French monk 1090-1153. Most influential person of his time.
Promoter of the reforming Cistercian monastic order.
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
Gideon – Jerubbaal – refused to become king. His son subsequently killed all his brothers and had himself crowned king. Today’s fable – the only one in Scripture – was presumably used by the prophets to denounce such rulers. Three images from the reading can fuel our personal prayer: Serving (the olive tree); bearing fruit (the fig tree); providing joy (the vine). Are we developing our gifts and talents as God wants us to, so that we can be dutiful and service-minded? Are we bearing fruit or running away from our duties? Are we delighting God and our neighbours?
FIRST READING Law. 9, 6-15
While yet the Lord thy God is thy king ,
hast thou said unto me : A king must reign over us!
From the Book of Judges
At that time all the citizens of Shechem and Bet-Millo met
gathered together at the terebinth standing in Shechem
and they proclaimed Abimelek king there.
When this was reported to Jotam ,
he stood on top of the Gerizzim and shouted loudly :
“Citizens of Shechem, listen to me, and God will listen to you.
“Once the trees went out
to anoint someone king.
“They said to the olive tree :
Wilt thou be king over us?
“But the olive tree replied :
Should I then cease to give that oil ,
wherefore the gods and men honour me
and should I float above the other trees ?
“Then the trees said to the fig tree :
Wilt thou become king over us ?
“But the fig tree replied :
Should I then cease
my sweet and delicious fruit
and float above the other trees ?
“Then the trees said to the vine :
Wilt thou become king over us ?
“But the vine answered :
Should I then cease to give my must ,
which gladdens the gods and men,
and float above the other trees?
“Thereupon all the trees said to the thorn bush :
Wilt thou become king over us ?
“And the thorn bush answered the trees :
If thou wilt truly anoint me king ,
come and hide under my shadow.
“If thou wilt not, then from the thorn bush there shall go forth a fire ,
which consumes even the cedars of the Lebanon.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 21(20), 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Your power, Lord, gives the king confidence.
Your power, Lord, gives the king confidence,
thy assistance makes him unspeakably glad.
The desire of his heart Thou hast always granted,
the demand of his lips Thou dost not reject.
Thou hast conceived him with Thy richest blessing,
crowned his head with a golden crown.
He asked Thee for life ; he received it,
length of days to a hundred years.
Great is his regard thanks to Thy assistance,
with glory and splendour Thou didst shower him.
Thou hast made him a blessing to every one,
the radiance of Thy Face brings him happiness.
ALLELUIA Heb. 4, 12
Alleluia.
The word of God is alive and powerful,
and it penetrates to the fulcrum of soul and spirit.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 20:1-16a
Are ye evil because I am good ?
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, Jesus recounted the following parable :
“With the kingdom of heaven it is
as with a landowner who went out early in the morning
to hire labourers for his vineyard.
“He agreed with the workers for a tenner a day
and sent them to his vineyard.
“Around the third hour, he went out again
and saw others standing idly in the marketplace
to whom he said :
Go also to my vineyard
and I will give you what is fair.
“And they went.
“About the sixth and ninth hour he went out again
and did the same thing.
“Around the eleventh hour he went out again
and found others standing there again.
He said to them :
What are you standing here idly all day?
“They answered him :
No one has hired us.
“Thereupon he said to them :
Go ye also into my vineyard.
“At nightfall
spoke the owner of the vineyard to his steward :
Call the workers and pay them out,
beginning with the last and so on to the first.
“When the workers of the eleventh hour came
they each received a tenling ;
now when the first also came the latter thought
that they would get more,
but they also each received the agreed tenling.
“They did take it,
but began to grumble at the landowner and said:
These here,
who came last
have worked only one hour,
and you equate them with us
who have borne the burden of the day
and the burning heat have borne.
“But he answered one of them :
Friend, surely I do thee no injustice ?
“‘Hast thou not agreed with me for a denarius ?
“Take what is due to thee and go away.
“I want to give to the one who came last
as much as to thee.
“May I not sometimes do with mine as I choose,
or are you angry because I am good?
“Thus the last will be the first
and the first will be the last.”
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On caring for the common home
88. The bishops of Brazil have stressed that, apart from the fact that all of
nature is a manifestation of God, it is the place of his presence.
In every creature dwells His vivifying Spirit, who calls us
to a relationship with Him. The discovery of this presence
stimulates in us the development of the “ecological virtues”. But
when we say this, let us not forget that there is also an infinite
distance that the things of this world do not possess the fullness of
God. Otherwise, we could not do the creatures any good either
do, because we would not recognise their own and authentic place and
end up unlawfully demanding from them what they in their littleness
cannot give us.
To be continued
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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