Saint Nicholas was a bishop and benefactor. Born c. 270 in Patara, present-day Turkey.
Died on 6 December c. 342 in Patara.
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
Everything today invites us to allow the light, Jesus himself, into us. It is he who drives out the darkness in our hearts. He opens our eyes: ‘The Lord is my light and my guide.’ From the entreaty of the two blind men in the gospel, we can see that we do not have to speak grand words to do so: ‘Lord Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me’. Our prayer may be just as simple from time to time: the sincere expression of what is wrong in me, what is wrong around me; my pain and brokenness, or the pain and brokenness I witness.
FIRST READING Isa 29:17-24
On the day of redemption, the eyes of the blind will see again.
From the prophet Isaiah
Thus speaks the LORD:
‘Behold, a short time more, and the Lebanon shall become an orchard ,
and the orchard will turn into a forest.
In that day the deaf will
understand what is read aloud,
after darkness and night
the eyes of the blind shall see again.
The oppressed will rejoice in the LORD,
the poorest of the poor
rejoice in Israel’s Holy One.
For the tyrant is gone, the mocker gone,
destroyed all who covet evil,
who accuse others falsely,
the judge traps in judgment,
and fob off the innocent with empty talk.
Therefore, thus speaks the LORD,
the God of Jacob’s house, He who delivered Abraham:
Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
his face no longer blush.
At the sight of his children, the offspring I gave him,
they will glorify My Name,
praise Jacob’s Holy One,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Scatterbrains will come to understanding, rebellious ones to reason.’
Thus speaks the almighty LORD.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 27(26) 1, 4, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my guide.
The Lord is my light and my guide,
whom should I fear ;
The Lord is the brace of my life,
of whom should I be afraid?
One thing only I ask of the Lord,
more will I not wish:
That I may live in God’s house as long as I live.
I am counting on experiencing
to experience the blessings of the Lord.
Look forward to the Lord and stand firm bravely,
be bold in heart and trust in the Lord.
Alleluia Isa 45:8
Alleluia.
Dew heavens, from on high
And let the clouds rain justice !
The earth must open up
And salvation must sprout ;
The ground must let righteousness sprout.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 9:27-31
Jesus heals two blind people because they believe in him.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
In those days there were two blind people
who followed Jesus and cried out loudly:
‘Have mercy on us,
Son of David.’
When He had come home, the blind came to Him.
Jesus spoke to them:
‘Do you believe that I have the power to do this?’
They replied:
‘Certainly, Lord.’
Thereupon He touched their eyes and said:
‘Ye shall be done according to your faith.’
And their eyes opened.
Jesus admonished them in a stern tone:
‘Make sure no one finds out about this.’
But once outside, they spread His fame throughout that region.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
119. In the first centuries of the Christian faith, various
thinkers developed a universal consciousness in their reflection on the
common destiny of created goods. This led
to the view that if someone does not have what is needed to live with dignity
life, it is because another appropriates it. St John
Chrysostomus summed it up by saying that ‘not to give to the poor a
part of one’s own goods is stealing from the poor, robbing them of
their own lives; and what we possess is not ours, but theirs’. Or
also these words of St. Gregory the Great: ‘When we
distribute anything among the needy, we do not donate things from us, but we give
return to them what belongs to them’.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
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