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 the Word of God.
Available every day
OPENING WORD
On this fourth Sunday of Advent
around a wreath full of light
we witness an endearing encounter
between Mary and Elizabeth.
Filled with the Holy Spirit
they sing of the love God has promised them.
When we celebrate the Eucharist
we follow in their footsteps.
After all, where people come together in love and friendship
and share their faith story,
a song of gratitude and joy to God resounds.
FIRST READ Mic. 5, 1-4a
From you will come forth one who will rule Israel.
From the prophet Micah
Thus says the Lord:
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah
the least among the generations of Judah,
of you shall be born
he who will rule over Israel.
‘In the distant past is his origin,
in the days of old.
Therefore the Lord will
will not leave them to their fate
Than until the time
when the mother has given birth to her child.
Then the rest of their brethren will be reunited again with the children of Israel.
with the children of Israel.
Then he will take control
and protect them
by the power of the Lord,
by the exalted name of the Lord their God.
In safety they will dwell,
for his power will reach
to the ends of the earth.
He will be a man of peace.
Responsorial 80(79), 2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19
Refrain
God, raise us up again
and we shall be saved.
Who leads Joseph like a flock,
Who thrones above the cherubim, appear in glory.
Cast thy might into battle,
come to our aid.
God of hosts, come back,
look down from heaven and watch over your vineyard.
Protect what Thy own hand has planted,
the shoot that Thou hast grown.
May Thy hand rest on Thy darling,
on the child Thou hast nurtured.
Never again shall we forsake Thee;
If Thou preserve our life, we will praise Thee.
SECOND READING Hebrews 10, 5-10
I have come to do thy will.
From the letter to the Hebrews
Brothers and sisters,
When Christ comes into the world, he says to the Father:
‘Sacrifices and gifts you did not want ,
but you have prepared for me a body.
‘Burnt offerings and peace offerings could not please You.
‘Then I said:
Here I am.
‘As it is written about me in the scroll:
I have come, O God, to do Thy will.’
So first He says:
Offerings and sacrifices
burnt offerings and kissing offerings Thou hast not wanted,
Which could not please Thee
Though the law demanded that they should be brought.
And then He says:
Here am I,
I am come to do Thy will.
So He abolishes the first to make the second valid.
By that will we are sanctified forever,
through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.
Gospel verse Lk. 1, 38
Alleluia.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
let me be done according to your word.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 1, 39-45
To what do I owe that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
In those days Mary went in haste to the hill country, to a city in Judah.
To a city in Judah.
She entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting ,
the child jumped into her womb.
Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
and exclaimed in a loud voice:
‘Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
‘To what do I owe
That the mother of my Lord comes to me?
‘Behold, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the child leapt for joy into my heart,
the child leapt for joy into my womb.
‘Blessed she who has believed that will be fulfilled
what has been spoken to her by the Lord.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
135. I repeat the examples I mentioned some time ago: the Latin
culture of Latinos is ‘an acid mass of values and possibilities that the United
United States very well […]. Strong immigration
always attracts people and ultimately changes the culture of a place. In
Argentina, the strong immigration of Italians has changed the culture of society,
and in the cultural style of Buenos Aires one can clearly see the
presence of some two hundred thousand Jews is evident in the cultural style of Buenos Aires.
Immigrants are a blessing, a wealth and a new gift that invites integration.
wealth and a new gift that invites a society to grow’.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text of this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation, ©
Netherlands Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections on liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation