The Blessed Virgin is the Mother of the Church because she brought forth Christ,
the Head of the Church.
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 designation of Mary as Mother of the Church is ancient. St Augustine wrote that Mary is the Mother of the limbs of the Church, because by her love she participated in the birth of the faithful in the Church. Pope Leo the Great proclaimed that the birth of the Head is also the birth of the Body. He too designated Mary as the mother of Christ, the Son of God, as well as the mother of the members of the mystical Body, namely the Church.
FIRST READING Gen. 3, 9-15.20
Enmity I establish between you and the woman,
between thy offspring and hers.
From the Book of Genesis
After Adam had eaten from the tree
god the Lord calledman and asked him :
“Where art thou?”
He replied :
“I heard thy thunder in the garden ,
and then I became afraid, because I am naked ;
therefore I hid myself.”
But God the Lord said :
“Who told thee that thou art naked?
“Hast thou sometimes eaten of the tree
which I have forbidden thee ?”
Man replied :
“The woman whom Thou hast given me as a companion ,
she gave me of that tree,
and then I ate.”
Thereupon God the Lord asked the woman :
“How hast thou been able to do that?”
The woman said :
“The serpent tempted me ,
and then I ate.”
God the Lord then said to the serpent :
“Because thou hast done this ,
thou art cursed among all domestic animals
and among all wild beasts !
“On thy belly shalt thou crawl and dust shalt thou eat ,
all the days of thy life !
“Enmity I put between thee and woman,
between thy offspring and hers.
“This shall threaten thy head
and thou his heel !”
Man called his wife Eve,
for she became the mother of all living.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 98(97), 1, 2-3ab, 3c-4
Sing to the Lord a new song
because He did wonders.
Sing to the Lord a new song
because He did wonders.
His hand asserted itself powerfully,
the power of His holy arm.
His benefits He made known to us,
the peoples His justice.
Once again His goodness and faithfulness proved
in favour of Israel’s house.
All the earth beheld
what our God did for us.
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
EVANGELY Joh 19:25-34
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing by her, he said to his mother: ‘...Woman, this is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple,“This is your mother” and from then on, the disciple made room for her in his house.
After this, Jesus knew that everything was now complete, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly, he said: ‘I thirst.’ There stood a jug full of vinegar, which they held before his mouth with a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stem. Having taken the vinegar, Jesus said, ‘It is finished’; and bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
It was preparation day, and to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross during the Sabbath – since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Thereupon the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with him and then of the others. When they got to Jesus, they found that he was already dead, and instead of breaking his legs, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately blood and water came out.
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APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION LAUDATO SI
OF THE HOLY FATHER
POPE FRANCISCUS
TO ALL PEOPLE
OF GOOD WILL
16. Although each chapter has its own theme and specific methodology
has, it in turn revisits from a new perspective
important issues addressed in the previous chapters.
In particular, this concerns some important aspects that run throughout the
encyclical. For example: the close relationship between the poor and
the fragility of the planet; the belief that everything in the world is closely
interconnected; criticism of the new paradigm and the
forms of power arising from technology; the invitation
to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress;
the inherent value of every creature; the human meaning of ecology; the
need for sincere and honest debates; the heavy responsibility
of international and local politics; disposable culture and the
proposal for a new lifestyle. These themes are never concluded
or otherwise not addressed, but on the contrary constantly revisited and
enriched.
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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