On the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the temple
the Church celebrates that Mary’s parents dedicated her in the temple.
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
OPENING WORD
We commemorate today that Mary
was dedicated to God in the temple.
Her parents entrusted her to Him
‘who had an eye for His servant’.
In Mary, God found a temple of prayer
and He came to dwell among us.
Let us now tune in to the Lord
and praise and thank Him for His grace.
Consideration
Mary evokes the image of the faithful woman who allowed herself to be moulded completely by God’s word. Like no other, the mother of Jesus opened herself to the work of God: ‘I will be done according to your word’. Self-giving and availability to the utmost marked her life. As we celebrate on 2 February that Mary dedicated her child Jesus in the temple, so today we celebrate Mary’s own dedication.
FIRST READING Zech 2, 14-17
Rejoice, daughter Zion, for behold, I am coming
From the Prophet Zechariah
Thus is the divine word of the Lord :
“Rejoice and rejoice, daughter Zion,
for behold, I am coming and I will dwell with you.
“In that day many nations will
will join the Lord;
they shall be my people
and I will dwell with them.”
Then you will know,
that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
The Lord will take possession of Judah
as His inheritance on the holy ground
and He will choose Jerusalem again.
Swing before the Lord, all that lives!
He will rise and come out of His holy dwelling.
INTERLUDIUM Lk. 1, 46-47,48-49,50-51,52-53,54-55
Blessed art thou, Virgin Mary,
Thou hast borne the Son of the eternal Father
carried in thy womb.
High now my soul exalts the Lord,
delighted is my spirit for God, my redeemer.
His choice fell on His simple handmaid :
From now on every generation praises me blissfully.
Wonderful is what He did to me,
the Mighty One, great is His Name!
Merciful is He for ever and ever
to all who acknowledge Him.
He asserts Himself with a mighty arm,
he scatters the foolish.
The mighty He brings down from their thrones,
he raises the simple to prominence.
He gives abundance to the needy
but the rich go away with empty hands.
He takes care of His servant Israel,
remembering His gentle mercy,
as He promised the fathers,
to Abraham and his generation forever.
ALLELUIA Ps 119(118), 36a, 29b
Alleluia.
My heart be set on what You ordain, Lord ;
give me Thy law as my guide.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 12:46-50
Gesturing to his disciples, Jesus said :
Behold my mother and my brothers.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, while Jesus was speaking to the people ,
it happened that His mother and brothers were standing outside
trying to speak to Him.
Someone now came to tell Him :
“Your mother and brothers are standing outside
and want to speak to You.”
But He replied to the one who came to tell Him this :
“Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”
And gesturing to His disciples, He said :
“Behold my mother and my brothers ;
for my brother, my sister and my mother are those
who fulfil the will of my Father in heaven.”
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On caring for the common home
191. When these issues arise, some react by accusing the
other of irrationally trying to stop human
progress and development. But we must
convince ourselves that slowing down a certain production and
consumption rhythm, can make room for a different mode of progress
and development. Power efforts for sustainable
use of natural resources is not a useless expense
but an investment that in the medium term can bring other economic
benefits. If we are not short-sighted, we may discover
that diversifying into more innovative production with less impact on
the environment can be very profitable. It is about opening the way to
various possibilities that do not involve stopping human creativity
and its dream of progress, but rather to channel this energy in
this energy in new ways.
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
Fratelli tuttii Official English translation
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