Monday in the fifth week

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
The construction of the temple is a highlight in the history of God’s presence among his people: Exodus, Sinai, Ark of the Covenant, Tent of Meeting, Temple of Jerusalem. The cloud connects all of this into a unity. It was already there at the Exodus; it is also there now to emphasise God’s presence. The presence of all the tribal chiefs also underlines the continuity throughout history. The responsorial psalm 132 is a fitting echo of this event.

FIRST READING             I Kings 8, 1-7, 9-13

They brought the ark of the covenant into
the holy of holies,
and the cloud filled the temple of the Lord.

From the First Book of Kings

In those days, Solomon summoned the elders of Israel,
all the heads of the tribes and leaders of the families of the Israelites,
to Jerusalem
to bring the ark of the covenant with the Lord
from the city of David, also called Zion.
So all the men of Israel gathered before King Solomon
at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
The elders of Israel came forward,
the priests lifted up the ark
and brought it with the tent of meeting
and the accompanying sacred objects.
The priests did this, together with the Levites.
King Solomon and the whole community of Israel,
who had gathered around him,
went before the ark and sacrificed so many sheep and cattle
that they could not be counted or estimated.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord
to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple,
the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.
The cherubim spread their wings out
over the place of the ark
and overshadowed the ark and the carrying poles.
There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets
that Moses had placed there at Horeb,
the tablets of the covenant that the Lord had made
with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.
When the priests left the sanctuary,
a cloud filled the temple of the Lord,
so that they could not remain there
to perform their duties,
for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord.
Then Solomon said:
“Lord, you have decided to dwell in darkness,
so I have built you a lofty temple,
a dwelling place for ever.”

INTERLUDIUM               Ps. 132(131), 6-7, 8-10

Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place.

We heard of it in Ephrath,
and found the ark in the fields of Jearim.
Let us enter where He dwells,
let us fall down before God’s footstool.

Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
You and the ark of your majesty,
your priests clothed in righteousness,
your saints dancing with joy.
For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your anointed one.

ALLELUIA                   Mt. 4, 4b

Alleluia.
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL                Mk. 6, 53-56

All who touched Jesus were healed.

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

At that time,
Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake,
reached the shore at Gennesaret, and entered the harbour.
As soon as they stepped out of the boat,
the people recognised him.
They ran throughout the whole region
and began to carry the sick on their beds to the place
where they heard he was.
Wherever He entered,
in villages, towns or hamlets,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him
to let them touch at least the hem of His garment.
And all who did so were healed.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

The climate as a common good
23. The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.
At the global level, it is a complex system that is linked to many
essential conditions for human life. There is a very
consistent scientific consensus indicating that we are experiencing an
alarming warming of the climate system. In recent decades, this warming has been accompanied by a continuous rise in sea level, and it is not difficult to link this to the increase in extreme weather events, despite the fact that no scientifically definable cause can be attributed to each individual phenomenon.
Humanity is called upon to become aware of the need for a change in lifestyle, production and consumption in order to combat this warming or at least mitigate its effects.
Although there are other factors (such as volcanism, changes in the Earth’s orbit and axis, and the solar cycle), numerous scientific studies indicate that most of the global warming in recent decades is due to the high concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen and others), which are mainly emitted as a result of human activity. Their concentration in the atmosphere prevents the heat from the sun’s rays reflected by the Earth from dispersing into space. This is further exacerbated by a development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the world’s energy system.
The increase in other land use practices, particularly deforestation for agricultural purposes, has also had an impact.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am