Commemorating the martyrdom of the
innocent children of Bethlehem.
Invitation
May I draw your attention to
The daily reading of the Gospel
This invitation seeks to celebrate 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
Those who do not accept the light trap themselves in blind and irrational darkness. Even today, countless innocent victims of this. Those who do accept Jesus are rescued from the spiral of evil. Innocent blood changes everything for the better for us. It is the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin, from everything that separates us from God. It is also the blood of the innocent children of Bethlehem, who – without knowing it – died for Christ. It is also the blood of many after them. In every corner of the world, innocent children lose their lives every day: innocent victims in a world that does not always offer them protection and safety.
FIRST READING I John 1.5 -2.2
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
From the first letter of the holy apostle John
My friends,
This is the message we have heard from Jesus
and we have passed it on to you:
God is light,
there is no trace of darkness in Him.
If we claim to be partakers of His life
while our ways are dark,
we are lying in word and deed.
But if we walk in the light
– as He is in the light
then we share in the life of others,
for the blood of His Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin
we deceive ourselves
and the truth does not dwell in us.
If we confess our sins ,
He is so faithful and merciful
that He forgives our sins
and cleanses us from all evil.
But if we say we have committed no sin ,
we make Him a liar;
Then His word does not dwell in us.
My children,
I write to you
with the intention that you should not sin.
But even if someone should sin
We have an intercessor with the Father,
Jesus Christ,
who is completely sinless,
who makes up for all our sins
and not only ours, but those of the whole world.
INTERLUDIUM Ps . 124(123), 2-3, 4-5, 7b-8
We have fled like a bird
escaped the net of the hunters.
If the Lord had not been with us
when they all turned against us ;
then we would have been devoured alive
scorched by the glare of his fury.
Then the flood would have swallowed us up,
the torrent would have swept us away;
we would have sunk helplessly
in foaming pools of water.
The net of the hunter was torn,
we were freed from it.
We were saved by the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Alleluia.
You, God, we praise.
You, Lord, we praise.
We praise the white Lord of martyrs.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 2, 13-18
Herod had all the children of Bethlehem put to death.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
After the departure of the Magi
an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream
and said to him:
‘Arise, take the Child and his mother,
flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you,
for Herod is coming for the Child to kill him.’
Joseph got up
and soaked in the night
with the Child and his mother to Egypt.
There he remained until Herod’s death,
so that it would be fulfilled
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
‘I have called my son out of Egypt’.
As soon as Herod realised
that he had been deceived by the Sages,
he exploded in fierce anger.
He sent men
and ordered in Bethlehem and the surrounding area
to kill all children aged two years and under,
according to the time
which exactly he had asked the Wise Men.
Then was fulfilled
the word of the prophet Jeremiah fulfilled:
‘A complaint was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud wailing:
Rachel wept for her children,
she would not be comforted,
for they are no more’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
141. The true quality of the different countries of the world
is measured by this ability to think not only as a country but also as a human family, and this is particularly
as a human family, and this is especially evident in critical periods.
critical periods. Closed nationalism ultimately shows this inability to think not only as a country but also as a human family, and this is especially
evident in critical periods.
to disinterestedness, the mistaken belief that they can
develop separately from the misery of others and that by cutting themselves off from others
by cutting themselves off from others they will be more protected. The immigrant is
seen as someone who appropriates things illegally and has nothing to offer.
to offer. Thus, people naively come to believe that the poor are dangerous or useless and that the powerful are generous.
are useless and that the powerful are generous benefactors. Only
a social and political culture that includes disinterested and selfless welcoming
altruism, can have a future.
To be continued on
Every day at1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections on liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
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