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
Consideration
From time immemorial, God has been concerned about the future of His people. With that people, He wants to walk through the ages. Not a stone temple will be the sign of His presence, but the promise of an offspring for David. That offspring will be bound to God as a father and son to each other and will therefore never know an end. This promise is uniquely fulfilled in Jesus. As saviour and liberator, he gives people a future by giving shape to God’s forgiveness of sins. Of this Messiah, John is the forerunner. God is faithful to his once-given word. For Zechariah, the sun of God’s grace rises again. Light breaks through the darkness. Therefore we too praise the Lord: I want to sing of your favours, O Lord, proclaim your faithfulness to every generation (Ps 89.2).
FIRST READING 2 Sam. 7, 1-5.8b-12.14a.16
The kingdom of David will stand forever before the Lord.
From the second book of Samuel
When King David had taken up residence in his palace
and the Lord had decreed
that all his enemies in all the circumference would leave him alone
he said to the prophet Nathan:
‘Now you must see!
‘I myself live in a palace of cedar wood
and the ark of God is under the tent cloth.’
Nathan said to the king
‘Feel free to do whatever you want;
The Lord is by your side.
But that same night
the word of the Lord was addressed to Nathan:
‘Say to my servant David:
Thus speaks the Lord:
Will you build me a house
and make me dwell in it?
‘Thus saith the Lord,
Lord of heavenly powers:
I have brought you out of the steppe, from behind the sheep
that you might be prince over My people Israel.
‘On all your journeys I have been by your side,
I have destroyed all your enemies,
I have exalted your name
as that of the great ones of the earth.
‘I have given My people Israel a land
and I have planted them there to dwell.
‘No longer will they be restless
nor be oppressed by evildoers as before.
in the time
when I appointed judges over My people Israel.
‘I have caused all your enemies to leave you alone.
‘The Lord announces to you
That He will establish a house for you.
When your days have ended
and you rest with your fathers,
then I will elevate the child who went forth from you to
be your descendant. And I will uphold his royal power.
‘I will be his father
and he shall be my son.‘So your house
and your royal power will endure forever;
Your throne will stand firm forever.’
Responsorial 89(88), 2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
Refrain
Your favours, O Lord, will I sing forever.
Your favours, O Lord, I want to sing,
To proclaim Your faithfulness to every generation.
You have said, ‘My favour endures forever’.
Heaven is the foundation of Your faithfulness.
‘I made a covenant with David
I swore an oath to my chosen servant:
I will uphold thy posterity forever
In all ages Your throne shall stand.
He shall call upon Me: ‘You are my Father
My God, the rock of my salvation.
Forever he will be able to count on My mercy,
My bond with him will last forever’.
GOSPEL Lk. 1, 67-79
He looked upon us as the rising sun in heaven.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
In those days, Zechariah, the father of John was
was filled with the Holy Spirit
and spoke with prophetic words:
‘Praise the Lord God of Israel :
For He has graciously looked down and redeemed His people.
‘He has begotten for us a saving power.
In the house of David, his servant ,
As he hath foretold of old
Through his holy prophets;
To save us from the power of our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us.
‘Thus he was gracious to our fathers
and faithful to his holy covenant:
The oath he swore to our father Abraham:
Giving us, to serve him without fear,
delivered from the power of the enemy,
righteous and holy before him all our days.
‘And you, son
thou shalt be called the prophet of the Most High,
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord
and prepare his ways
and make his people know redemption:
The forgiveness of their sins
Thanks be to the mild mercy of our God,
with which he looked upon us
as the rising sun in the sky
and with which he appeared to those
who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
to show our feet the way of peace’.
___________________________________________________
Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
Fruitful exchange
137. Mutual aid between countries ultimately benefits everyone.
A country that develops on the basis of its own original culture is a treasure for all humanity.
We need to realise that today either we are all saved or no one is saved.
Poverty, decadence, the suffering of an area of the earth
are an unspoken breeding ground for problems that will eventually affect the whole planet.
If the extinction of some
species worries us, we should not be lulled into thinking that there are mostly
people and peoples who do not live up to their potential and beauty
because of poverty or other structural constraints. For this ultimately
impoverishes us all in the end.
Continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from the Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling,
© Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections on liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
______________________________________________________________________________________________