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.
Opening words
The Gospel is rather jarring; it compels us to self-reflection.
The fig tree symbolises our own lives:
do we bear fruits of love and mercy,
or do we remain with just beautiful leaves and outward appearances?
And the cleansing of the temple asks us:
is our heart still a place of prayer and encounter,
or do we allow it to become clogged with the hustle and bustle and the ‘business’ of everyday life?
FIRST READING 1 Pet. 4:7–13
Be good stewards of God’s manifold grace.
From the first letter of Saint Peter the Apostle
Brothers and sisters,
The end of all things is near.
Be therefore sober and self-controlled,
so that you may pray.
Above all, practise mutual love with perseverance,
for love covers a multitude of sins.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Serve one another
as good stewards of God’s manifold grace,
with the gifts each of you has received.
Whoever speaks
must realise that he speaks God’s words.
Whoever serves, let him do so in the strength which God supplies.
Then in all things God will be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory
and the power for ever and ever.
Amen.
Dear friends,
do not be surprised at the fire
that is raging among you to purify you,
as though something unusual were happening to you.
Rejoice rather,
precisely to the extent
that you share in the sufferings of Christ;
then you will shout for joy
when his glory is revealed.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 96(95), 10, 11-12, 13
God will rule the world with justice.
Say to one another: the Lord reigns!
He has established the earth firmly,
and He governs the nations with justice.
Then the heavens shine and the earth rejoices,
the sea sings along with all that lives there;
the fields wave with all their crops,
the forest giants bow their crowns.
They cheer the Lord as He comes,
He comes as King of the earth.
He will rule the world with justice,
the nations with fairness and faithfulness.
ALLELUIA Phil. 2:15-16
Alleluia.
Shine like stars in the universe
and hold fast to the word of life.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk 11:11-25
My house shall be called a house of prayer
for all nations.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
At that time, Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.
After He had looked around at everything there,
He returned, because it was already late,
with the Twelve to Bethany.
When they had left Bethany the next day,
He became hungry.
He saw a fig tree in the distance, in leaf,
and went to see if He might find anything on it;
but when He came to the tree, He found nothing but leaves;
it was not the season for figs, after all.
Therefore He addressed the tree and said:
“No one shall ever eat fruit from you again!”
His disciples heard this.
When they came to Jerusalem, He went to the temple;
and began to drive the buyers and sellers out of the temple courtyard;
He overturned the tables of the money-changers
and the stools of the pigeon sellers,
and He would not tolerate
anyone carrying any goods through the temple courtyard.
And He explained to them:
“Is it not written:
My house
shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?
“But you have made it a den of thieves.”
The chief priests and the scribes who heard this
sought a way to put Him to death.
For they feared Him,
because the whole crowd was delighted with His teaching.
In the evening they left the city again.
In the morning they came past the fig tree
and saw that it had withered right down to the roots.
Peter remembered what had happened and said:
“Master, look!
“The fig tree that You cursed has withered.”
Jesus answered them:
“Have faith in God.
“Truly, I say to you:
“If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and cast into the sea’,
and does not doubt in his heart,
but believes that what he says will happen,
it will be done for him.
“Therefore I tell you:
“Whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have already received it,
and you will receive it.
“If you have anything against anyone whilst you are praying,
forgive them, so that your Father in heaven
may also forgive your shortcomings.”
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Laudato Si’
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On care for our common home
Biological renewal through research
130. In the philosophical and theological vision of creation that I have sought to present, it is clear that the human person, with the special capacity of reason and science, is not an external factor to be completely excluded. Although human beings may intervene in the plant and animal world and make use of it when this is necessary for their survival, the Catechism nevertheless teaches that experiments on animals are only justified if “they remain within reasonable limits and contribute to the care of human beings or the saving of human lives”. It forcefully reminds us that human power has limits
and that “causing animals to suffer needlessly or wasting their lives is in conflict with human dignity”. Every use and every experiment
“requires a religious reverence for the integrity of creation”
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The biblical text in this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays.
Laudato Si Official English translation