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
Introduction
After the Lord’s Ascension,
the apostles withdrew to the Upper Room.
Together with Mary, they prayed with confidence
for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
On this Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost,
we too gather
to pray, in communion with the whole Church,
for the gift of God’s Spirit.
Let us open our hearts to this faithful Helper.
FIRST READING Acts 1, 12-14
They devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.
From the Acts of the Apostles
After Jesus had been taken up into heaven,
the apostles returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.
This mountain lies close to Jerusalem, within a Sabbath’s journey.
On arriving there, they went to the upper room
where they were staying:
Peter and John, James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Simon the Zealot and Judas, the brother of James.
They all remained united in prayer,
together with the women,
with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Responsorial Ps . 27(26), 1, 4, 7-8
Refrain
I trust that in the land of the living
I shall see the salvation of the Lord.
The Lord is my light and my guide;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the shield of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life.
That I may experience the Lord’s kindness,
and see his temple with my own eyes once more.
Hear, O Lord, my voice as I call upon you,
have mercy and answer me.
My heart speaks to You, I look up to You,
I seek to see Your face, Lord.
SECOND READING 1 Peter 4, 13-16
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed.
From the First Letter of Saint Peter the Apostle
Beloved,
Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ;
then you will exult with joy,
when his glory is revealed.
Consider yourselves blessed if you are reviled for the name of Christ:
it is a sign that the Spirit of glory,
who is the Spirit of God,
rests upon you.
See to it that none of you suffers
as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a troublemaker.
But whoever suffers as a Christian must not be ashamed,
but must honour God by that name.
Versicle before the Gospel John 4, 18
Alleluia. I will not leave you as orphans, says the Lord,
I am going away and I will come back to you,
and your hearts will rejoice.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 17, 1-11a
Father, glorify your Son.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
At that time, Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
“Father, the hour has come;
“glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you.
“For you have given him authority over all people;
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You,
the only true God, and the One whom You have sent: Jesus Christ.
“I have glorified You on earth,
by completing the work,
which I had with You before the world began.
“I have revealed Your Name to the people
whom You have given Me out of the world.
“They were Yours;
You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
“Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You.
“For the message which You have given Me,
I have given to them,
and they have received it and have truly recognised
that I have come from You,
and they have believed that You sent Me.
“I pray for them.
“I do not pray for the world,
but for those whom You have given Me, because they belong to You.
“All that is Mine is Yours, and what is Yours is Mine.
“Thus I am glorified in them.
“I am no longer in the world, but they remain in the world,
whilst I am coming to You.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On Care for Our Common Home
118. This situation leads us to a permanent schizophrenia, ranging from
a glorification of technocracy, which attributes no
intrinsic value to other beings, to a reaction that denies any
special value to human beings. But humanity cannot be left
out of consideration. There will be no new relationship with nature without
a new humanity. There is no ecology without an adequate anthropology. When
human beings are regarded merely as creatures among others, arising
from the play of chance or a determinism within nature,
“the sense of responsibility in people’s consciences is in danger of being
diminished”. A distorted anthropocentrism need not necessarily be replaced
by “biocentrism”, as that would entail introducing a new imbalance which
not only fails to solve the problems but adds others. One cannot ask of
human beings a commitment
to the world unless one simultaneously recognises their unique
capacities of knowledge, will, freedom and responsibility
and values them at their true worth.
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