Monday – St Joseph Calasanz.pr.

H. Joseph was a Spanish priest, founder Piarist order. Died 1648, canonised in 1767.
Patron saint of all Christian folk schools.

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

This week’s liturgy offers us the reading of the oldest Christian writing to come to us: the very first Pauline letter, from the year 52. We are then in a time when the belief is alive that the Lord will return, even before Paul or his Christians will have died. The letter exudes joy, its content is defined by continuous thanksgiving, and bathed in an atmosphere of prayer. This is the state of mind to which Paul bears witness. Is it also ours? Even today, the apostle refers to the essence of our Christianity: an active life of faith translates into acts of love, service to all, and bravely and hopefully enduring the trials that life brings. Christians persevere in faith, hope and love. And us?

FIRST READING            I Thess. 1, 1-5. 8b-10

Ye have turned from idols to God
and you expect His Son
whom He raised from the dead.

We say thanks to God for you all,
whenever we mention your name in our prayers.
Unceasingly we remember
before the face of God, our Father,
your active faith,
your untiring love
and your steadfast hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know, brothers and sisters,
that God loves you and that you have been chosen by Him,
for we have proclaimed the gospel to you,
not only with words,
but with power and Holy Spirit and full conviction.
By the way, ye yourselves know how our conduct with you has been:
it was aimed at your salvation.
Everywhere your faith in God was made known.
We need say no more,
one tells how we came to you
and how we were received by thee:
how thou hast been converted from idols to God
to serve the living and true God,
and to expect from heaven His Son,
whom He raised from the dead,
Jesus, who saves us from the wrath to come.

INTERLUDIUM       Ps. 149, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6a, 9b

Our Lord who loves his people,
wreathes the afflicted with wreaths of victory.
Alleluia.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise resounds in the midst of His people.
Israel cheers its Creator,
let Zion’s sons salute their King.

Praise His Name in a holy dance,
play harp and zither before Him.
For our Lord, who loves His people,
wreathes the oppressed with wreaths of victory.

Rejoice therefore, saints, for your triumph,
celebrate in your army places;
go with the song of God in thy mouth,
a task that honours His pious ones.

ALLELUIA      I John 2, 5

Alleluia.
He who keeps the word of the Lord,
in Him truly is God’s love complete.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL             Mt 23:13-22
Woe to you, blind leaders.

At that time Jesus spoke:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Ye shut off the kingdom of heaven from men;
ye yourselves enter not into it,
while you bar the entrance of those who want to enter.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Ye traverse sea and land to make one convert,
but when he has become one, ye make him a hell child,
twice worse than thyself!
Woe to you, blind leaders, who say:
If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing;
but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple ,
then he is bound.
Fools and the blind!
Which then stands higher:
the gold, or the temple which makes the gold holy?
Or ye who also say:
If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing;
but if anyone swears by the sacrifice that is upon it ,
then he is bound.
Blind!
Which stands higher:
the offering, or the altar that makes the offering holy?
So whoever swears by the altar ,
swears by it, and by everything on it.
And whoever swears by the temple,
swears by it, and by Him who dwells in it.
And whoever swears by heaven,
swears by the throne of God, and by Him who sits on it.”

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

VI. The common use of property
93. Today believers and non-believers agree that
the earth is essentially a common inheritance whose fruits
should be for the benefit of all. For believers, this is a matter of
loyalty to the Creator, because God created the world for all.
Consequently, any ecological approach must integrate a social perspective
integrate that takes into account the fundamental rights of the most
disadvantaged. The principle of the subordination of private property to the
universal destination of goods and therefore the universal right to
their use is “a golden rule” of social behaviour and the “first
principle of every ethical-social order.” The Christian tradition
has never regarded the right to private property as absolute or unassailable
recognised and has clearly stressed the social function of any form of private property
clearly emphasised. Saint John Paul II has been very
emphatically recalled this doctrine when he said that “God gave the earth to
all the human race, so that it may sustain all its members
without excluding or favouring anyone”. These are weighty
and powerful words. He pointed out that “a type of
development that enhances the personal and social, economic and
political rights of human beings, including the rights of nations
and peoples, would not respect and promote, would be truly demeaning”.
With great clarity, he explained that “the Church does
defends the legitimate right to private property, but also no less
clearly teaches that on every private property there is always a social
mortgage weighs down, so that the property serves the general purpose
which God has given to it”. This is why he says that “it is not in accordance with
God’s plan to manage this gift in such a way that its benefits only
only benefit the few”. This seriously questions the unjust
habits of a section of humanity.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am