Wednesday – St Catherine of Siena, virgin and martyr

Church teacher. Born 25 March 1347; died in Rome on 29 April 1380
One of the most famous mystics. Patron saint of Europe.

Invitation

May I take this opportunity to draw your attention to:
the daily reading of the Gospel?

This invitation aims 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
‘Unfathomable depth, eternal God, You are a fire that burns ever and never runs out. With Your warmth You consume every self-love of the soul. You are the fire that dispels all cold, and You enlighten minds with Your light, with that light by which You have made Your truth known to me. Lord, You call me to come to You, and I come to You, certainly not on account of my merits, but solely thanks to Your mercy.’
(Catherine of Siena, Dialogue on Divine Providence)

FIRST READING                    1    John 1:5–2:2

The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.

From the first letter of Saint John the Apostle

Friends,
This is the message we have heard from Christ
and pass on to you:
God is light,
and there is no trace of darkness in Him.
If we claim to share in His life,
yet our ways are dark,
we lie in word and deed.
But if we walk in the light,
– just as He Himself is in the light –
then we share in one another’s life,
whilst the blood of His Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin.
If we claim to be without sin,
we deceive ourselves,
and the truth does not dwell in us.
If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just enough to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But if we say we have not sinned,
we make Him a liar;
and His word does not abide in us.

Children,
I am writing to you so that you may not sin.
But even if anyone does sin:
We have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ,
who is without sin,
who makes atonement for all our sins
and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world.

RESPONSORY Ps. 103(102), 1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 13-14, 17-18a

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord, my soul,
his holy Name from the depths of your being!
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
long-suffering and gracious.
He does not keep on reproaching,
He is not angry for ever.

As much as a father loves his children,
so much does the Lord love His servants.
He knows, after all, from what He has made man,
He remembers that we are but dust.

But God’s mercy endures for ever and ever,
He is righteous from generation to generation,
towards all who keep His covenant faithfully.

GOSPEL              Mt. 11, 25–30

These things You have hidden
from the wise and the learned,
but revealed them to little children.

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

At that time, Jesus said:
“I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because You have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned,
but revealed them to littlechildren.
“Yes, Father, for such was Your good pleasure.
“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father.
“No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son,
and I will give you rest and relief.
“Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me:
I am gentle and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for your souls,
for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On Care for Our Common Home

100. The New Testament does not speak to us merely of the earthly Jesus
and his concrete and loving relationship with the world. It also allows us to
as risen and glorified, present throughout all creation with
his universal dominion: “For in him God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell, (Col. 1:19–20).
This directs our gaze towards the end of time, when the Son will hand everything over to the Father,
so that “God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). Thus the creatures of this world no longer appear to us as a purely natural reality, because the risen Lord mysteriously surrounds them and directs them towards a destiny of fullness.
The very same flowers in the field and the birds which He marvelled at with His human eyes are now filled with His luminous presence.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am