Invitation
May I ask for your attention for
reading the Gospel every day?
This invitation is to share the joy
of the gospel with you. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
The radical nature of the Gospel also forces us to a radical response: to a life of friendship and affection for God and for each other. Those who approach their fellow man out of love, do so out of love for Christ and out of the love that Christ himself gives. This is not always easy or evident, but God will not abandon us.
Brother Roger of Taizé pointed out that every day we must choose between mediocrity and holiness. But choosing holiness does not necessarily mean doing more. The more than ordinary to which we are called is to love more. And because love and friendship need our entire being to express themselves, it is up to us to find out how we can treat our loved ones with more care, so that we can become their friend, without waiting another minute. After all, Christ says to each of us: ‘I no longer call you slaves, I call you friends’.
FIRST READING: Sir. 6, 5-17
A faithful friend is beyond price.
From the Book of Ecclesiasticus
Pleasant language makes many friends;
a charming word promotes courteous intercourse.
Many may live with you in peace,
but let only one in a thousand be your counsellor.
If you want to win a friend, put him to the test first
and do not trust him too quickly.
Many are friends as long as it suits them,
but will not stay with you when you are in need.
Many are friends, but become enemies
and make the quarrel public to your shame.
Many are friends as long as they share your table,
but will not stand by you in your time of need.
As long as you are doing well, he will act as you do
and treat your slaves with respect,
but as soon as you hit rock bottom, he will turn against you
and hide from you.
Keep your enemies at a distance
and be wary of your friends.
A faithful friend is a strong shelter,
whoever finds him has found a treasure.
A faithful friend is priceless;
his excellence is immeasurable.
A faithful friend is the elixir of life;
those who fear the Lord will find him.
Those who fear the Lord maintain their friendship,
because as he is, so is his neighbour.
INTERLUDIUM Psalm 119 (118): 12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35
Guide me along the paths of your commandments, Lord.
You are praiseworthy, Lord,
teach me your decrees.
What you have decreed is welcome to me;
I never forget your words.
Open my eyes to behold
the splendour of your law.
Guide me along the path of your commandments,
then I will remember your deeds.
Give me understanding to keep your law,
to follow it with all my heart.
Guide me along the paths of your commandments,
there I find my joy.
Alleluia 1 Sam. 3:9; John 6:69b
Alleluia.
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening;
your words are words of eternal life.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 10:1-12
What God has joined together, let no one separate.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
At that time Jesus left
and went to the region of Judea and the Jordan.
There, too, people came to him from everywhere
and he taught them, as was his custom.
Pharisees came to him and asked him,
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’
They wanted to test him.
He answered them with a counter question:
‘What did Moses command you?
They said:
’Moses allowed us to write a divorce
and send her away.‘
But Jesus answered them:
’Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this rule.
But in the beginning, at creation,
God made them male and female.
That is why a man must leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh.
So they are no longer two,
but one flesh.
What therefore God has joined together,
no human being must separate.
At home, the disciples asked him about this again.
He said to them:
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her.
And if she divorces her husband and marries another
she commits adultery.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCIS
On fraternity and social friendship
203. Authentic social dialogue involves the ability to respect the position
of others and to accept that this position may
legitimately involve beliefs or interests. Each individual has something to
contribute by virtue of his or her identity, and should be willing to explore and
explain it, so that the public debate becomes even more complete. When a
person or a group is consistent in what they think, firmly holds on to
values and convictions and develops a way of thinking, then this will
somehow benefit society, but this only really happens to the extent that
that development takes place in
dialogue and openness to others. After all, ‘in a true spirit of dialogue,
the ability to understand the meaning of what the other person
says and does is nurtured, even if one cannot accept it as one’s own belief. In this way,
it becomes possible to be honest, not to hide what we
believe in, without ceasing to engage in dialogue, to seek points of contact
and, above all, to work together and to commit ourselves’. If a public
discussion truly offers room to everyone and does not manipulate
or hide information, it is a continuous stimulus that makes it possible to
approach the truth in a more adequate way, or at least to express it better.
It prevents the different sectors from adopting a comfortable and complacent
way of looking at things and in their limited interests, to assume a comfortable
and complacent position. Let us remember that
‘differences are creative, tensions are evoked and the progress of
humanity consists of resolving tensions’.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken from De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation
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