The remembrance of St Joseph Worker on 1 May
was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955.
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
We read the reason why Joseph is celebrated as a saint in Mat 1:18-24: when Joseph contemplates separating silently from Mary, an angel appears to him in his dream, and instructs Joseph to stay with Mary. He will have to name the child she will give birth to. So Joseph is not about a place he happens to occupy in Jesus’ life, but a place he occupies in salvation history. It is Joseph who is called to guard the child, to bring him to safety when threatened, to provide for his livelihood. That is why he is invoked as protector of the holy family of believers: St Joseph can help us to recognise the secret of the childhood of God in and around us.
FIRST READING Acts 5:27-33
To all this we are witnesses, but also the Holy Spirit.
From the Acts of the Apostles
In those days the servants of the commander
took the apostles and brought them before the Sanhedrin.
The high priest began to question them :
‘Did we not expressly forbid you
to teach in that Name?
‘By thy doing all Jerusalem is full of thy teaching.
‘Moreover, thou wilt charge us with the blood of that man.’
But Peter and the other apostles replied :
‘One must obey God more than men.
‘The God of our fathers raised Jesus to life ,
to whom you have indulged
by putting Him on the cross.
‘He has exalted God as Guide and Saviour
at his right hand
to give repentance
and remission of sins.
‘To all this we are witnesses ,
but also the Holy Spirit
which God has given to those who obey Him.’
When they heard this they ignited in anger
and decided to kill them.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 34(33), 2, 9, 17-18, 19-20
Those crying out in distress, to them the Lord listens.
The Lord I will praise every day,
His praise is always on my lips.
Observe and notice how gracious the Lord is,
Happy is he who seeks salvation with Him.
From evildoers He turns His face away,
they are forgotten on earth.
To the pious who cry out the Lord listens
and rescues them from every need.
The Lord is near to grieving hearts,
He helps those who acknowledge their guilt.
Many calamities will threaten the pious,
from each one the Lord saves him.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
He who called all into existence
and had mercy on us, his people,
He is risen, Christ the Lord!
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 3:31-36
The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus :
‘He who comes from above
Is above all.
‘He who is of the earth
belongs to the earth and speaks the language of the earth.
‘He who comes from heaven is above all.
‘He bears witness to what he saw and heard,
yet no one accepts his testimony.
‘He who does accept his testimony
thereby seals that God is true.
‘For he who is sent by God
speaks God’s own words :
so maturely God bestows his Spirit.
‘The Father loves the Son
And has given Him all things into His hands.
‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.
‘Whoever refuses to believe in the Son will not see life,
on the contrary, the wrath of God remains on him.’
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On brotherhood and social friendship
264. In the New Testament, while individuals are asked
not to play the role of their own judge (cf. Rom. 12:17,19), the need
that authorities impose punishment on those who do evil,
(cf. Rom. 13, 4; 1 Pet. 2, 14). After all, ‘communal life ,
structured around organised communities, needs
rules for living together, a deliberate violation of which calls for an
adequate response’. This entails that legitimate
public authority ‘can and should impose punishments proportionate to
the seriousness of the crimes’ and that it guarantees the judiciary ’the necessary
independence under the law’.
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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