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
The gospel contains two parts. How not to do it and how to do it. How to do it: In community, together as brothers. But is this an anarchic view? A community without authority? A resistance to any form of hierarchy? And are we then no longer allowed to say ‘father’ here on earth? It is, of course, an Eastern mode of expression. All honour that can accrue to those in charge here on earth (civil or ecclesiastical) is founded on the one fatherhood of God, who bears all things. And all teaching must be founded on the one Christ and not on all too human forms of knowledge, popularity or human talent.
FIRST READING Isa 1:10. 16-20
Learn to do good and maintain justice.
From the Prophet Isaiah
Listen ! the word of the Lord !
‘Go and wash yourselves, go and cleanse yourselves ;
out of my sight with your evil deeds !
‘Cease to do evil, learn to do good,
maintain justice, help the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
‘Come then – says the Lord – let’s talk it out :
Though your sins be red as scarlet ,
they shall become white as snow;
though they are as purple as red,
they shall become white as wool.
‘If you will be willing and listen
thou shalt enjoy the good things of the earth,
but if you continue to refuse and resist
the sword will destroy you.’
INTERLUDIUM Ps 50(49), 8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23
He who walks straight paths finds the salvation of God.
I do not reproach you about sacrifices,
your sacrificial animals I see burning all the time.
I will have no more bull from your houses
And rams from your sheepfold I will not ask.
How often do you speak of my commandments
and have my covenant always on your tongue?
You who dislike discipline
And never heed my words.
Would I then keep silent if thou didst do such a thing?
Or do you think I am equal to you?
I accuse thee, I put all things before thee.
He who offers sacrifices of praise, honours Me truly,
he who goes straight paths finds the salvation of God.
VERS FOR THE GOSPEL Ez. 18, 31
Cast away all transgressions which ye have committed ,
from thee, saith the Lord,
and renew your hearts and your minds.
GOSPEL Mt 23, 1-12
They themselves do not act according to their words.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, Jesus spoke to the people and to his disciples :
‘In the chair of Moses
The scribes and Pharisees took their seats.
‘Therefore do and keep all that they say to you ,
but do not act according to their works ;
For they themselves do not act according to their words.
‘They make bundles of heavy ,
almost unbearable burdens
and lay them upon men’s shoulders,
but themselves will not lift a finger at them.
‘Everything they do
they do to get noticed by people ;
for they make their prayer belts wide
and their tassels large,
they lust for the place of honour at meals
and the principal seats in the synagogues,
they like to be greeted in the marketplace
and want to be called rabbi by the people.
But thou must not let thyself be called a rabbi.
‘Ye have but one Master
and ye are all brethren.
‘And call none of you on earth ‘father’;
ye have but one Father, the heavenly one.
‘Nor let any of you be called ‘teacher’ ;
ye have but one teacher, the Christ.
‘Whoever is the greatest among you
must be thy servant.
‘All who exalt themselves shall be humbled
and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical by
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
221. This pact also requires acceptance of the possibility of giving up something
for the common good. No one will be able to possess all the truth
to possess, nor satisfy the totality of one’s own desires,
because this pretence would lead to wanting to destroy the other person
by ignoring his rights. The search for a false tolerance must
give way to the realism of dialogue from those who believe that
they should be true to their own principles, but who recognise that also
the other has the right to try to be true to theirs. It is
the true recognition of the other that alone makes love possible and which
means putting yourself in the other person’s shoes to discover what is
authentic or at least understandable in their motivations and interests.
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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