The holy bishops Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianze are regarded
as the founding fathers of Eastern Christian monasticism.
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
‘We should try to keep our minds calm. For just as an eye that ceaselessly looks everywhere and now looks aside and turns up and down again and again cannot clearly perceive what is nearby, so too man’s mind cannot possibly keep itself tightly focused on the truth when it is drawn everywhere by the thousands of worldly concerns. (…) When the mind does not focus on what comes from outside, and does not allow itself to be distracted by the senses, it returns to itself and rises out of itself to the Memoria Dei – the constant thought of God”.
(Letter of St Basil to Gregory of Nazianze)
FIRST READING 1 Jn 2:22-28
Take care that what you have heard from the beginning remains alive in you.
From the first letter of the holy apostle John
Friends,
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Saviour ,
is that not the liar ?
That is the ,antichrist’ :
the denier of both the Father and the Son.
He who denies Christ
cannot find God;
he who confesses the Son
also has the Father.
As for you,
take care
that in you remain alive
what thou hast heard from the beginning ;
then ye yourselves shall abide in the Son and also in the Father.
And ye know the promise
which He Himself has made to us :
the promise of eternal life.
This in view of those who seek to deceive you.
As for yourselves,
the inspiration you received from Him
will remain with you,
you need no other teacher.
His ordination instructs you in everything ;
it is true and without guile.
Abide in Him,
as it teaches.
And now children,
abide in Him.
Then we will be confident when He will appear,
and we need not be ashamed at His coming.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 98(97), 1, 2-3ab, 3c-4
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
Sing to the Lord a new song
because He did wonders.
His hand asserted itself powerfully,
the power of His holy arm.
His benefits He made known to us,
the peoples His justice.
Once again His goodness and faithfulness proved
in favour of Israel’s house.
All the earth beheld
what our God did for us.
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
ALLELUIA John 1, 14 and 12b
Alleluia.
The Word has become flesh
and dwelt among us.
To all who accepted Him
he gave the ability
to become children of God.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 1:19-28
He who comes after me was before me.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
This is the testimony of John,
when the Jews from Jerusalem
sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him :
“Who art thou!”
Thereupon he declared
without any reservation and with great firmness :
“I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him :
“Then what?
Art thou Elijah?”
He said :
“I am not.”
“Art thou the prophet?”
He replied :
“Nay.”
Then they said to him :
“Then who art thou?
“Surely we must give an answer
to those who sent us.
“What sayest thou about thyself?”
He spoke :
“I am as the prophet Isaiah expresses it
the voice of one crying out in the desert :
Make the way straight for the Lord!”
The emissaries were from the circle of the Pharisees.
They asked him :
“What then baptize ye
if thou art not the Messiah ,
nor Elijah, nor the prophet ?”
John answered them :
“I baptize with water
but among you is He whom ye know not,
He who comes after me,
i am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.”
This happened at Bethany,
across the river Jordan,
where John was baptising.
______________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On caring for the common home
The sacramental signs and the celebration of rest
233. The universe develops in God, who fulfils the whole. There is thus
a mystery to be beheld in a leaf, in a path, in the dew, in the
face of a poor person. The ideal is not only to make the movement from
outer to inner in order to discover the actions of God in the soul,
but also to meet Him in all things, as St Bonaventure
taught, “Contemplation is all the more sublime, the more man within himself
feels more the effect of divine grace or the more he recognises God
in the other creatures”.
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