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
Contemplation
With Elisabeth, Mary witnesses the great things God does to little people. They appear to carry away His preference. Contemplating the words of Scripture in her heart, Mary sings of the unimaginable power of God, who overshadows her too. She is happy because of who God is. Mary’s Magnificat is the song of thanksgiving of all little people, who allow in their lives the happiness that God wants to work. That we too may experience and confess: The Lord makes my heart beat with joy (1 S 2,1).
FIRST READING 1 Sam. 1:24-28
Hanna thanks the Lord for the birth of Samuel
From the first Book of Samuel
In those days Hanna took Samuel,
with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a bag of wine.
She brought the boy, as small as he was,
to the temple of the Lord in Silo.
They slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.
At this, Hanna said :
“By your leave, my lord, so where you live, my lord ,
i am the woman who stood here
to pray to the Lord, in your presence.
“For this boy I have prayed
and the Lord has given me what I have begged of him.
“Therefore, I relinquish him to the Lord.
“As long as he lives, he remains the Lord relinquished.”
And they bowed down there before God the Lord.
INTERLUDIUM 1 Sam. 2, 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
The Lord makes my heart beat with joy.
The Lord makes my heart beat with joy,
my God has lifted up my head.
Now I stand my contenders
because I enjoy His assistance.
The bows of the brave are broken,
the weak are girded with strength.
The rich must go and earn their bread,
those starving no longer have to do any work.
The childless gives birth seven times,
the mother’s womb withers away.
The Lord disposes of death and life,
He leads to death and He calls again.
The Lord bestows poverty as well as riches,
humiliation He brings and honour.
He raises the powerless from the dust,
raises from the dirt the lowly;
He gives him a seat among princes,
grants him an honourable place.
For He is the Lord of the pillars of the earth
on which He once placed the earth’s disk.
ALLELUIA
Alleluia.
King of nations and cornerstone of the church :
Come and deliver man whom Thou hast formed from clay.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Lk. 1, 46-56
He who is mighty has done to me his miraculous works.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Luke
On visiting Elisabeth, Mary spoke :
“My heart praises high the Lord.
“For joy my spirit rejoices for God my Saviour,
for He kindly looked down on the smallness of His handmaid.
“And behold, from this day forth every generation praises me blissfully
because He who is mighty did to me His wondrous works,
and holy is His Name.
“Merciful is He from generation to generation
to those who fear Him.
“He shows the strength of His arm ;
smashes proud hearts apart.
“Rulers He takes away their thrones,
but He exalts the humble.
“Those who hunger He lavishes with gifts,
and the rich He sends empty-handed.
“His servant Israel He has drawn to Himself,
remembering His mercy for ever
towards Abraham and his generation,
as He had said to our fathers.”
After Mary had stayed with her for about three months
she returned home.
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCISCUS
On caring for the common home
Joy and peace
222. Christian spirituality proposes a different way of measuring the
quality of life and invites a prophetic and contemplative
lifestyle capable of knowing deep joy without being obsessed by
with consumption. It is important to follow up on an ancient lesson
that is present in various religious traditions and also in the Bible.
It concerns the belief that “less is more”. The constant
accumulation of consumerism in fact distracts the heart and
prevents it from appreciating each thing and each moment individually. Quiet
facing each reality, however small, opens up for
us, on the other hand, more opportunities for understanding and personal growth. The christian spirituality implies a growth in sobriety and an ability
to enjoy little. It is a return to simplicity that
allows us to dwell on and enjoy the little
things, to give thanks for the opportunities life offers, without attaching ourselves to what we have, or becoming sad for what we do not possess.
This presupposes that the dynamics of domination and sheer accumulation
of pleasures is avoided.
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
___________________________________________________________________________________