Invitation
May I take this opportunity to draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation is intended 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
Jesus is not a ‘leader’ in the strict sense of the word. He is not a reformer, nor a revolutionary who turns everything upside down. His leadership is characterised by serenity, inner depth, peacefulness and warmth. He makes no fuss, nor does he seek the limelight. This leader heals scars, cures the sick, gives new courage to sinners and outcasts, and hope to those who are at their wits’ end. He is the servant of God, who also wishes to serve me. How do I serve Him?
FIRST READING Micah 2, 1–5
They covet fields; they covet houses.
From the Prophet Micah
Woe to those who plot iniquity,
and in their beds devise evil deeds,
which they carry out at the first light of dawn,
as powerful as their hands are.
If they covet fields, they seize them;
if they covet houses, they take them!
They seize the man and his house,
the owner and his possessions.
Therefore, thus says the Lord:
“I am devising an evil plan against such people,
something from which you cannot escape;
you shall no longer walk upright,
for it will surely be a time of trouble!
“On that day a taunting song shall be sung against you,
and a mournful lament shall be heard:
‘We are ruined, utterly ruined!
‘He is giving my people’s inheritance to strangers!
‘Alas, He is snatching it from me!
‘He is distributing our fields to the wicked!’
“Then you will have no one left
to assign you an inheritance
in the congregation of the Lord.”
INTERLUDE Ps . 10:1–2, 3–4, 7–8, 14
Do not forget the poor, O Lord.
Why do You stand aloof, O Lord,
hiding Yourself in times of distress;
whilst the wicked, in his arrogance, torments the poor,
and ensnares him with schemes and deceit.
The sinner boasts of his depraved desires,
and with his greed he blasphemes the Lord.
The wicked man says haughtily:
‘No one will avenge this,
there is no God’; and gives it no further thought.
His mouth is full of deceit and cunning,
calamity and torment are on his tongue.
He lies in ambush amongst the bushes,
secretly striking down the innocent.
Yet You see it, our suffering, our misery,
for it is in Your hands.
To You the afflicted entrust themselves,
the fatherless rely on Your help.
ALLELUIA Ps . 130(129), 5
Alleluia.
In the Lord I place my hope,
in his word I trust.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt. 12, 14–21
Jesus urged them not to make him known.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, the Pharisees left the synagogue
and plotted to get rid of Jesus.
But as Jesus knew this, He withdrew from there.
Many followed Him, and He healed them all.
However, He urged them not to make Him known,
so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Behold my Servant whom I have chosen,
my Beloved, in whom my soul delights.
“I will place my Spirit upon Him,
and He shall proclaim God’s Law to the nations.
“He shall not quarrel nor cry out,
nor shall His voice be heard in the streets.
“He will not break a bruised reed,
nor quench a smouldering wick,
until He has brought God’s Law to victory;
and in His Name the nations shall hope.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care for Our Common Home
180. There can be no one-size-fits-all solutions, as each country and region has its own specific
problems and constraints. Admittedly, political realism may also call for transitional measures and technologies,
provided they are accompanied by planning and an acceptance of
gradual, binding commitments; but at the same time, there is always much to be done
at national and local level, for example by promoting
forms of energy saving. This implies favouring industrial
production methods that are most efficient in terms of
energy use and consume fewer raw materials, whilst
products that are, from an energy perspective, inefficient or more
polluting are removed from the market. We can also mention here a
well-managed transport system and construction and renovation techniques for
buildings that reduce energy consumption and pollution.
On the other hand, local policy can focus on changing
consumption patterns, developing a waste and recycling economy, on
the protection of certain species and the planning of diversified
agriculture involving crop rotation. It is possible to
promote improvements in agriculture in poor regions
through investment in rural infrastructure, in the organisation of
local or national markets, in irrigation systems, and in the development of sustainable
agricultural techniques. We can facilitate forms of cooperation and collective organisation
that protect the interests of small-scale producers and safeguard local ecosystems from exploitation.
There is much that can be done!
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible passage in this edition is taken fromThe New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si’ Official English Translation