Saturday in the seventh week of Easter

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
Paul arrives in Rome to serve out his imprisonment in a small house. From there he will preach the teachings of Christ for two more years, in the face of an empire in full glory, an immense pagan empire that must have given Paul the impression that as far as proclamation and the call to conversion were concerned, there was no beginning. Yet we owe to him the expansion of Christianity. We live in a world that seems ‘watertight’ to our message. Like Paul, we are sometimes locked in a small house with our message of salvation and peace. How can we get through to people?

FIRST READING             Acts 28, 16-20.30-31
Paul stayed at Rome and preached the Kingdom of God there.

From the Acts of the Apostles

After arriving in Rome, Paul was given leave
to live by himself with the soldier guarding him.
Three days later he summoned the principal Jews to himself.
When they were assembled, he said to them :
“Men brothers,
although I have done nothing against our people
or against the ancestral customs,
from Jerusalem
delivered as a prisoner to the Romans.
“These wanted to release me after interrogation
because I had done nothing punishable by death.
“But because the Jews opposed this
i was forced to appeal to the emperor,
this, however, not
as if I had any complaint to make against my people.
“This, then, is the reason
why I requested to see you and address you.
“It is because of the expectation of Israel
that I wear these chains.”

Full two years Paul stayed there in his own rented apartment
and received all who came to him.
He preached the Kingdom of God
and taught the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ
in all boldness,
without any hindrance.

INTERLUDIUM                Ps. 11(10), 5, 6, 8

God is just, justice is dear to Him,
courts will see Him.

The Lord in His holy temple,
the Lord, He enthrones in heaven.
His eyes look down on us,
his eyes pervade the people.

Good and bad He sees through,
He hates those who love injustice.
For God is just, justice is dear to Him,
courts will see Him.

ALLELUIA                 John 16:7 and 13

Alleluia.
The Spirit of truth I will send unto you, saith the Lord,
and He will bring you to the full truth.
Alleluia

GOSPEL                   Jn 21:20-25
This is the disciple who wrote this, and his testimony is true.

From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John

At that time,
when Peter turned around, he saw
that the disciple whom Jesus loved dearly was following them ;
the same one who also at the meal had leaned against Jesus’ chest
and had said :
Lord, who is it that will deliver You up ?
When Peter now saw him, he asked Jesus :
“What about him then ?”
To which Jesus told him :
“If I want him to stay until I come ,
is that thy business?
“Ye must follow Me!”
Thus a rumour arose among the brethren
that that disciple would not die.
Yet Jesus had not told him that he would not die
but :
If I want him to stay until I come ,
is that your business ?

This is the disciple
who testifies of these things and has written this ,
and we know that his testimony is true.
There are many other things Jesus did.
But if they were described one by one ,
then, in my opinion, even the whole world
be too small for the books one would then have to write.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

14. I urgently invite a new dialogue on how we shape the future of the planet. We need
a conversation that unites us all, because the environmental challenge that
we are experiencing, and its human roots, concern us and affect us all
touch. The global ecological movement has already come a long and rich
journey and created numerous citizen groups that have fostered an awareness
have fostered. Unfortunately, many efforts to find concrete
seek solutions to the environmental crisis have often been frustrated, not only
by the refusal of the powerful, but also by the lack of
interest from others. Behaviour that also among believers stands in the way
for a solution gets in the way, ranging from denial of the
problem to indifference, lazy resignation or blind faith
in technical solutions. We need a new universal solidarity.
As the bishops of South Africa have said, “the
talents and commitment of all are needed to overcome the
damage done by man to the creation inflicted by God”.22 We can all
cooperate as instruments of God in caring for creation, each
with his own culture and experience, own initiatives and ability.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am