Invitation
May I draw your attention to the daily reading of the Gospel
This invitation seeks to convey 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
Jesus and John the Baptist do not fit into the religious world of high priests and elders. They do not fit the pattern of expectations, and they are questioned, challenged. It is the time of decisive choices: those who had an ear for John’s preaching will also prepare for Jesus’ coming.
We prepare for that coming by taking time to reflect on the small and big decisions we make – or fail to make – every day. To consider which decisions bring me closer to Jesus and which keep me from reaching Him. To ask myself if my prayers and actions are such that true deliverance comes at Christmas.
FIRST READING Num. 24:2-7. 15-17a
A star comes from Jacob.
From the book of Numbers
When Bileam lifted up his eyes and looked at Israel
tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him.
He sang the following song:
‘This is the oracle of Bileam, son of Beor,
the oracle of the man who could see secrets,
the oracle of the one who hears God speak,
‘who beholds what the Almighty reveals..,
and receives revelations in ecstasy.
‘How beautiful are thy tents, Jacob!
How beautiful are thy dwellings, O Israel!
Like valleys they stretch out
like gardens along a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars by the water.
‘Their buckets overflow with water
What he sows is watered abundantly.
‘Their king is higher than Agag;
His kingship will be exalted’.
At this he raised the following chant:
‘This is the oracle of Bileam, son of Beor ,
the oracle of the man who could see secrets,
the oracle of the one who hears God speak,
who knows what the Most High knows,
who beholds what the Almighty reveals
and receives revelations in ecstasy.
‘I behold Him, but not in the present,
I behold Him, but not up close;
a star rises from Jacob
a sceptre rises from Israel’.
INTERLUDIUM Ps 25 (24) 4bc-5ab, 6-7bc, 8-9
Show me your ways, O Lord
Teach me your ways.
Show me your ways, O Lord
Teach me your ways.
Guide me according to Your Word
For You are my God and my Redeemer.
Remember Your mercy, O Lord,
Your ever-giving compassion.
Remember not the evil of my youth
but remember me with mercy.
The Lord is good and just,
therefore He shows the way to sinners.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
The Lord is coming, go to meet him;
He is the Prince of Peace.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 21:23-27
Where did John’s baptism come from?
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
One day Jesus went to the temple
And while he was teaching there
the chief priests and the elders of the people came
and asked him
‘What authority do You have to do all this?
‘And who gave You this authority?’
Jesus answered them:
‘I will also ask you a question ,
and if you answer me ,
I will in turn tell you
under what authority I am doing all this.
‘Where did John’s baptism come from?
‘From heaven or from men?’
They deliberated among themselves:
‘If we say : from heaven, He will say to us :
Why then did you not give him faith?
‘If we say : from men ,
then we should fear men ,
for they all regard John as a prophet’.
Then they answered Jesus:
‘We do not know’.
Then He in turn said to them :
‘Then I will not tell you
by what authority I do this’.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On brotherhood and social friendship
The limitation of borders
129. When the neighbour is a migrant, complex challenges are added.
The ideal, of course, would be to avoid unnecessary migration.
and the way to do this is to create in the countries of origin the concrete
opportunity to live and grow with dignity,
so that conditions for
their own development can be created there.
But until there is serious progress in this direction, it is our duty to
respect the right of every human being to live and grow in dignity.
our duty to respect the right of every human being to find a place
where he or she can not only meet his or her needs, but also
to find a place where he can not only satisfy his primary needs
and those of his family, but also to develop his full potential as a person.
Our efforts towards incoming migrants can be summarised in four verbs:
welcome, protect, safeguard and integrate.
Ultimately, ‘it is not about imposing from above
imposing aid programmes, but to walk a path together
through these four activities, to build cities and countries that, while preserving their respective
cultural and religious identities, are open to differences and,
in a spirit of human brotherhood, know how to value them.
Continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text of this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation,
Netherlands Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections on the liturgical suggestions for the days of the week.
Fratelli tutti English translation