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
Introduction
How many reasons do we think we have
to doubt that God can be trusted
and will always keep His Word ?
There is so much injustice in the world
and even our own lives are not spared from misfortune.
In distant times, prophets gave an answer to that doubt:
‘Be patient. Don’t give up waiting’.
Jesus too did not ignore the doubt of his disciples:
‘If only your confidence were as great as a mustard seed’.
We are challenged to believe patiently
in the power of the small.
Let us tune into these liberating words in this hour.
FIRST READING Hab. 1, 2-3; 2, 2-4
The righteous remains alive through his faithfulness.
How long must I cry out, LORD,
while Thou but hearest not?
How long must I do violence to heaven,
when Thou bringest no relief?
Why dost thou make me suffer injustice
and do Thou but see this misery?
Why must I live in the midst of violence and oppression
and why does strife arise
and must suffer discord?
The LORD answered me:
“Write down the vision,
put it clearly in writing,
so that one can read it smoothly.
For this vision ,
– though it awaits the appointed time, –
nevertheless yearns for its fulfilment:
It tells no lie.
Though it also lingers, do not give up waiting,
for it will surely come
and it will not come too late.
He will succumb
who in his heart is not virtuous;
the righteous, however, lives on through his faithfulness.”
Responorial Ps. 95(94), 1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Refrain
Listen today to God’s voice:
Be not obstinate.
Come, let us greet the Lord with jubilation,
to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us appear before Him with a song of praise,
Honour Him with songs.
Come, we prostrate ourselves adoringly,
we kneel down before Him who created us.
He is our God and we are His people,
He is the shepherd and we his flock.
So listen today to his voice:
“Be not obstinate as once in Meriba;
where your fathers wanted to defy Me
though they had seen my deeds.”
SECOND READING 2 Tim. 1:6-8,13-14
Do not be ashamed to bear witness to our Lord.
From the holy apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy
Dear one,
Do not forget to kindle the fire of God’s grace
which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God
has not given us a spirit of fearfulness
but a spirit of strength, love and contemplation.
So do not be ashamed to bear witness to our Lord.
Nor be ashamed of me, his prisoner.
Bear your part in suffering for the gospel.
Take as your guide
the sound principles which thou hast heard from my mouth
and hold them fast in the faith and love of Christ Jesus.
Preserve the treasure entrusted to thee
with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
Verse for the gospel 1 Pet 1:25
Alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains for ever,
and this word is the gospel preached to you.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 17, 5-10
If ye had faith
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
At that time, the apostles said to the Lord:
“Give us more faith.”
The Lord replied:
“If thou hadst faith like a mustard seed ,
thou wouldst say to that mulberry tree:
Untie thy roots from the ground and plant thyself in the sea,
and it would obey you.
Which of you shall say to the servant
whom he employs as a ploughman or herdsman
on his return from the land say:
Come immediately to the table and grope?
Shall he not say before:
Prepare my meal;
gird yourself and serve me while I eat and drink;
after that you can eat and drink yourself?
Should he sometimes be grateful to that servant
because he has performed what he was told to do?
So is it with you:
When thou hast done all that thou art commanded ,
then say, We are only ordinary servants;
we have only done our duty.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On caring for the common home
144. The vision of human beings as consumers, favoured by the cogs of the
globalised economy tends to make cultures
homogenise and weaken the immense cultural diversity
which is a treasure of humanity. Claiming that one can solve all difficulties
solved by uniform standards systems or with technical interventions, leads
therefore to the complexity of local problems, which call for the
active participation of residents, is neglected. The new
processes being developed cannot always be integrated
into models determined from outside, but must emerge from the local
culture itself. Thus, just as life and the world
are dynamic, the care of the world must also be flexible and dynamic.
Purely technical solutions risk looking at symptoms, which do not address the
deepest problems. It is necessary to remember the perspective of the
rights of peoples and cultures and thus understand that
the development of a social grouping presupposes a historical
process within a cultural context and calls for a
prominent role of local social actors starting from their
own culture. Nor can one impose the concept of quality of life,
but must be understood within the world of symbols and
customs specific to each human grouping.
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
_____________________________________________________________________________