Invitation
May I 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 hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
Following the death and resurrection of the Lord, there are few historical events that are as significant for us, descendants of the Gentiles, as the Council of Jerusalem. The question of circumcision and observance of the Law of Moses had played no part in the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius and his reception by Peter, nor in the missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. Now the fundamental question was posed in all its sharpness and also resolved on principle. The present universal Church is inconceivable without this breakthrough.
FIRST READING Acts 15, 1–6
A contentious issue is brought before the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem.
From the Acts of the Apostles
In those days, some men came down from Judea
and taught the brothers:
“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses,
you cannot be saved.”
When a dispute arose over this,
and Paul and Barnabas
got into a heated argument with them,
Paul and Barnabas
and some other members of the church
were instructed
to take this matter
to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
After the church had seen them off,
they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria,
where they brought great joy to all the brothers,
by telling of the conversion of the Gentiles.
On their arrival in Jerusalem,
they were received by the church,
the apostles and the elders,
and they recounted everything
which God had accomplished through their ministry.
But some believers,
who belonged to the party of the Pharisees,
stood up and declared,
that they ought to be circumcised,
and that the Law of Moses ought to be imposed upon them.
The apostles and the elders therefore met together,
to consider this matter.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 122(121), 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
How glad I was when they called to me:
‘We are going to the house of the Lord!’
or:Alleluia.
How glad I was when they called to me:
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’
Now my feet, O Jerusalem,
may enter your gates.
Jerusalem, city fortified,
so densely built:
to you the tribes go up,
the tribes of God’s people.
They go according to the custom of Israel,
to worship the Name of God.
There stand the seats of justice,
the throne of the house of David.
ALLELUIA John10:27
Alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord,
and I know them, and they follow me.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 15, 1-8
Whoever remains in me, as I remain in him, bears much fruit.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vine-grower.
“Every branch in me that bears no fruit,
he cuts away;
and every branch that does bear fruit,
he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit.
“You are already clean;
thanks to the word I have spoken to you.
“Remain in me;
then I will remain in you.
“Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of its own accord;
but only if it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
“Whoever remains in Me whilst I remain in him
bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing.
“If anyone does not remain in Me
he is cast away like a branch and withers;
they gather them together, throw them into the fire and they burn.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish and you shall receive it.
“By this my Father is glorified:
that you bear much fruit;
thus you will be my disciples.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On Care for Our Common Home
107. We can therefore state that at the root of many of the difficulties
of the modern world lies, above all, the tendency—not always conscious—
to shape the methods and aims of technical science
into a paradigm that determines human life and the functioning
of society. The effects of applying this model
to the whole of human and social reality are evident
in environmental degradation. But this is merely a sign of the reductionism
that affects human life and society in all their dimensions.
It must be recognised that the products produced by technology
are not neutral, because they create a network that ultimately conditions the
lifestyle and steers social possibilities in
the direction of the interests of certain power groups. Some
choices that appear purely instrumental are, in reality, choices that
relate to the type of social life one wishes to develop.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
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