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
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The first reading, the responsorial psalm and the Gospel all speak of two paths. Jeremiah compares the barren desert tree with the green tree by the water. Thus, the person who expects everything from earthly riches is contrasted with the person who trusts in God. Psalm 1 uses similar images, and the Gospel carries this contrast over to the rich miser and poor Lazarus. Here too, placing complete trust in earthly riches is a form of self-deception: it is illusory happiness and offers false security. Do we pay sufficient attention – not only to the gap between rich and poor – but to the poor right on our doorstep? That attention comes automatically when we recognise Christ in the faces of those we meet. What do we do for Him?
FIRST READING Jer . 17, 5-10
Cursed is the man who trusts in man; blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.
From the Prophet Jeremiah
This is what the Lord God says:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man,
who relies on a creature and turns away from the Lord.
He is a barren bush in the steppe,
never receiving rain.
He stands on dry desert ground,
in a barren, desolate area.
Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord,
and knows he is safe with Him.
“He is a tree by a river,
its roots reaching down to the water.
“He does not suffer from the heat,
his leaves remain green.
“A time of drought does not trouble him,
he always bears fruit.
“Nothing is as unreliable as the heart,
it is incorrigible, who can fathom it?
“I, the Lord God, search the heart and mind,
I reward each person according to their behaviour,
according to the fruit of their labour.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps . 1, 1-2, 3, 4, 6
Blessed is the man,
who puts his hope in the Lord (Ps. 40 (39), 5a)
Blessed is the man who refuses to do
what the wicked advise him;
who does not walk in the ways of sinners,
nor sit among the mockers.
He is like a tree planted by the water,
which bears fruit in its season;
its leaves do not wither in summer,
and everything he does prospers.
The wicked are not so:
they are blown away like chaff.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked comes to nothing.
VERSES BEFORE THE GOSPEL Ps. 130(129), 5, 7
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL Ps . 130(129), 5 , 7
I place my hope in the Lord,
I trust in his word;
for the Lord is always merciful,
his mercy is boundless.
GOSPEL Lk . 16, 19-31
You have received your share of good things, and Lazarus has received his share of evil things.
Now he is comforted, and you are tormented.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man
who was clothed in purple and fine linen
and feasted sumptuously every day,
while a poor man named Lazarus
lay at his gate covered with sores.
“He longed to satisfy his hunger
with what fell from the rich man’s table.
“But only dogs came and licked his sores.
“Now it came to pass that the poor man died
and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.
“The rich man also died and was given an honourable burial.
He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham from afar
and Lazarus in his bosom.
“Then he cried out:
Father Abraham, have mercy on me
and command Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water
and come and cool my tongue,
for I am tormented by the flames here.
But Abraham replied:
My son, remember how during your life
you received your share of good things
and how, in the same way, Lazarus received his share of evil;
that is why he is now comforted here
but you are tormented.
Moreover, a wide gulf lies between us and you for ever,
so that there is no way,
even if one wanted to,
to go from here to you or from there to us.
“The rich man said:
Then I beg you, father Abraham,
to send him to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers;
let him warn them
so that they too
do not end up in this place of torment.
“But Abraham said:
They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.
“But he said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham!
But if someone from the dead goes to them,
they will repent.
“However, he said to him,
‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets,
they will not be persuaded
even if someone rises from the dead.’”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On Care for Our Common Home
47. Added to this is the dynamic of the media and the digital world,
which, when they become ubiquitous, do not promote the development of
living wisely, thinking deeply, loving generously. The
great sages of the past would, in this context, run the risk of
seeing their wisdom stifled amid the chaotic clamour of
information. This requires us to make an effort to ensure that these resources
be translated into a new cultural development of humanity and
not into a decline of its deepest riches. True wisdom, the
fruit of reflection, dialogue and generous encounter between persons,
is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data that ultimately
saturates and confuses in a kind of mental pollution. At the same time, there is a tendency to replace real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, with a type of communication facilitated by the internet. This makes it possible to select or eliminate relationships according to our whims, and thus a new type of artificial emotions is often generated that has more to do with devices and screens than with people and nature. Current resources make it possible for us to communicate with each other and to generate knowledge and emotions, but they also generate a new type of artificial emotions that have more to do with devices and screens than with people and nature. Current resources make it possible for us to communicate with each other and to generate knowledge and emotions, but they also generate a new type of artificial emotions that have more to do with devices and screens than with people and nature. Current resources make it possible for us to communicate with each
type of artificial emotions that have more to do with devices and screens than with people and nature. Current means make it possible for us to communicate with each other and share knowledge and emotions. Sometimes, however, they also prevent us from coming into direct contact with the anxiety, fear, joy of the other and the complexity of their personal experience.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that, alongside the overwhelming supply of these products, a deep and melancholic dissatisfaction or harmful isolation is growing in the world. Therefore, it should come as no surprise
that, along with the overwhelming supply of these products, a deep
and melancholic dissatisfaction or harmful isolation is growing in
interpersonal relationships.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this publication is takenfromThe New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation