Tuesday in the first week of Advent

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
It is a recurrent image in Israel: When speaking of happy times one uses the image of a flowering tree, speaking of adversity one uses the image of a dead or uprooted tree. It is from such a lost tree that the Lord causes a twig to sprout: The Coming One must rise out of brokenness and tribulation. It is an image that can also refer to our Church today. She too experiences periods of trial and pain. Do we trust God sincerely, and enough, to firmly believe that He turns even the most hopeless situations into new life?

FIRST READING                Psa. 11, 1-10

The spirit of the Lord will rest on him.

From the Prophet Isaiah

In those days a twig will sprout
from the stump of Isaiah,
a shoot from his roots will bear fruit.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and valour,
the spirit of love and fear of the Lord,
and he shall radiate this fear of the Lord.
He will not pass judgment according to outward appearances,
make no judgment on the basis of hearsay.
The little ringers he will administer justice,
pass fair judgment on the least of these,
but the exploiter
he will scourge with the scourge of his mouth,
slay the evildoer
with the breath of his lips.
Righteousness will serve him as a girdle around the waist,
incorruptibility a belt around the loins.
Then the wolf dwells with the lamb,
the panther perches next to the kid,
the calf and the lion cub graze together,
a toddler can graze them!
Cow and bear have made friendship,
their young lie side by side,
and the lion eats hay with the cow.
The infant plays by the viper’s den,
and the little child puts its hand in the snake’s nest !
Then no one sins any more, no one does evil any more
in all my holy mountain,
but the whole earth will be filled with love for God,
as the seabed is buried under the water.
In that day the root of Isaiah
will stand erect as a banner to the nations :
All the nations will flock to him.
And his throne will be glorious!

INTERLUDIUM                        Ps. 72(71), 2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

Righteousness will blossom in his days,
and prosperity everywhere till the end of the months.

My God, grant the king your wisdom,
the king’s son thy justice.
May he govern your people justly,
your poor with equity.

Justice will blossom in his days,
and prosperity everywhere till the end of the months.
Reign shall he from sea to sea,
from the river to the border of the earth.

The poor who asks for support he will deliver,
the unfortunate without help.
He will take care of the deprived,
the weak he will give life again.

Forever remain His name praised,
in honour as long as there are days.
His name be a blessing to all tribes,
to all nations with praise.

ALLELUIA                    Ps 85, 8(84, 8)

Alleluia.
Show us your mercy,
give us your salvation, O Lord.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL                Lk. 10, 21-24

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus exulted.

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

At that time Jesus rejoiced, filled with the Holy Spirit,
and He spoke :
“I praise Thee Father, Lord of heaven and earth ,
because You have hidden these things
from wise and understanding ,
but have revealed them to children.
“Yes Father,
so it has pleased Thee.
“All things have been given to Me by My Father.
“No one knows who the Son is unless the Father ;
and who the Father is unless the Son
and to whom the Son will reveal Him.”
Thereupon He turned to His disciples separately
and He said to them :
“Happy are the eyes that see what ye see.
“I say to you :
Many prophets and kings longed to see what ye see
but they have not seen it ;
and to hear what ye hear
but they heard it not.”

________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCISCUS

On caring for the common home

Ecological education and spirituality
202. In many matters, the course must be redirected, but before
everything, humanity must change. It lacks the awareness of
a common origin, a belonging to each other and a future shared by all.
This basic awareness would allow the development of new
beliefs, new behaviours and lifestyles. Thus
creates a great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge that will involve long
processes of recovery .

To be continued
Every day at 1 am