Reflection
Invitation
May I draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation is intended to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
Within the Samuel cycle, we have a Saul cycle. Saul is clearly a transitional figure who does not solve the problems. On the contrary, his incompetence and instability will soon come to light. But the beginning is very encouraging. Note in the last sentence that deliverance from the hands of enemies clearly plays a part in the motive for the choice (1 Sam 9:2 he stood head and shoulders above all others). Jesus calls people to follow Him. In this He is the image of the Father, whose love extends to all people. The righteous and sinners, strong people and weak figures: God chooses people to help him realise his plan of salvation.
FIRST READING 1 Sam. 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a
This is the man of whom the Lord spoke.
Saul will rule over his people.
From the First Book of Samuel
There was a man in Benjamin:
his name was Kish, son of Abiel,
son of Zeror, son of Bechorath,
son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite;
he was a wealthy man.
This man had a young son named Saul,
well built and handsome;
no Israelite could compare with him;
he stood head and shoulders above everyone else.
Once, when the donkeys belonging to Kish, Saul’s father,
had run away, Kish said to his son,
“Go with a servant and look for the donkeys.”
Saul travelled through the hill country of Ephraim,
but did not find the donkeys.
Then they travelled through the land of Shaalim
and through the land of Jemini,
but they did not find the animals there either.
When Samuel saw Saul coming, the Lord said to him,
“This is the man I told you about.
He will rule over my people.”
At the gate, Saul approached Samuel and said,
“Would you be so kind as to
show me the seer’s house?”
Samuel replied to Saul:
“I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place;
today you shall eat with me,
and tomorrow morning I will send you on your way.
I will tell you what is on your mind.”
Then Samuel took a flask of oil
and poured it on Saul’s head.
He kissed him and said:
“You have been anointed by the Lord as prince of his people Israel.
“You shall rule over the Lord’s people:
you must deliver them from the hands of their enemies all around.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps . 21(20), 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Your power, Lord, gives the king confidence.
Your power, Lord, gives the king confidence,
your assistance makes him unspeakably joyful.
You have always granted the desire of his heart,
you do not reject the request of his lips.
You have bestowed upon him your richest blessings,
you have crowned his head with a golden crown.
He asked you for life; he has received it,
long life to the age of a hundred years.
Great is his prestige thanks to your assistance,
you shower him with splendour and magnificence.
You have made him a blessing to all,
the radiance of your countenance brings him happiness.
ALLELUIA Ps. 95 (94),8ab
Alleluia.
Listen today to the voice of the Lord
and do not be stubborn.
Alleluia
GOSPEL Mk. 2, 13-17
I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
Once Jesus went to the shore of the lake.
All the people came to Him and He taught them.
As He passed by, He saw Levi,
the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office and said to him,
“Follow me.”
The man got up and followed him.
While Jesus was once a guest in Levi’s house,
there were also a large number of tax collectors and sinners with him and his disciples,
for there were many who followed him.
The Pharisee scribes saw
that he was eating with tax collectors and sinners,
and they said to his disciples,
“How can he eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus heard this and answered them,
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis|
On Care for Our Common Home
Christian prayer with creation
We praise You, Father, with all Your creatures,
who have come forth from Your mighty hand.
They are Yours and filled with Your presence
and Your tenderness.
Praise be to You!
Son of God, Jesus,
through You all things were created.
You took on human form in the womb of Mary,
You became part of this earth,
and looked upon this earth with human eyes.
Today You are alive in every creature
with Your glory as the Risen One.
Praise be to You!
Holy Spirit, who with Your light
directs this world to the love of the Father,
and accompanies the lament of creation,
You too live in our hearts
to inspire us to do good.
Praise be to You!
Lord God, One and Triune,
precious community of infinite love,
teach us to behold You
in the beauty of the universe,
where everything speaks of You.
Awaken our praise and gratitude
for every creature You have created.
Grant us the grace to feel deeply united
with all that exists.
God of love, show us our place
in this world
as instruments of your love
for all beings on this earth,
for none of them are forgotten by You.
Enlighten those who possess power and money,
that they may be preserved
from the sin of indifference,
love the common good, support the weak,
and care for this world we inhabit.
The poor and the earth cry out:
Lord, fill us with your power and your light,
to protect every life,
to prepare a better future,
that your Kingdom may come,
the Kingdom of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
AMEN
Given in Rome,
at Saint Peter’s,
on 24 May,
on the Solemnity of Pentecost,
in the third year of my pontificate.
Francis.