One of the greatest mystics. Patroness of Europe. Born 1303 Died 1393
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 Being able to say that Christ lives in you is a penetrating profession of faith. It also implies acknowledging being crucified with Christ. Suffering and opposition cannot be avoided if one is to follow the Lord consistently. But, one may be sure to one day share in his resurrection, in his ascension. St Birgitta lived from that realisation. In all circumstances of life, she fought war and strife and sought reconciliation. She became one of the patrons of Europe because of her eye for diversity among peoples and her commitment to unity in the Church and in our continent. SECOND READING Gal. 2:19-20 I no longer live, Christ lives in me.
From the holy apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians
Brothers and sisters,
I am dead to the law;
by the law I have died
to live for God.
With Christ I have been crucified.
I myself no longer live,
It is Christ who lives in me.
As far as I now live in the flesh,
i live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself up for me.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 34(33), 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11
The Lord I will praise every day.
The Lord I will praise every day,
his praise is always on my lips.
My spirit is proud of the Lord’s favour,
let every one who hears it rejoice.
Glorify the Lord together with me
and let us worship His Name in unison.
I went to the Lord and He heard me,
He saved me from all that I feared.
Rely on Him, and you will be happy,
for He will not fail you.
Those crying out in distress, to them the Lord listens
and rescues them from their misery.
The angel of God puts a bulwark around them,
to protect every one who fears God.
Observe and notice how gracious the Lord is,
happy is he who seeks salvation with Him.
Reverence the Lord, ye who are consecrated to Him,
for he who honours Him never suffers want.
The rich have become poor and needy,
those who go to the Lord never lack anything.
GOSPEL John 15:1-8
He who abides in Me as I abide in him bears much fruit.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine
and My Father is the vine grower.
Every vine on Me that does not bear fruit
he cuts off;
and every one that does bear fruit
he purifies, that it may bear more fruit.
You are already pure
thanks to the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me
and I will remain in you.
Just as the vine cannot bear fruit by itself
but only if it abides on the vine,
neither do you if you do not abide in Me.
I am the vine, ye are the tendrils.
He who abides in Me while I abide in him
who bears much fruit,
for apart from Me ye can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me
he is cast away like the vine and withers;
one brings them together, throws them into the fire and they burn.
If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you
then ask what ye want and ye shall have it.
By this my Father is glorified
that ye bear rich fruit;
so shall ye be My disciples.”
Laudato Si Encyclical by Pope Francis On caring for the common home
A variety of opinions 60. Finally, we recognise that different views and schools of thought have developed regarding the situation and possible solutions. At one extreme, some maintain at all costs the myth of progress and claim that ecological problems will simply be solved with new technical applications without ethical considerations or fundamental changes. At the other extreme, others believe that with whatever intervention can only threaten and endanger the global ecosystem and that it is therefore appropriate to reduce the human presence on the planet and prohibit him from any kind of intervention. Between these extremes, possible future scenarios should be developed, as no single single path is the solution. This could leave room for a diversity of input that could open a dialogue with a view to towards integral answers. To be continued Every morning 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 English translation ______________________________________________________________