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.
Opening words
At this hour, let us give thanks to God
and listen attentively to his Word.
The Lord sows his Word
just as the sower scatters seed in the field.
When it falls on good soil,
it bears much fruit.
Let us, then, be that good soil,
so that the love the Lord has for us
may take root and bear much fruit.
FIRST READING Isaiah 55:10–11
The rain makes the earth fertile.
From the prophet Isaiah
Thus says the Lord:
“Just as the rain and the snow fall from the sky
and do not return there
until they have watered the earth,
having made it fruitful
and covered it with greenery,
having given the seed to the sower
and bread to those who must eat;
so shall it be with the word
that comes from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty;
it shall return only when it has accomplished my will
and fulfilled its mission.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps. 65(64), 10abcd, 10e-11, 12-13, 14
Refrains
The seed fell on good soil and bore fruit.
You have tended and watered the earth,
making it rich and fruitful.
Your reservoirs are filled to the brim,
you have prepared the stalks for the grain.
Thus You have provided for all things.
You water the furrows and level the clods,
soaking them with rain and blessing the seed.
The whole year is crowned with Your gifts,
Your footsteps drip with fertility.
On lonely steppes the dew glistens,
a girdle of glory lies around the hills.
The meadows wear a robe of flocks,
the valleys a blanket of grain:
It is already jubilation and praise.
SECOND READING Rom. 8:18–23
Creation eagerly awaits the revelation of God’s children.
From the letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Christians of
Rome
Brothers and sisters,
I am convinced
that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
to the glory
which is to be revealed to us.
Creation itself also eagerly awaits
the revelation of God’s children.
For it is subject to a futile existence,
not of its own will,
but by the will of Him
who subjected it to this.
Yet it is not without hope,
for creation itself will be set free
from the bondage of decay
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
For we know, after all,
that the whole of creation groans and suffers the pangs of childbirth,
without ceasing.
And not only that,
but we ourselves,
who have already received the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we too groan over our own condition,
whilst we still await the redemption of our bodies.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia.
The seed is the word of God,
but the sower is Christ.
Whoever receives this word,
shall live for ever.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mt. 13:1–23 or 1–9
A sower went out to sow.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
One day, Jesus left his house
and went to sit by the shore of the lake.
Then a crowd so large gathered round Him
that He had to get into a boat to sit there,
whilst the whole crowd remained standing along the shore.
He spoke to them about many things in parables.
‘Once,’ He began, ‘a sower went out to sow.
‘As he was sowing, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it.
“Another part fell on rocky ground,
where there was not much soil;
it sprang up quickly because it was in shallow soil.
“When the sun had risen,
it was scorched by the heat,
so that it withered for lack of roots.
“Yet another part fell amongst the thistles, and they grew up,
so that it was choked.
“Finally, some seed fell on good soil
and bore fruit:
some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
“Whoever has ears, let them listen.”
His disciples came to Him and asked:
“Why do You speak to them in parables?”
He replied:
“It has been given to you
to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven,
but to them it has not been given.
“To those who have,
more will be given,
and in abundance;
but from those who have not,
even what they have will be taken away.
“When I speak to them in parables,
it is because,
though they have eyes, they do not see;
and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand.
“Thus the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in them, which reads:
‘You will listen with your ears and yet not understand,
you will look with your eyes and yet not see.’
“For the heart of this people has grown callous;
they listen poorly with their ears,
and they close their eyes,
for fear that they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
turn back, and I might heal them.
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear!
“For truly I tell you:
Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they did not see it;
and to hear what you hear, but they did not hear it.
“You, then, listen to the parable of the sower:
Whenever anyone hears the word of the Kingdom well,
but does not understand it,
the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart;
that is the one sown along the path.
“The one sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word
and immediately receives it with joy:
But he has no root; he lives for the moment,
and when he is oppressed or persecuted for the word’s sake,
he immediately falls away.
“The seed sown amongst thistles is the one who does hear the word,
but it is choked by the cares of the world
and the allure of wealth,
and so it bears no fruit.
“But the seed sown on good soil,
is the one who hears and understands the Word,
and therefore bears fruit;
in one case the yield is a hundredfold,
in another sixtyfold, and in another thirtyfold.”
________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care for Our Common Home
174. We also refer to the system of ocean governance.
For, although there have been various international and regional conventions,
fragmentation and the absence of strict
regulatory, monitoring and sanctioning systems ultimately undermine all efforts.
The growing problem of marine litter and the protection of the sea continue to pose a particular challenge. Ultimately, we need an agreement on regulations concerning the
management of the whole range of so-called global common goods.
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
_____________________________________________________________________________