Friday H. Januarius b. and mrt.

Saint Januarius was bishop of Benevento and was martyred during the persecution of Christians
by Emperor Diocletian.

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
Our times are characterised by a great diversity of opinions and opposing viewpoints. It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide what is truth and what is not. In society, familiar values are being questioned, great principles are perishing, we have to defend our faith rather than be given the opportunity to proclaim it boldly. It is exactly this situation that Paul faces in his time. He advocates returning to the source when we no longer know the way, or when we threaten to put on blinders in self-defence. Christians may turn to God’s word. Then they become open and receptive people, able to distance themselves from external wealth in a healthy way, and live detached.

FIRST READING          I Tim. 6, 2c-12

Thou, man of God, must strive for righteousness.

From the holy apostle Paul’s first letter to Tomóteus.

Dearly beloved,

Thus thou must teach and admonish.
He who preaches a contrary doctrine
and does not adhere
to the sound principles of our Lord Jesus Chritus
and to the teachings of our religion,
is a conceited man :
Without true science
but with a morbid interest
in contentious questions and war of words.
From this nothing can arise but envy,
discord, slander, suspicion and endless discussions,
the work of people whose minds are confused
and devoid of truth.
They see in godliness a source of income.
Now no doubt godliness brings great profit
but only to him who is satisfied with what he has.
For we have brought nothing into this world
nor can we bring anything from it.
If we have food and clothing, that should be enough for us.
Those who want to enrich themselves fall into temptation
and into the snare of all kinds of foolish and evil desires
which plunge a man into ruin and ruin.
For greed for money is the root of all evil.
Because of this passion, some have already strayed from the faith
and have tortured themselves with afflictions without number.
Thou, however, man of God, must shun all this.
Strive for righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness.
Fight the good fight of faith,
seize eternal life.
To this end thou art called,
to this end ye have made the good confession
before many witnesses.

INTERLUDIUM           Ps 49(48), 6-7, 8-10, 17-18, 19-20

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for to them belongs the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:3).

Why should I fear bad times ,
when I am beset by evil-doers ?
By people who count on their wealth
and who boast of their possessions.

Surely no man can buy himself free,
pay his own ransom to God ?
Too high is the price for eternal life,
never is there enough to escape death.

So do not lose heart when someone becomes rich,
when in his house wealth is ever growing.
He will not be able to take anything with him when he dies,
his riches will not go with him into the grave.

Though during his life he praises himself happily :
you are to be envied, you will do well.
Yet he must one day join his fathers
who will never again see the light of the sun.

ALLELUIA            Ps. 130(129),5

Alleluia.
In the Lord I put my hope,
on his word I trust.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL               Lk. 8, 1-3

Women accompanied the Lord ;
they cared for Him out of their own resources.

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

In those days Jesus went around preaching
through town and village
and proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
The twelve accompanied Him
and also some women
who had been delivered from evil spirits and diseases :
Mary, called Magdalene,
from whom seven devils had departed,
Johanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuzas,
Susanna and many others, who cared for them out of their own resources.

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

118. This situation leads us to a permanent schizophrenia,
which ranges from a glorification of technocracy, which does not accord other beings any own value, to a reaction of denying any special
value to human beings. But one cannot discount humanity.
There will be no new relationship with nature without a new human being.
There will be no ecology without an adequate anthropology. When
man is considered only as a being among others, who
arises from play of chance or a determinism within nature,
“in the conscience of men, the consciousness of responsibility is in danger of
diminish”. A skewed anthropocentrism should not necessarily
precede a “biocentrism”, because that would imply
introducing a new imbalance that not only does not solve the problems,
but adds others. One cannot ask of man a commitment
in relation to the world, if one does not at the same time exercise his special
faculties of knowledge, will, freedom and responsibility
and value them correctly.
To be continued
Every day at 7 am