Wednesday of the third week of Lent

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
When the Jews speak of the law(the Torah) , they usually mean the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch); by Prophets , they mean the historical books from Joshua to Kings (and not what we call prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.). The expression “Law and Prophets” therefore stands for the entire Old Testament. It is clear that Jesus cannot possibly accept that his message would contradict the deep meaning of the Old Testament.

FIRST READING                       Deut . 4, 1, 5-9
Act according to the Lord’s instructions and carry them out diligently.

From the Book of Deuteronomy

In those days Moses said to the people:
“Listen, Israel,
to the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you,
and act accordingly.
“Then you will live and take possession of the land
that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.
“I have now taught you the statutes and ordinances
as the Lord your God commanded me.
“Act upon them in the land you are about to enter and take possession of,
and carry them out diligently,
for they will show the nations
your wisdom and understanding.
“When they hear all these statutes, they will say,
‘This great nation is wise and understanding.
“Is there any other great nation,
whose gods are so close to them
as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon him?
“Or is there any other great nation
that has such perfect statutes and rules
as the law I am giving you today?
“Be careful, then, and take care
that you do not forget what you have seen with your own eyes.
“Let this not leave your mind all your life,
and pass it on to your children and grandchildren.”

INTERLUDIUM                         Ps. 147, 12-13, 15-16, 19-20

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem,
Zion, glorify your God!
For He has firmly fastened your gates,
blessed your sons within your walls.

He sends His command to the earth
and His word runs swiftly.
He sends down snow like flakes of wool,
and scatters frost like ashes.

It is He who sent His word to Jacob,
His law and commandments to Israel.
No other people has He treated in this way,
no other has He made known His ways.

VERSES BEFORE THE GOSPEL                     cf . Lk. 8, 15

Blessed are those who hear the word they have heard
and keep it in a good and noble heart
and bear fruit through their steadfastness.

GOSPEL                        Mt . 5, 17-19
Whoever keeps and teaches these precepts will be considered great.

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

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come
to abolish the Law and the Prophets;
I have come to fulfil them.
“For truly, I say to you,
until heaven and earth pass away,
not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law
until all is accomplished.
“Therefore, whoever breaks one of these commandments,
even the smallest, and teaches others to do so, will be considered the least in the Kingdom of Heaven,
but whoever keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

The weakness of responses
53. This situation causes the groaning of sister earth, which joins in with the groaning of the abandoned people of the world, with a lament that demands a change of course from us. Never have we treated and damaged our common home as badly as in the last two centuries. On the contrary, we are called to be instruments of God the Father, so that our planet may be the planet He dreamed of when He created it, and may correspond to His plan of peace, beauty and fullness.
The problem is that we do not yet have
the necessary culture to face this crisis, and it is
necessary to form leaderships that show the way and thus provide an answer
to the needs of current generations, all included, without endangering future generations.
It is becoming necessary to create a system of standards that contains inviolable limits and ensures the protection of ecosystems, before the new forms of power derived from the technical-economic paradigm ultimately destroy not only politics, but also freedom and justice.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am