Tuesday in the twenty-first week

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

” With the help of our God we have found the courage to proclaim his message to you openly and with great zeal.””” This excerpt from Paul’s letter draws him full circle. Those who want to speak the Word of God or bear witness to it must be averse to all pride, greed, and self-conceit. But proclaimers must speak with the certainty that God carries them, and nothing can happen to them as a result. Neither insults nor abuses can therefore stop Paul. The only criterion for him is: God. In God, Paul found assurance and steadfastness. Not only to proclaim God’s Word, but to live according to it himself. Are we living according to the Word of God? When do our actions contradict what our lips profess?

FIRST READING              1 Thess. 2, 1-8
With the gospel of God
we would gladly have given you our own lives.

From the holy apostle Paul’s first letter to the Christians of Thessalonica

Ye yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
that our actions among you have not been in vain.
After the abuses and insults
which, as you know, we had to endure in Philippi,
with the help of our God we found the courage
to share his message
with you openly and with great zeal.
Our preaching
does not come from error or impure intentions
and will not deceive anyone.
God himself has found us suitable
and entrusted us with the gospel;
therefore we do not speak in order to gain favour with men
but only to please God, who tests our hearts.
We have never indulged in flattery,
you know,
nor with veiled greed,
God is our witness.
We have sought no honours from men,
from you nor from others,
though we
as apostles of Christ could have asserted ourselves.
We have been as gentle with You
as a nurse with her babies.
We were so close to you that we gladly
with the gospel of God our own lives;
so dear were you to us.

Interludium               Ps 139(138), 1-3, 4-6
Thou knowest me Lord, and thou seest me through.

Thou knowest me Lord, and Thou seest me through,
Thou seest me where I go or stand.
From afar Thou knowest my thoughts,
Thou knowest why I am working or resting,
Thou watchest all my ways.

Lord, before the word is yet on my tongue
thou knowest already what I am about to say.
Wherever I turn, Thou art on guard,
thy hand always rests on my shoulder.
Thy knowledge is too wondrous for me,
so heavenly that I cannot grasp it.

ALLELUIA 1 Sam 3, 9; John 6, 69b
Alleluia.
Speak Lord, your servant is listening;
your words are words of eternal life.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL              Mt 23, 23-26
One must do one thing and not omit another.

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

At that time Jesus spoke :
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
“Ye do pay tithes of mint, anise and cumin ,
but the most important of the Law :
Justice, mercy and faithfulness
neglect ye.
“One must do the one and not neglect the other.
“Blind leaders, who sift out the gnat and swallow the camel !
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites !
“The outside of cup and saucer you clean,
but inside they are filled with robbery and pleasure-seeking.
“Blind Pharisees, cleanse first the cup within,
then the outside will itself become clean.”

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

94. The rich and the poor have equal dignity because “the Lord
made them all” (Spr. 22, 2), “He Himself made small and great
(Wis. 6, 7) and “makes the sun rise on the wicked and the good” (Mat. 5, 45).
This has practical implications, such as those formulated by the bishops
of Paraguay are formulated: “Every peasant has the natural
right to own a reasonable piece of land, on which he can build his house,
work for the livelihood of his family and can have security
regarding his own livelihood. This right must be guaranteed so that
its exercise is not pretence, but real. And this means that the
farmer, apart from having the right of ownership, must be able to count on the
resources of technical training, loans, insurance and access to
the market”.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am