Saint Fabian ruled as pope from 236 to 250 and was martyred on 20 January 250 during the reign of Emperor Decius. Because some of his relics ended up in the Basilica of Saint Sebastian, his feast day is celebrated on the same day. Saint Sebastian died on 29 January 280.
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
Reflection
God needs people. He calls them to His service, but He uses different criteria than we do. For Him, outward appearances do not matter: He looks at the heart. He called David and anointed him, and the Spirit came upon him. Jesus too will declare: ‘The Spirit of the Lord has come upon me because He has anointed me. He has sent me’. In every Eucharist , God sends His Spirit upon us so that we may be one, united in love with one another.
FIRST READING I Sam. 16:1-13
Samuel anointed David in the midst of his brothers.
From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David.
From the First Book of Samuel
In those days, the Lord said to Samuel:
“How long will you mourn for Saul,
when I have rejected him,
and he shall no longer be king over Israel?
Fill a horn with oil,
and I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite,
for I have chosen one of his sons
to be king.”
But Samuel said,
“How can I do that?
If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.”
The Lord replied:
“Take a calf with you and say
that you have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.
“You must invite Jesse to the sacrifice,
and I will let you know
what you must do;
you must anoint the one I designate.”
Samuel did as the Lord commanded.
When he arrived in Bethlehem,
the elders of the city
came to meet him in alarm and asked:
“Your coming does not mean anything bad, does it?”
He replied:
“Nothing but good.
“I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord:
make sure you are holy
and then come with me to the sacrifice.”
Samuel made sure
that Jesse and his sons sanctified themselves
and called them together for the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel’s gaze fell on Eliab and he thought:
The one standing before the Lord
is undoubtedly his anointed one!
But the Lord said to Samuel:
“Do not go by his appearance
or his tall stature; I do not want him.
“For God does not see as man sees;
man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab
and presented him to Samuel, but Samuel said:
“The Lord has not chosen him either.”
So Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse:
“None of them has been chosen by the Lord.”
Then he asked Jesse:
“Are these all your sons?”
He replied:
“Only the youngest is missing; he is tending the sheep.”
Then Samuel said to Jesse:
“Send for him,
for we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
So Jesse sent for him.
The boy was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a pleasant appearance.
Now the Lord said:
“Anoint him; he is the one.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil
and anointed David in the midst of his brothers.
From that day on, the spirit of the Lord came upon David.
Then Samuel left and went to Ramah.
INTERLUDE Ps. 89(88), 20, 21-22, 27-28
I have sought out my servant David.
In days gone by, you appeared to your prophet
and revealed your decision:
I have given the throne to a strong man,
chosen from among the people.
I sought out my servant David,
and anointed him with my holy oil;
as a sign that my hand will always support him
and that my arm will give him strength.
He will call upon me: You are my Father,
my God, the rock of my salvation.
I designate him as my firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
ALLELUIA Ps . 119(118),27
Alleluia.
Lead me in the way of your commandments, Lord,
and I will remember your deeds.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk 2 : 23-28
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
Once, on the Sabbath, Jesus was walking through the cornfields,
and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along.
The Pharisees said to him,
“Why are they doing something that is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
He answered them,
“Have you never read what David did when he was in need
and he and his companions were hungry?
How he entered the house of God under the high priest Abjatar
and ate the bread of the Presence, which only the priests are allowed to eat,
and how he also gave some to his companions?”
And He added:
“The Sabbath was made for man,
but man was not made for the Sabbath.
The Son of Man is therefore Lord, even of the Sabbath.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care for Our Common Home
Nothing in this world leavesus indifferent
3. More than fifty years ago, when the world was on the brink of an
atomic crisis, Saint Pope John XXIII wrote an
encyclical in which he not only rejected war,
but also sought to propose a plan for peace. He addressed his message
Pacem in Terris to the entire “Catholic world,” but added “and to all people of good will.” Now, in the face of global environmental degradation, I wish to address everyone who inhabits this planet.
In my apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, I wrote to the members of the Church to initiate a process of reform that has yet to be completed. In this encyclical, I address everyone who inhabits this planet. In this encyclical, I set myself the goal of entering into dialogue with everyone about our common home.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this publication is taken from The Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Laudato Si Official British and American Bible Society translation
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