The holy bishops Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianze are regarded
as the founding fathers of Eastern Christian monasticism.
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wishes to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
‘We should try to keep our minds calm. For just as an eye that incessantly looks everywhere and now looks aside and turns up and down again and again cannot clearly perceive what is nearby, so too the mind of man cannot possibly keep itself tightly focused on the truth when it is pulled everywhere by the thousands of worldly concerns. (…) When the mind does not focus on what comes from outside, and does not allow itself to be distracted by the senses, it returns to itself and rises out of itself to the Memoria Dei – the constant thought of God’.
(Letter of St Basil to Gregory of Nazianze)
FIRST READING 1 Jn 2:22-28
See to it that what you have heard from the beginning remains alive in you.
From the first letter of the holy apostle John
Friends,
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Saviour ,
is that not the liar?
That is the ,antichrist’ :
the denier of both the Father and the Son.
He who denies Christ
cannot find God;
He who confesses the Son
also has the Father.
As for you,
take care
that in you remain alive
what thou hast heard from the beginning ;
then ye yourselves shall abide in the Son and also in the Father.
And ye know the promise
which He Himself has made to us :
the promise of eternal life.
This in view of those who seek to deceive you.
As for yourselves,
the inspiration you received from Him
will remain with you,
you need no other teacher.
His ordination instructs you in everything ;
it is true and without guile.
Abide in Him,
as it teaches.
And now children,
abide in Him.
Then we will be confident when He will appear,
and we need not be ashamed at His coming.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 98(97), 1, 2-3ab, 3c-4
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
Sing to the Lord a new song
Because He did wonders.
His hand asserted itself mightily,
the power of His holy arm.
His benefits He made known to us,
His justice to the nations.
Once again His goodness and faithfulness proved
in favour of Israel’s house.
All the earth beheld
what our God did for us.
Glorify the Lord, all nations,
be glad, rejoice and sing.
ALLELUIA John 1, 14 and 12b
Alleluia.
The Word has become flesh
And has dwelt among us.
To all who accepted Him
He gave the ability
to become children of God.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Jn 1:19-28
He who comes after me was before me.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
This is the testimony of John,
when the Jews from Jerusalem
sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him :
‘Who art thou!’
Thereupon he declared
without any reservation and with great firmness :
‘I am not the Messiah.’
They asked him :
‘Then what?
Art thou Elijah?’
He said :
‘I am not.’
‘Art thou the prophet?’
He replied :
‘Nay.’
Then they said to him :
‘Then who art thou?
‘Surely we must give an answer
To those who sent us.
‘What sayest thou about thyself?’
He spoke :
‘I am as the prophet Isaiah expresses it
the voice of one crying out in the desert :
Make the way straight for the Lord!’
The emissaries were from the circle of the Pharisees.
They asked him :
‘What then baptize ye
if thou art not the Messiah ,
nor Elijah, nor the prophet ?’
John answered them :
‘I baptize with water
but among you is He whom ye know not,
He who comes after me,
I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.’
This happened at Bethany,
across the river Jordan,
where John was baptising.
______________________________________________
Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On brotherhood and social friendship
The universal horizon
146. There are forms of local narcissism that do not express a healthy love for
one’s own people and culture. They hide
a closed mind that, because of a certain insecurity and a certain
fear of the other, prefers to erect defensive walls
to protect themselves. But it is not possible to be local in a
healthy way to be local without a sincere and heartfelt openness
to the universal, without being questioned by what happens elsewhere,
without being enriched by other cultures and without standing in solidarity
with the tragedies of other peoples. This localism locks itself obsessively
within a few ideas, customs and certainties and is incapable of
admiration in the face of the many opportunities and beauties that
the whole world has to offer, and it lacks an authentic and generous
solidarity. Thus local life is no longer truly receptive, no longer allows itself to be
supplemented by the other; therefore it limits its developmental
possibilities, it becomes static and sick. Because in reality
every healthy culture naturally open and welcoming, so that ‘a culture
without universal values is not a true culture’.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays.
Fratelli tutti English translation