Religious mendicant order founded in 1233, on the basis of
a shared vision of Mary, was founded.
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wishes 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
Throughout the series of stories about the beginnings of creation, we are each time faced with the perplexing question, which concerns us even today: How can God’s goodness be reconciled with an existence of uncertainty and tragedy? Why does man kill his brother? Even more curiously, the spiral of sin and anger continues unabated after the Fall. Right from the very beginning, we get to know God as one whose mercies are so great that we can hardly grasp them: He protects Cain, putting a stop to the thread that threatens to become intertwined throughout human history: The thread of violence and death. How does God’s grace help us love our enemies?
FIRST READING Gen. 4, 1-15.25
Cain attacked his brother and killed him.
From the Book of Genesis
Man had intercourse with his wife Eve;
she conceived and gave birth to Cain,
and she spoke :
‘By the favour of the Lord
I have brought forth a male child.’
Then she gave birth to Abel, his brother.
Abel became a shepherd and Cain a farmer.
In time, Cain made an offering to the Lord
of the fruits of the soil.
Abel too brought an offering,
the firstborn of his best sheep.
The Lord looked down graciously on Abel and his sacrifice,
but to Cain and his sacrifice He paid no heed.
A wild rage seized Cain ,
and his face became grim.
Now the Lord said to Cain :
‘Why art thou furious
and why is thy face so grim?
‘If ye do good, there is cheerfulness ;
but if ye do not do good ,
then sin lurks as an assailant at thy door,
eager to seize thee.
‘Wilt thou be able to remain master of him?’
Thereupon Cain said to his brother Abel :
‘Let us go for a walk.’
And when they were outside ,
Cain attacked his brother and killed him.
Now the Lord said to Cain :
‘Where is your brother Abel?’
Cain replied :
‘I don’t know.
‘Then should I look after my brother?’
Then the Lord said :
‘What hast thou done?
‘Hear, the blood of thy brother
cries out to Me from the ground !
‘Therefore thou shalt be cursed,
banished from the ground that opened his mouth
To receive from thy hand the blood of thy brother !
‘The ground which thou cultivatest shall yield nothing more ;
a wanderer and a vagabond shalt thou be on the earth !’
Then Cain said to the Lord:
‘That punishment is too heavy to bear.
‘Thou expelst me from the cultivated ground ,
and I shall have to stay far from Thee.
‘I shall be a wanderer and a vagabond on earth ,
and any one who meets me may kill me.’
But the Lord answered him :
‘Nay! Whoever it is that kills Cain ,
he shall pay it sevenfold!’
And the Lord gave Cain a mark,
to prevent anyone who met him from killing him.
Adam again had intercourse with his wife ;
she gave birth to a son and named him Set.
For, she said, God has given me another son
in the place of Abel, who was killed by Cain.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 50(49), 1, 8, 16bc-17, 20-21
Bring to God the sacrifice of your praise.
The Lord, the God of gods, speaks,
He calls the earth from east to west:
I do not reproach you about sacrifices:
Thy sacrificial animals I see burning all the time.
What speak ye there of my commandments
And hast thou always my covenant on thy tongue?
You who dislike discipline
And never heed my words.
Thou sittest down to speak evil of thy brother,
Thou slanderest thy mother’s son.
Would I then be silent if thou didst such a thing?
Or do you think I am equal to you?
I accuse thee, I put all things before thee.
ALLELUIA Hebr. 4, 12
Alleluia.
The word of God is alive and powerful,
and it penetrates to the touch of soul and spirit.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 8, 11-13
What sign does this generation desire?
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
In those days the Pharisees rose up
and began to argue with Jesus.
To test Him
they demanded of Him a sign from heaven.
He heaved a sigh from the depths of his heart and said :
‘What does this generation desire a sign?
‘Verily, I say unto you :
In no case shall a sign be given to this generation.’
He left them standing, got back into the boat
and returned to the other side.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
192. In this context, let me recall that together with the
Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb have asked ‘the architects of the
international politics and of the world economy to make serious efforts
to spread a culture of tolerance, coexistence
and peace, to intervene as soon as possible to stop the shedding of innocent
blood’. And when a particular politics hatred and fear
sows of other nations in the name of the well-being of one’s own country, one must
be concerned, react in time and immediately correct its course
correct it.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition 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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