Wednesday – Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus, friends of the Lord

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.

Reflection

If our soul is a house, then two women must dwell within it. One will sit at Jesus’ feet to listen to his word; the other will serve him, so that he may be nourished. Mary is the symbol of rest in Christ, of prayer and reading; Martha is the act whereby a person labours for Christ. As long as Christ is poor and walks the earth hungry and thirsty, these two women must be embodied in one and the same person. Action and contemplation can never be separated. (Adelbert of Rievaulx)

FIRST READING             1  John 4:7–16

If we love one another, God dwells in us.

From the First Letter of Saint John the Apostle

Friends,

Let us love one another,
for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves is a child of God,
and knows God.
Anyone who does not love does not know God,
for God is love.
And the love that is God,
has been revealed amongst us,
in that He sent His only Son into the world,
to bring us life.
This is what love consists of:
it is not that we loved God,
but that He loved us,
and He sent His Son
to take away our sins, through the sacrifice of His life.
Friends,
if God has loved us so much,

Friends,
if God has loved us so much,
we too must love one another.
No one has ever seen God,
but if we love one another,
God dwells in us,
and his love has been made perfect in us.
This is the proof that we abide in Him,
just as He abides in us,
that He has given us a share in His Spirit.
And we have seen and we bear witness,
that the Father has sent His Son,
to be the Saviour of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God dwells in him and he dwells in God.
In this way we have come to know the love that God has for us,
and we believe in it.
God is love: whoever abides in love,
abides in God, and God is with him.

INTERLUDIUM    Ps. 34(33), 2–3, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9, 10–11

Take heed and see how gracious the Lord is.

I will praise the Lord every day;
his praise is ever on my lips.
My spirit rejoices in the Lord’s favour;
let all who hear it rejoice.

Glory the Lord together with me,
and let us honour His Name in unity.
I turned to the Lord and He answered me,
He has saved me from all that I feared.

Put your trust in Him, and you will be happy,
for He will not let you down.
Those who cry out in distress, the Lord hears them
and rescues them from their misery.

The angel of God encamps round them,
to protect all who fear God.
Take heed and see how gracious the Lord is,
blessed is he who seeks his salvation in Him.

Honour the Lord, you who are devoted to Him,
for those who honour Him shall never lack anything.
The rich have become poor and needy;
those who turn to the Lord shall never lack anything.

GOSPEL    John    11:19–27

I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God.

From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John

At that time,
many Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them over the loss of their brother.
As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was on his way,
she went out to meet him;
Mary, however, stayed at home.
Martha said to Jesus:
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
“But even now I know
that whatever You ask of God,
God will grant it to You.”
Jesus said to her:
“Your brother will rise again.”
Martha replied:
“I know that he will rise again,
at the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus said to her:
“I am the resurrection and the life.
“Whoever believes in me will live,
even though they have died,
and everyone who lives by faith in me
will never die.
‘Do you believe this?’
She said to him:
‘Yes, Lord,
I firmly believe that you are the Messiah,
the Son of God who is to come into the world.’

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

191. When these issues arise, some people react by accusing others of
irrationally seeking to hinder human
progress and development. But we must
be convinced that slowing down a particular pattern of production and
consumption, can make way for a different form of progress
and development. Efforts towards the sustainable
use of natural resources are not a waste of money,
but an investment that, in the medium term, can yield other economic
benefits. If we are not short-sighted, we may discover
that diversifying towards more innovative production with less impact on
the environment can be highly profitable. The aim is to pave the way for
various possibilities that do not involve curbing human creativity
and its dream of progress, but rather channelling this energy in
a new way.

.

To be continued
Every day at 1 am