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 is very similar to the gospel about whether to pay taxes to the emperor. Here, too, Jesus wants to bring Jesus to an impasse. Should the woman be stoned? Does He say no, then He is opposing the Jewish Law. Does He say yes, then He is unmerciful, but also clashes with the Romans to whom execution is due. Jesus draws the matter to a deeper level: He who is without sin cast the first stone.
FIRST READING Dan. 13, 1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62
Though I have not done what they wickedly charge me with, yet I must die.
From the Prophet Daniel
Long ago there lived in Babel a man called Joakim.
He had a wife called Susanna, the daughter of Chelkia ;
she was extremely beautiful and pious.
Because her parents were righteous people
they had brought up their daughter according to the law of Moses.
Joakim was very rich and owned a park, which was near his house ;
At his house the Jews gathered ,
because he was the most considerable man among them.
Now that year there were two elders from among the people
had been appointed judges ;
From them applied what the Lord said :
Wickedness began in Babylon,
with the elders who were judges and presided over
to govern the people.
They were continually in the house of Joakim,
where every one who had lawsuits turned to them.
When the people had left by noon,
Susanna went for a walk in her husband’s park.
The two elders watched her daily,
as she went to relax,
and a passionate desire for her arose in them.
They twisted the voice of their conscience,
turned their eyes away from heaven and thought not of the threat
of just punishment.
As they looked forward to a suitable day ,
Susanna was accompanied by two maids,
according to her habit, once again went into the park.
And since it was warm, she wanted to take a bath there ;
for there was no one there except the two eldest,
who were hiding and watching her.
So Susanna said to the maids :
‘Go and get oil and balm and close the gate of the park,
then I will go and take a bath.’
As soon as the maids had left,
the two elders emerged and walked up to her
and said :
‘Susanna, the gate of the park is closed
and there is no one to see us ;
we are burning with desire for you :
Therefore be at our mercy and have intercourse with us,
otherwise we will testify against you,
that there was a young man with you
and that therefore you had sent away the maids.’
Susanna sighed deeply and spoke :
‘From all sides I am threatened :
For if I do it, death awaits me ;
if I do not, I shall not escape your hand.
‘But I would rather fall into your hands innocently
than to sin against the Lord.’
Thereupon Susanna began to shout loudly,
but the two elders shouted against her
and one of them ran to the gate of the park and opened it.
When those who were in the house
heard the shouting in the park,
they rushed through the side entrance to see
what had happened to Susanna.
When the elders told their story,
the servants became very embarrassed,
for never before had such a thing been told of Susanna.
The next day, when the people
gathered again at her husband Joakim’s house,
the elders proceeded to carry out their wicked plan
and put Susanna to death.
Before the assembled people they commanded :
‘Let Susanna, the daughter of Chelkia,
the wife of Joakim.’
They sent for her.
She appeared, accompanied by her parents,
her children and all her relatives.
Her relatives and all who saw her wept.
As the two elders stood before the people
and laid their hands on her head,
Susanna looked up to heaven in tears,
for in her heart she continued to trust in the Lord.
Then the elders declared :
‘While we were walking alone in the park ,
she entered with two maids,
closed the gate and sent the girls away.
‘Thereupon a young man came to her,
who had been hiding, and lay down with her.
‘When we noticed the crime from a corner of the park,
we rushed towards them
and saw that they were having intercourse with each other.
‘Him we could not get hold of ,
because he was stronger than us,
opened the gate and ran out ;
but we seized her
and we asked her, who that young man was ;
but she would not tell us. This we testify.’
The assembly believed them,
considering they were elders of the people and judges,
and sentenced Susanna to death.
After Susanna was condemned to death
she cried out in a loud voice :
‘Eternal God, who knows the hidden
And knoweth all things before they happen,
Thou knowest that these elders
have borne false witness against me ;
and though I have not done
which they maliciously charge me with,
yet must I die.’
The Lord answered her prayer.
While she was being led away to be killed ,
God gave a young man called Daniel a holy decree.
This young man cried out in a loud voice :
‘I am innocent of her blood!’
Whereupon the people turned to him and asked :
‘What do you mean by that?’
He stood in their midst and said :
‘Are you not wise, sons of Israel ?
‘Do you condemn a daughter of Israel
without further investigation and knowledge of the matter ?
‘Go back to the courtroom, for these here
have given false testimony against her.’
Thereupon all the people hurriedly went back to the courtroom.
There the elders said to Daniel :
‘Take your seat among us and tell us your intentions ,
for God has granted you the authority of old age.’
Then Daniel said to them :
‘Without separating them from each other ,
then I will subject them to interrogation.’
So they were separated from each other.
Daniel then called one of the two elders to him and said :
‘You have aged in anger ,
but now you will receive the punishment for all the sins you committed
by passing unjust judgments :
Innocents you have condemned and guilty acquitted
contrary to the commandment of the Lord :
Do not put to death someone who is innocent and in his right,
not to death.
‘Well then, if you caught her in the act ,
then say under what tree did you see them together ?’
He replied : ‘Under a mastic tree.’
Daniel resumed : ‘That wonderful lie will cost you your head !
‘For God’s angel has already been ordered by God
to split you in two.’
After Daniel had this one led away,
he made the other appear and said to him :
‘You are a descendant of Canaan and not of Judah!
Beauty has seduced you
and passion has turned your head.
‘This is how you deal with the daughters of Israel
And for fear they were for your sake,
but a daughter of Judah
did not want to conform to your anger.
‘Well then : Under what tree
did you catch them?’
He replied : ‘Under a holm oak tree.’
Daniel resumed :
‘You too have lost your head because of that wonderful lie !
‘For God’s angel is already ready
to cut you in half with the sword
and destroy you both.’
At this the whole assembly erupted in loud cheers
and they praised God, who saves those who trust in Him.
And now that Daniel had proved by their own words
that the two elders had given false testimony,
the people turned against them
and in accordance with the law of Moses
they inflicted on the elders the punishment
which in their anger they had plotted against their neighbour :
They were put to death.
Thus an innocent person was saved from death that day.
INTERLUDIUM Ps (23), 22 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Though my way leads through dark crevices,
I fear no evil where Thou leadest me.
The Lord is my shepherd, nothing do I lack ;
He maketh me to graze upon green fields.
He brings me to water where I can rest,
He restores my courage.
He guides my steps along straight paths
For His Name’s sake.
Though my way leads through dark gorges,
I fear no evil wherever You lead me.
Thy rod and Thy staff
give me courage and confidence.
You invite me to Your table
to the annoyance of my enemies.
With oil thou anointest my head,
my cup is overflowing.
Prosperity and blessing never leave me
every day of my life.
The house of the Lord shall be my dwelling
for all times to come.
VERS FOR THE GOSPEL Ez. 33, 11
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
saith the Lord,
but rather in that he repents and lives.
GOSPEL Jn 8:12-20
I am the light of the world.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time, Jesus addressed the Pharisees and spoke :
‘I am the light of the world.
‘He who follows Me
Do not wander about in darkness ,
but shall possess the light of life.’
The Pharisees cast Him against :
‘Thou testifyest about thyself ;
thy testimony hath no value.’
Jesus answered them :
‘Even though I testify about Myself
yet My testimony has value ,
because I know whence I came
and whither I am going.
‘However, you do not know whence I have come
or whither I am going.
‘Ye judge according to the earthly,
I judge no man.
‘And even if I should judge
then still My judgement is valid,
because I am not alone
but the Father who sent Me is with Me.
‘It is also written in your Law
That the testimony of two people is valid.
‘It is I who bear witness about Myself,
and also the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.’
They then asked Him :
‘Where is your Father?’
Jesus replied :
‘Thou knowest Me as well as thou knowest My Father;
If you knew Me
then would ye also know My Father.’
These words He spoke at the treasury,
when He was teaching in the temple.
And no one seized Him,
for His hour had not yet come.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On brotherhood and social friendship
The legitimate struggle and forgiveness
241. It is not a question of offering forgiveness by renouncing
own rights in the face of a corrupt ruler, a criminal or
someone who attacks our dignity. We are called to love all without
exception, but loving an oppressor means
not agreeing to him staying that way; nor letting him think that
what he is doing is acceptable. On the contrary, the right way to love him
is to try in various ways to make him stop
oppressing him, is to deprive him of the power he does not know how to
use and deforms him as a human being. To forgive means not allowing
him to continue trampling on his own dignity and that of others, or
allowing a criminal to continue to commit crimes. Those who suffer injustice must
vigorously defend his rights and those of his family, precisely because he must defend the
dignity given to him, a dignity that God
loves. If a criminal has wronged me or one of my loved ones
done, nothing prohibits me from demanding justice and ensuring
that that person – or anyone else – does not harm me again or
does the same to others. It falls to me to do so, and forgiveness
not only does not undo this need, but requires it.
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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