Monday in the twenty-fifth week through the year

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
After a long exile (from 587 to 538), the people of God return home to the Promised Land. The rebuilding of the temple begins, thanks to the help of other (non-believing) peoples ordered by the Persian king. This decision is seen as a tentative step towards God’s universal plan of salvation: An admirable attempt to promote respect for diversity among people and peoples. In this time of faith fragmentation and prejudice, the first reading can help us look into our own hearts: What attitude do we have towards other believers? And are we paying enough attention to our personal relationship with God, to its deepening, so that we can later witness to Him?

FIRST READING             Ezr. 1:1-6

Let all those who belong to the Lord’s people
return to Jerusalem and build a temple there.

Beginning of the book of Ezra

In the first year of reign of Cyrus
the king of Persia,
the Lord fulfilled the prophecy
which He had made through Jeremiah.
He gave Cyrus, the king of Persia, in
to proclaim a message throughout his kingdom
and to send around letters of the following content.
Thus speaks Cyrus, king of Persia:
“The Lord, the God of heaven ,
has given me all the kingdoms of the earth.
“He has commanded me to build for Him
to build a temple at Jerusalem in Judah.
” Let all those of you who belong to His people,
return under His care to Jerusalem in Judah
and build a temple to the honour of the Lord,
the God of Israel, the God who dwells in Jerusalem.
“Wherever there are still Israelites ,
these shall receive from their fellow citizens silver and gold,
livestock and cattle, and moreover we gifts
for the temple of God in Jerusalem.”
The family heads of Judah and Benjamin,
the priests and the Levites,
all whom God instructed,
made preparations for the return journey
to rebuild the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.
And their neighbours gave them as contributions
silver and gold objects,
livestock and cattle and all kinds of valuables
and other gifts they spontaneously offered.

INTERLUDIUM              Ps. 126(125), 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

Great was what the Lord did to us.

The Lord brought back Zion’s exiles:
It was as if we were dreaming.
Then all mouths laughed
and every tongue rejoiced.

Then people among the nations said:
Great is what the Lord did to them.
Great was what the Lord did to us,
which is why we are so happy.

Now turn our fate for the better, Lord,
as a brook does in the southern desert.
Who sow under tears
they reap with jubilation.

Full of care they go out
with sowing bags laden;
but return singing
laden with their sheaves.

ALLELUIA              John 14, 5

Alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through Me.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL                Lk. 8, 16-18

The lamp is placed on the standard
that all who enter may see the light.

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

At that time, Jesus said to the crowd:

“No one lights a lamp
to hide it under a bowl
or put it under a resting bench ,
but he places it on a stand,
that all who enter may see the light.
Nothing is hidden that will not be made public,
nothing secret that will not be known
and shall come to light.
So take heed how ye listen.
To him who has shall be given;
but he who has not:
Even what he thinks he has shall yet be taken away from him.”

________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

121. One is still waiting for the development of a new synthesis
that overcomes the false forms of dialectics of the last few centuries. Christianity, holding itself true to its identity and the treasure of truth that
it has received from Jesus Christ, is always reflecting on itself and
expresses itself anew in dialogue with new historical situations and
thus allowing its eternal newness to blossom.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am