Friday – St Dominic, pr.

H. Dominic was the founder of the Dominicans
Born 8/8/1170 Died 6/8/1221

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 core of our faith is no vague force, no cosmic energy, no business or theoretical treatise, no set of commandments or prohibitions. The core of our faith is Someone who surprisingly makes Himself known as a person: As the God who always remains faithful to His covenant. If we choose him as the only God, then we choose true life, true freedom. For Israel, that freedom will be regularly compromised once the people live in the Promised Land. Not so much because they do not keep God’s 10 commandments, but because they break the first, most important commandment: Because they no longer see Him as the one, totally different God.

FIRST READING  Deut. 4, 32-40

God the Lord has loved your fathers
and chosen their posterity.

From the Book of Deuteronomy

In those days, Moses spoke to the people :
“Consider the ancient times that have preceded you ,
from the day that God created men on the earth,
but look from one end of heaven
to the other : Has anything so great ever happened
or has anything like this ever been heard?
“Did the people ever hear a God speak out of the fire
as thou didst, and thereby preserved life ?
“Or has ever a God attempted from another people
come to select a people by trials,
by signs and wonders, by wars,
by strong hand and upraised arm,
by great, terrifying deeds,
such as the Lord your God performed before your very eyes
performed in Egypt ?
“Thou hast been permitted to behold that ,
to come to the recognition that the Lord thy God is ;
there is none but He.
“From heaven He hath made His voice heard unto thee
to show thee the way,
and on earth He has shown you that great fire,
out of which thou hast heard Him speak.
“Because He loved your fathers
and chose their posterity ,
therefore He in person
led you out of Egypt with great power.
“He has driven nations, greater and mightier than thou ,
driven out before you ;
He has brought you to their land
and gave it to you in possession, as it is today.
“Recognise then this day and imprint it in your hearts :
The Lord is God in heaven above
and on the earth below ;
there is no other.
“Keep his precepts and commandments
which I give unto thee this day.
“Then you and your children shall be happy and live long
on the ground which the Lord your God grants you forever.”

INTERLUDIUM          Ps. 77(76), 12-13, 14-15, 16, 21

Your works, Lord, I cannot forget.

Thy works, Lord, I cannot forget,
the wonders Thou hast done before.
Thy deeds always come to my mind,
i reflect on all Thy meddling.

My God, awe-inspiring are all Your ways,
no god is as mighty as our God.
For Thou art the God who performs miracles,
who among the nations have shown thy power.

Thy arm has given freedom to thy people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Thus thou hast led thy people like a flock
by Moses’ and Aäron’s hand.

ALLELUIA            John 15, 15b

Alleluia.
I have called you friends, says the Lord,
for I have told you all
what I have heard from the Father.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL           Mt 16:24-28

What will a man be able to give in exchange for his life ?

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

At that time Jesus said to his disciples :
“Whoever wants to be My follower ,
must follow Me by denying himself
and taking up his cross.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it.
“But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
“What use is it for a man to gain all the world ,
if at the cost of his own life ?
“Or what will a man be able to give in exchange for his life ?
“For the Son of Man
shall come in the glory of his Father,
accompanied by His angels,
and then He will repay each one according to his deeds.
“Verily, I say unto you :
There are some among those here present ,
who will not experience death
before they shall see the Son of Man
shall see the Son of Man coming in His royal power.”

________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

The mystery of the universe
76. For the Judeo-Christian tradition, speaking of “creation” is more
than speaking about nature, because it has to do with God’s plan of
love, in which every creature has a value and a meaning. Nature
is often understood as a system that one analyses, understands and
manages, but creation can only be understood as a gift that comes
emerges from the Father’s opened hand of all, as a reality
illuminated by the love that calls us together into a universal
community

To be continued