Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

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 hearts
to the healing power of God’s Word.

Available every day.

Introduction

The start of the summer holidays
is, for many, a time to catch their breath.
The time pressures of the past school and working year
finally give way to some relaxation.
On this first Sunday of the holidays,
Jesus invites us to come to Him
and find rest and relief in Him.
Let us open our hearts to the inner peace
that He wishes to give us.

FIRST READING                        Zech. 9:9–10

Behold, your King is coming to you. He is humble.

From the prophet Zechariah

Thus says the Lord:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem!
“Behold, your King is coming to you,
righteous and victorious;
he is humble, riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
“I will remove the chariots from Ephraim,
the horses from Jerusalem;
the war bow shall be broken.
“Then he shall proclaim peace amongst the nations,
then his dominion shall extend from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Responsorial          Ps. 145(144), 1–2, 8–9, 10–11, 13cd–14

Refrains
I will glorify your name,
my God and King.

I will praise you, my God and King,
glorify your name for ever.
I will praise you every day,
glorify your name for ever.

The Lord is full of love and compassion,
long-suffering and most gracious.
The Lord cares for every person,
merciful to all He has made.

Your works shall praise You, Lord,
Your faithful shall praise You.
They extol the glory of your reign,
they proclaim your power.

The Lord is true in all his words
and holy in all he does.
The Lord upholds those who are about to fall,
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

SECOND READING                           Rom. 8:9, 11–13

If, through the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live.

From the letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Christians of
Rome

Brothers and sisters,

Your lives are not governed by self-indulgence,
but by the Spirit,
for the Spirit of God dwells within you.
If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
then they do not belong to Him.
If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead,
dwells in you,
He who
raised Christ Jesus from the dead,
will one day make your mortal bodies alive too,
through the power of his Spirit,
who dwells within you.

Brothers and sisters,
we therefore have obligations,
but not to ourselves, to live in self-indulgence.
If you live selfishly,
you will certainly die.
But if, through the Spirit,
you put to death the deeds of the flesh,
you will live.

Gospel Acclamation                      Cf. Mt 11:25

Alleluia.
Blessed are You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for You have revealed the mysteries of the kingdom to little children.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL                      Mt 11:25–30

I am gentle and humble in heart.

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 little children.
“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 he to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

“Come to Me, all of you,
who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest and relief.
“Take My yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me:
I am gentle and humble in 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

167. The Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 should be mentioned. It was declared there that “people are at the centre of concern for sustainable development”. Reiterating the building on the content of the Stockholm Declaration (1972), Rio reaffirmed, among other things, international cooperation regarding the care of the global ecosystem, the obligation that whoever pollutes is financially responsible for it, and the duty to assess the impact of every work or project on the environment. It proposed as its objective the reduction of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to levels that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
be held financially liable, and the duty to assess the impact of any
work or project on the environment. It proposed the objective of stabilising the
concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in order to curb the trend of
global warming. It also drew up an agenda comprising an action programme and a convention on biodiversity, and laid down principles regarding forests. Although that summit was truly innovative and prophetic for its time, the agreements have only been implemented to a limited extent,
as no adequate mechanism for monitoring, periodic review and
sanctions for non-compliance had been established. The principles formulated continue to
call for effective and rapid means of concrete implementation.

To be continued