Consideration
Have mercy: these are the opening words of Psalm 51. In church, it is prayed as it were beneath the cross, in the presence of the pierced one, in union with his completed sacrificial prayer. A psalm for Lent, a psalm for every day and for all times. According to the Rule of St Benedict ( 6th century), we pray this psalm every morning. A praying heart will therefore never stray far from the words of this psalm: the psalm has the power to free the purest prayer in a heart and to bring this heart to the deepest and highest form of mourning and praise, of contrition and thanksgiving, of strong repentance and of broad, joyful mission.
(Benoît Standaert, psalm commentary in Zacchaeus)
FIRST READING Hos. 6, 1-6
I desire piety, not sacrifices.
From the Prophet Hosea
Thus says the Lord:
“In their affliction
my people will seek me early in the morning
and say:
‘Come, let us return to the Lord;
he has torn us, he will heal us;
he has wounded us, he will bind us up.
“After two days He will revive us,
on the third day He will raise us up
to live before Him again.
“We will love the Lord,
we will strive to know Him.
“And surely when the dawn appears, He will come upon us
like the rain,
like the spring rain that waters the earth.
“What shall I do with you, Ephraim?
“What shall I do with you, Judah?
“Your piety is like the morning mist,
like the dew that disappears early in the morning.
“Therefore I have struck you through the prophets,
I have brought death through the words of my mouth:
my judgement broke through like the light.
“For I desire piety, not sacrifices,
and love for God more than burnt offerings.”
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 51(50), 3-4, 18-19, 20-21
I delight in love, not in burnt offerings (Hos. 6, 6)
God, have mercy on me in your kindness,
wash away my sinfulness in your compassion.
Wash away my guilt completely,
cleanse me of all my sins.
You take no pleasure in gifts,
whatever I offer you, you do not want it.
What I offer, God, is my repentance,
a broken and humbled heart you will not reject.
Be gracious to Zion in your goodness,
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will receive all the sacrifices you have commanded,
then people will come again to offer sacrifices on your altar.
VERSES BEFORE THE GOSPEL Am. 5, 14
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live and God may remain with you.
GOSPEL Lk. 18, 9-14
The tax collector goes home justified, but not the Pharisee.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
At that time, Jesus told the following parable, with a view to some who,
convinced of their own righteousness,
despised others.
“Two men went up to the temple to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
“The Pharisee stood with his head held high
and prayed to himself as follows:
God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of mankind,
robbers, unjust men, adulterers,
or even like that tax collector over there.
I fast twice a week
and give tithes of all my income;
“But the tax collector remained at a distance
and did not even lift his eyes to heaven;
but he beat his breast and said:
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
“I tell you:
this man went home justified, not the other;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On Care for Our Common Home
56. Meanwhile, economic powers continue to justify the current global system, in which speculation and the pursuit of financial gain prevail, tending to ignore every context and the effects on human dignity. Thus, it is clear that the degradation of the environment and human and ethical degradation are closely linked. Many will say that they are not aware that they are acting immorally, because the constant distraction takes away our courage to face the reality of a limited and fragile environment.
Therefore, “everything that is fragile, such as the environment, remains defenceless in the face of the interests of the deified market, which have become an absolute rule”.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this publication is taken from The New Bible Translation,
© Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
The Bible text in this edition is taken fromThe New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation