Friday in the second week of the year

 

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

One does not necessarily have to be Christian or religious to respect life and human dignity. Respect for life is part of humanity’s heritage. But Christ came to reveal to us the deepest meaning of that respect. David’s gesture is not motivated by his good nature or weakness. David’s respect stems from the knowledge that God is present in the person standing before him. When we are about to insult, judge or hurt someone, do we think of God, who truly loves this person?

FIRST READING             1 Sam. 24:3-21

May the Lord keep me from striking out
against his anointed one.

From the first Book of Samuel

In those days, Saul chose
three thousand select men from all Israel
and went in search of David and his men,
east of the Capricorn rocks.
On his way he came to the sheepfolds.
There was a cave there,
and Saul went in to rest.
But David and his men were in the back of the cave!
The men said to David,
“This is the moment the Lord spoke of when He said to you,
‘I will deliver your enemy into your hands.
Do with him as you wish.'”
Then David got up and, without Saul noticing,
cut off a corner of his cloak.
His heart pounded
because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s cloak.
Then he said to his men,
“May the Lord keep me from doing such a thing,
from transgressing against my lord, the anointed of God,
from laying a hand on him
who is the Lord’s anointed.”
With these words, David restrained his men
and did not allow them to attack Saul.
Meanwhile, Saul had risen;
he left the cave to continue on his way.
Then David also left the cave and called after Saul:
“My lord and king!”
Saul looked back, and David bowed down to the ground
to pay him homage.
He said to Saul:
“Why do you listen to the talk of the people
that David wants to harm you?
“You see with your own eyes
that the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave.
“They wanted to kill you,
but I spared you and said:
I will not harm my lord,
for he is the anointed of God.
“Look, my father,
look at the corner of your cloak that I hold in my hand.
“The fact that I was able to cut off the corner of your cloak
and did not kill you
must be clear proof to you
that I have no evil or rebellious intentions.
“I have done you no wrong,
and yet you are seeking my life.
“May the Lord judge,
which of us is in the right,
and may the Lord avenge me on you:
I will not lay a hand on you.
“The old proverb says:
Anger begets anger.
“I will not lay a hand on you.
“Who is the King of Israel actually going after?
“Who are you actually pursuing?
“It’s only a dead dog or a flea!
“The Lord will be the judge and decide,
which of us is in the right;
May he watch over me, defend my cause,
and vindicate me against you.”
When David had said this, Saul cried out:
“Is that your voice, my son David?”
And Saul began to weep aloud.
And he said to David:
“You are righteous, but I am not,
for while I harm you, you treat me well.
“Today you have shown that you mean well by me.
The Lord delivered me into your hands,
and yet you did not kill me.
Who ever lets his enemy go unharmed,
when he gets his hands on him?
The Lord will reward you
for what you have done for me today.
Now I know that you will become king,
and that the royal power over Israel
will remain in your hands.”

INTERLUDIUM                     Ps. 57(56), 2, 3-4, 6,11

Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me.

Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me,
in You I seek my salvation.
I take refuge under your wings
until the disaster passes.

I call upon God, the Most High,
upon God, who cares for me;
that He may send me salvation from heaven
and shamefully drive away my persecutors.

Show yourself in majesty, God, in your glory,
your splendour over all the earth.
For your mercy is as wide as the heavens,
your throne reaches to the clouds.

ALLELUIA                 Ps . 119(118),18

Alleluia.
Open my eyes, Lord, to behold the glory of your law.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL                        Mk.3:13-19
Jesus called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him.

From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark

At that time, Jesus went up the mountain
and called to him those whom he wanted,
and they came to him.
He appointed twelve to accompany him
and to be sent out by him to preach,
with the power to cast out demons.
So he appointed these twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, the son of Zebedee,
and John, the brother of James,
whom He named Boanerges, which means:
sons of thunder;
then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot
and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

6. My predecessor Benedict XVI renewed the invitation to
“eliminate the structural causes of the malfunctioning of the global economy
and to improve models of growth that do not seem capable of ensuring
respect for the environment”. He recalled that the
world cannot be analysed by isolating one aspect,
because “the book of nature is one and indivisible”
and includes the environment, life, sexuality, the family, social relations and other aspects.
Consequently, “the deterioration of nature is closely linked
to the culture that shapes human society”. Pope
Benedict has urged us to recognise that the natural environment
is full of wounds caused by our irresponsible behaviour.
The social environment also has its wounds. But all are essentially caused by the same evil, namely the idea that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, so that human freedom knows no bounds.
We forget that “man is not merely self-creating freedom. Man does not create himself. He is spirit and will, but he is also nature”.  With paternal concern, he has invited us to recognise that creation has been endangered “where we ourselves are the final authority, where it is simply our property and we simply waste it for ourselves. And the waste of creation begins where we no longer have any authority, where it is simply our property and we simply waste it for ourselves.

To becontinued
Every day at 1 am