Wednesday – St Josaphat, b. and Mar.

Saint Jehoshaphat was consecrated bishop in 1617.
Died a martyr’s death in 1623.
and was beatified in 1643.

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

The rulers of the earth must not forget that their rule is God-given. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Misuse of power will therefore be severely punished. Power is service. This message will be explicitly restated by Jesus in the gospel. It also applies to us today. The response psalm makes concrete what it means to use power as service.

FIRST READING                Wis. 6, 1-11
Listen, you who rule over many.

Hear, kings, and listen,
ye who rule all the earth, give heed.
Listen, ye who rule over many,
who goeth great upon the multitudes that serve thee.
Thy power hast thou received from the Lord,
thy dominion from the Most High:
He will check thy deeds
and examine thy plans.
For though ye yourselves be His servants
and He your king,
yet hast thou not judged with justice,
not kept the law,
not walked according to God’s will!
To your great dismay He will soon act against you,
for strict judgement awaits those in high places.
After all, the subordinate experiences pity,
but the one in high rank is severely punished.
The Lord of all needs to spare no one
and He is afraid of no power:
For He is the creator of great and small,
and cares equally for all.
Yes, the mighty one awaits a severe examination!
To you therefore, princes, I address my words,
that you may become wise
and not fall down.
Whoever treats the holy, will be sanctified:
and those who learn from me can give account.
Listen therefore eagerly to my words,
hear them longingly and be taught.

INTERLUDIUM                   Ps. 82(81), 3-4, 6-7

Appear, God, to administer justice on earth.

Stand up for the weak, defend the orphan,
does justice to the needy and the poor.
Frees the oppressed and helps the wronged,
snatch him from the heartless hand.

I have made you deities,
made sons of the Most High.
But die ye shall as every man,
thou wilt fall as kings fall.

ALLELUIA                    II Cor. 5, 19

Alleluia.
It was God
who in Christ reconciled the world to Himself :
and He gave us the message of reconciliation.
Alleluia.

 

GOSPEL                   Lk. 17, 11-19

Has no one returned
to bring honour to God than only this stranger?

On his journey to Jerusalem
jesus passed through the border region of Samaria and Galilee.
As He entered a village
ten lepers approached Him,
they stopped at a great distance and cried out loudly:
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
He saw them and spoke:
“Go and show yourselves to the priests.”
And on the way they were cleansed.
One of them returned when he saw that he was healed,
and he glorified God with a loud voice.
Full of gratitude, he threw himself down at Jesus’ feet,
and this man was a Samaritan.
At this, Jesus asked:
“Are not all ten cleansed?
Then where are the nine others?
Has no one returned to bring honour to God
than only this stranger?”
And He spoke to him:
“Get up and go; your faith has saved you.”

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

Dialogue and transparency in decision-making processes
182. Forecasting the environmental impact of corporate and project initiatives requires transparent political processes and dialogue,
while corruption that seeks to conceal the true environmental impact of a project in exchange for favours often leads to ambiguous agreements that evade the duty to inform and thorough debate.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am