Japanese Jesuit. Lived from 1565- 1597
One of the first martyrs of the Far East.
Along with 25 others, he was murdered in Nagasaki.
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
We are given detached exhortations for a Christian life in community. Again, the Old Testament plays a major role. Consider the allusion to Abraham and his visitors. Think of the allusion to Psalm 118.6. Rightly, we get in response an analogous psalm 27 that expresses the same thing: The Lord is my light and my guide. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the brace of my life. Whom should I fear?
FIRST READING Hebrews 13, 1-8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today and for ever.
From the letter to the Hebrews
Brothers and sisters,
Brotherly love
is among the things that must always remain.
And do not forget hospitality ;
because of that some
welcomed angels without knowing it.
Think of those who are imprisoned
as if you were in prison with them,
and those who are mistreated,
for you too have a body.
Marriage is a precious thing ;
let us all honour it and respect fidelity.
God’s judgement will come upon fornicators and adulterers.
Do not live only for money,
be content with what you have.
God himself has said :
‘’I will not leave you alone,
I will never forsake you.‘’
Therefore, we can say with confidence :
The Lord is my helper, I have nothing to fear.
What can a human being do to me ?
Remember your leaders
who first proclaimed the word of God to you.
Remember their lives and the outcome of their lives;
Take an example from their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today and for ever.
Interlude PS. 27(26), 1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc
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,
Whom should I fear?
Though evildoers stand in battle order before me,
I am not afraid,
Though they war with me,
Still I remain confident.
In evil days the Lord grants me shelter,
He keeps me hidden within His abode.
Thy face, Lord, I seek to see,
will not hide Thy countenance from me,
reject me, thy servant, not in thy wrath.
For Thou art my helper, therefore do not drive me away .
ALLELUIA JoH. 14, 5
Alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord:
No one comes to the Father but through Me.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk 6, 14-29
Herod said, It is John, whom I have beheaded,
who is risen.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
When King Herod heard about Jesus ,
for his name had become known,
he said
‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead
and therefore these miraculous powers work in him.’
But others said:
‘It is Elijah’,
and still others:
‘He is a prophet like the other prophets’.
But when Herod heard all this he said:
‘Nay it is John, whom I beheaded ,
who is risen.’
For Herod himself had had John seized
and chained in prison for the sake of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip,
for he had taken her to wife.
After all, John had said to Herod:
‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.
Herodias was therefore angry with him and wanted to kill him,
but she had no chance
for Herod was in awe of John.
He knew he was a righteous and holy man
and took him into his protection.
Whenever he heard him, he was conflicted
yet he gladly listened to him.
An auspicious day came, however,
when, on his birthday, Herod
organised a meal for his dignitaries,
his chief officers and the distinguished people of Galilee.
The daughter of Herodias danced
and she pleased Herod and his tablemates.
The king said to the girl:
Ask me what you want and I will give it to you.
And he confirmed her with an oath:
‘Whatever you ask me, I will give it to you
even if it is half of my kingdom.’
She went out and asked her mother:
‘What should I ask for?’
The latter replied:
‘The head of John the Baptist.’
She rushed inside to the king
and told him her wish:
‘I want
that you immediately put me
on a platter
the head of John the Baptist.’
This made the king suffer,
but to keep his oath and also because of his tablemates
he did not want to turn her away.
Immediately, therefore, the king sent a bodyguard
and ordered him to bring John’s head.
The man went and beheaded him in prison.
He brought the head on a platter and gave it to the girl;
the girl gave it again to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it
they came and took his corpse and laid it in a tomb.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
182. This political love presupposes a social feeling
developed that has overcome any individualistic mentality.
‘Social love makes us love the common good and
actually seek the good for all persons, who are not only viewed as
individuals, but also viewed from the social dimension that unites them.’
Each is fully a person when he belongs to a
people and, at the same time, there is no real people without respecting the face
of each person. People and person are terms that are related.
Yet today people want to reduce persons to individuals, who
can easily be dominated by powers that pursue illicit
interests. Good politics seeks avenues for building
community at the various levels of social life in order to
rebalance and reorient globalisation to
avoid its disruptive effects.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
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