead to integral
human development. The New Testament speaks of
a fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:22), which is defined by the
Greek term agathosyne. This indicates attachment to the good, the
seeking the good. Indeed, it is caring for what is most
worth, what is best for others: their maturation, their growth in a
healthy life, practising values and not just material
well-being. There is a similar Latin expression: bene-volentia, which means
meaning an attitude of wanting the good of the other. It is the strong
desire for the good, an inclination towards all that is good and excellent,
which leads us to fill the other person’s life with beautiful, exalted,
edifying things.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
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