Christian doctrine regards the family as the cornerstone of society.
The Holy Family is the model for the Christian household
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
Between Christmas and the New Year
the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family.
The family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus is called ‘holy’,
not because we know much about their family life,
but because they focused entirely on God.
We also celebrate the feast of the Church today,
of God’s ‘holy’ family.
We thank God for the past jubilee year
in which we have celebrated our faith as one family
and received God’s reconciliation.
FIRST READING Sir. 3, 2-6.12-14
He who fears the Lord honours his parents.
The Lord has appointed a father over the children;
and given the mother right over her sons.
Whoever respects his father receives forgiveness of sins,
and as one who gathers treasures
is he who honours his mother.
He who honours his father delights in his children,
and when he prays he is heard.
He who honours his father will enjoy a long life
and he who obeys his father
refreshes the heart of his mother.
He who fears the Lord honours his parents.
Child, take care of your father in his old age
and do not grieve him as long as he lives.
On the day you are in need, you will be thought of;
you who are still in full strength, do not despise your father.
Pity for thy father shall not be forgotten,
other than sins, it builds up thy house.
Answer Psalm Ps. 128(127), 1-2, 3, 4-5
Refrain
Happy who fear God
go the way of the Lord.
Happy who fear God,
go the way of the Lord.
Ye shall eat the fruit of your own labour,
content and prosperous you shall be.
Thy wife within thy house
is like a richly laden vine.
And like olive branches around the trunk,
so are thy children around thy table.
Yes, so is every man blessed
who gives honour to the Lord.
To thee bless the Lord from Zion,
may thou see Jerusalem prosperous
as long as thy days last.
SECOND READING Col 3:12-21
On domestic life in the Lord.
Brothers and sisters,
Clothe yourselves,
as God’s holy and beloved elect,
with tender compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.
Bear with one another
and forgive one another if one has a grievance against another.
As the Lord has forgiven you
so you too should forgive.
Add to all this love as the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts;
for to this ye are called, as members of one body,
and be thankful.
May the word of Christ dwell
dwell among you.
Teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.
Sing to God with a thankful heart psalms,
hymns and songs,
inspired by the Spirit.
And all that you do in word or work
do everything in the name of Jesus the Lord,
Thanking God the Father through Him.
Wives, be submissive to your husbands,
as befits Christians.
Husbands, love your wife
and do not be petulant to her.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not taunt your children,
lest they lose heart.
Verse for the gospel Col 3, 15a and 16a
Alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts.
The word of Christ
may dwell among you in full riches
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt 2:13-15,19-23
Take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.
When the Wise Men had gone,
an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream
and spoke:
“Arise, take the child and his mother,
flee to Egypt and stay there until I warn you,Civil and political love
228. Caring for nature is part of a lifestyle that includes the
ability to live together and in community. Jesus has
reminded us that God is our common Father and that this makes us
make us brothers and sisters. Brotherly love can only be disinterested
be, can never be a payment for what another accomplishes, nor
an advance on what we hope he does. Therefore, it is possible to love our
to love our enemies. This same disinterestedness leads us to love the
wind, the sun or the clouds to be loved and accepted, even though they submit themselves
do not submit to our control. This is why we can speak of a
universal brotherhood and sisterhood.
for Herod comes looking for the child to kill it.”
He stood up
and in the night departed with the child and his mother
to Egypt.
There he remained until Herod’s death,
that it might be fulfilled
what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
“I have called my son out of Egypt.”
After Herod died,
an angel of the Lord appeared in Egypt
in a dream to Joseph
and said:
“Arise, take the child and his mother
and go to the land of Israel,
for those who took the child’s life
have died.”
He got up, took the child and his mother
and went to the land of Israel.
When he heard, however, that Archelaus
instead of his father Herod,
ruled over Judah,
he feared to go there;
informed by God in a dream,
he therefore went to the region of Galilee.
Arrived here,
he settled in a city called Nazareth,
that it might be fulfilled
what had been said by the prophets:
“He will be called a Nazarene.”
_______________________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On caring for the common home
Civil and political love
228. Caring for nature is part of a lifestyle that includes the
ability to live together and in community. Jesus has
reminded that God is our common Father and that this
make us brothers and sisters. Fraternal love can only be disinterested,
can never be a payment for what another accomplishes, nor
an advance on what we hope he does. Therefore, it is possible
to love our enemies. This same disinterestedness leads us to love the
wind, the sun or the clouds and accepted, even though they
do not submit to our control. This is why we can speak of a
universal brotherhood and sisterhood.
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.
Laudato Si English translation