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
Around the 19th century BC, a devout Jew, Jesus ben Sirach was given a book that belongs to the wisdom literature. He is a devout man faithful to Jewish tradition. He is also open to the words of Hellenistic civilisation. His grandson defects to Egypt after 134 BC and translates his grandfather’s book into Greek and writes a preface. Only part of the original Hebrew text has been preserved.
FIRST READING Sir. 1, 1-10
Before everything else wisdom was created.
Beginning of the Book of Ecclesiasticus
All wisdom comes from the Lord
And is with Him for ever.
The sands of the seas, the drops of rain
And the days of eternity – who counts them ?
The height of the heavens and the breadth of the earth,
the abyss and wisdom – who searches for them?
Before all else, wisdom was created ;
insight and understanding are from eternity.
The source of wisdom is the word of God
in the highest heavens ; its ways are eternal commandments.
The root of wisdom – for whom was it uncovered ?
Its ends – who knows them ?
The knowledge of wisdom – to whom has it appeared ?
Its rich experience – who has understood it ?
Only One is wise and most formidable :
He who sits on His throne.
The Lord Himself created wisdom ;
He has seen it and dispensed it
and poured her out on all His works ;
she is with all that lives, according as He grants them ;
He grants them to those who love Him.
Love of God is venerable wisdom ;
those to whom it shows itself love it
at the sight of her great works.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 93(92), 1ab, 1c-2.5
The Lord is king, clothed with splendour.
The Lord is king, clothed with splendour,
with power the Lord has girded himself.
As firm as the earth, unshakable,
so firm is thy throne through the ages,
from everlasting, God, art Thou!
Reliable is all that Thou dost testify,
thy house be holy forever.
ALLELUIA Ps. 119(118), 105
Alleluia.
Thy word is a lamp to my feet, Lord,
it is a light in my path.
Alleluia
GOSPEL Mk. 9, 14-29
I believe, come to the aid of my unbelief!
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
When Jesus, after being transformed on the mountain,
rejoined the disciples
He saw a large crowd standing around them,
including scribes
who were arguing with the disciples.
As soon as all these people noticed Him
they were surprised and ran to greet Him.
He asked them :
‘Why do you argue with them?’
One from the crowd answered Him :
‘Master, I have brought my son to You
because he is in the power of a mute spirit.
‘And where it overwhelms him
he throws him against the ground
and the boy gets the foam on his lips,
grits his teeth and becomes completely rigid.
‘Now I asked your disciples to drive him out
but they did not have the strength to do so.’
Jesus replied in reply :
‘O unbelieving generation ,
how long must I be with you,
how long must I bear with you?
‘Bring the boy to Me.’
They brought him closer,
but as soon as the spirit saw Jesus
he made the boy convulse ;
this one fell down and rolled on the ground
with foam on his lips.
Jesus asked the father :
‘How long has he had this?’
This one replied :
‘From his childhood.
‘The spirit has also thrown him many times
thrown into the fire and into the water to kill him.
‘But if Thou canst do anything ,
then have mercy and help us.’
Jesus answered him :
‘As for that being able :
Anything is possible for those who believe.’
Instantly, the boy’s father exclaimed :
‘I believe ,
come to the aid of my unbelief!’
When Jesus saw that the people were running amok
He commanded in a stern tone to the unclean spirit :
‘Stupid and deaf spirit,
I command you,
leave him and never come back into him.’
Under screams and violent convulsions
went out of him ;
the boy looked like a corpse
so that most thought he was dead.
But Jesus caught him by the hand and raised him up ;
and he rose to his feet.
When Jesus had come home
and his disciples were alone with him, they asked :
‘Why have we not been able to cast him out ?’
He answered them :
‘This kind cannot be driven out by anything else
than by prayer and fasting.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
Social dialogue towards a new culture
199. Some try to escape reality by taking
refuge in a private world and others confront it
with devastating violence, but ‘between selfish indifference
and violent protest, there is an always possible choice: dialogue. A
dialogue between generations, a dialogue within the people, because we are all people,
a capacity to give and receive, keeping an open
to the truth. A country grows, when its various cultural resources engage in constructive dialogue; the
popular culture, university culture, youth culture, artistic
culture and the technical culture, the economic culture and the culture
of the family, and the culture of the media’.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
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