RELIGION AND ART

WEDNESDAY 1ST WEEK OF ADVENT YEAR A Reading Romans 10:9-18 Faith comes from what is preached,  and what is preached comes from the word of Christ If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says:  those who believe in him will have no cause for shame,  it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help,  for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Universalis Gospel Matthew 4:10-22 'I will make you fishers of men' As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they lef...

TUESDAY WEEK I IN ADVENT YEAR A Reading  Isaiah 11:1-10  A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (The fear of the Lord is his breath.) He does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on hearsay, but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land. His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked.... Universalis Gospel Luke 10:21-24  No-one knows who the Son is except the Father Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:   ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me ...

MONDAY WEEK 1 OF ADVENT Reading Isaiah 4:2-6  The fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of Israel's survivors That day, the branch of the Lord shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors. Those who are left of Zion and remain of Jerusalem  shall be called holy and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival. Universalis Gospel Matthew 8:5-11 'I am not worthy to have you under my roof: give the word, and my servant will be healed' When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: D...

1ER DIMANCH DE L'AVENT Lecture du livre du prophète Isaïe 2, 1-5 Le Seigneur rassemble toutes les nations dans la paix éternelle du royaume de Dieu  Parole d’Isaïe, – ce qu’il a vu au sujet de Juda et de Jérusalem. Il arrivera dans les derniers jours que la montagne de la maison du Seigneur se tiendra plus haut que les monts, s’élèvera au-dessus des collines. Vers elle afflueront toutes les nations et viendront des peuples nombreux. Ils diront : « Venez ! montons à la montagne du Seigneur, à la maison du Dieu de Jacob ! Qu’il nous enseigne ses chemins, et nous irons par ses sentiers. » Oui, la loi sortira de Sion, et de Jérusalem, la parole du Seigneur.   Il sera juge entre les nations et l’arbitre de peuples nombreux. De leurs épées, ils forgeront des socs, et de leurs lances, des faucilles. Jamais nation contre nation ne lèvera l’épée ; ils n’apprendront plus la guerre. Venez, maison de Jacob ! Marchons à la lumière du Seigneur. PEE Seconde lecture de la lettre de sain...

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A First Reading Isaiah 2:1-5 The Lord gathers all nations together into the eternal peace of God's kingdom The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In the days to come the mountain of the Temple of the Lord shall tower above the mountains and be lifted higher than the hills. All the nations will stream to it, peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:  Universalis   ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob   that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths; since the Law will go out from Zion, and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ He will wield authority over the nations and adjudicate between many peoples; these will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles.  Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war. O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the lig...

SATURDAY WEEK 34 IN ORDINARY TIME Reading Apocalypse 22:1-7 The Lord God will shine on them; it will never be night again The angel showed me, John, the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans. Readings from Universalis The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign for ever and ever.  The angel said to me, ‘All that you have written is sure and will come true: the Lord God who gives the spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his se...

THURSDAY WEEK 34 IN ORDINARY TIME  Reading  Apocalypse 18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9  Babylon the Great has fallen I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven, with great authority given to him; the earth was lit up with his glory. At the top of his voice he shouted, ‘Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, and has become the haunt of devils and a lodging for every foul spirit and dirty, loathsome bird.’ Then a powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone, and as he hurled it into the sea, he said, ‘That is how the great city of Babylon is going to be hurled down, never to be seen again.  Readings from Universalis Gospel Luke 2:20-28 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it...

WEDNESDAY WEEK 34 IN ORDINARY TIME  Reading Apocalypse 15:1-4  The victors sang the hymn of Moses and of the Lamb What I, John, saw in heaven was a great and wonderful sign: seven angels were bringing the seven plagues that are the last of all, because they exhaust the anger of God. I seemed to see a glass lake suffused with fire, and standing by the lake of glass, those who had fought against the beast and won, and against his statue and the number which is his name. They all had harps from God, and they were singing the hymn of Moses, the servant of God, and of the Lamb: Readings from Universalis Gospel Luke 21:12-19  Your endurance will win you your lives Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, beca...

TUESDAY WEEK 34 IN ORDINARY TIME Readings  Apocalypse 14:14-19  The harvest and the vintage of the earth are ripe In my vision I, John, saw a white cloud and, sitting on it, one like a son of man with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the sanctuary, and shouted aloud to the one sitting on the cloud, ‘Put your sickle in and reap: harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ Then the one sitting on the cloud set his sickle to work on the earth, and the earth’s harvest was reaped. Universalis Gospel Luke 21:5-11 The destruction of the Temple foretold When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what s...

Monday Week 34 in Ordinary Time  Reading  Zechariah 2:14-17  'I am coming', says the Lord Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you.  But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land,  and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord!  For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling.   Readings Gospel Mathew 12:46-50 My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples h...

CHRIST THE KING OF UNIVERSE First Reading  2 Samuel 5:1-3  They anointed David king of Israel All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron. ‘Look’ they said ‘we are your own flesh and blood. In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel in all their exploits; and the Lord said to you, “You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord, and they anointed David king of Israel. Universalis Second Reading  Colossians 1:12-20 The Father has created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves We give thanks to the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light. My Catholic Life Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he love...

SATURDAY WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME: Universalis Gospel Luke 20:27-40   In God all men are alive   Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’ My Catholic Life Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and bein...

FRIDAY WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME universalis Readings  Apocalypse 10:8-11 I was told to swallow the scroll, and to prophesy  I, John, heard the voice I had heard from heaven speaking to me again. ‘Go,’ it said ‘and take that open scroll out of the hand of the angel standing on sea and land.’ I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll, and he said, ‘Take it and eat it; it will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.’ So I took it out of the angel’s hand, and swallowed it; it was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, ‘You are to prophesy again, this time about many different nations and countries and languages and emperors.’ my catholic life Gospel Luke 19:45-48 You have turned God's house into a robbers' den Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned...

THURSDAY WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME Reading  Apocalypse 5:1-10  The blood of the Lamb bought men for God I, John, saw that in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne there was a scroll that had writing on back and front and was sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a powerful angel who called with a loud voice, ‘Is there anyone worthy to open the scroll and break the seals of it?’ But there was no one, in heaven or on the earth or under the earth, who was able to open the scroll and read it. I wept bitterly because there was nobody fit to open the scroll and read it, but one of the elders said to me, ‘There is no need to cry: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it.’ Reading s from Universalis  My Catholic Life Gospel Luke 19:41-44  Jesus sheds tears over the coming fate of Jerusalem As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in ...

WEDNESDAY WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME READING     Apocalypse 4:1-11  He was, he is, and he is to come In my vision, I, John, saw a door open in heaven and heard the same voice speaking to me, the voice like a trumpet, saying, ‘Come up here: I will show you what is to come in the future.’ With that, the Spirit possessed me and I saw a throne standing in heaven, and the One who was sitting on the throne, and the Person sitting there looked like a diamond and a ruby. There was a rainbow encircling the throne, and this looked like an emerald. Round the throne in a circle were twenty-four thrones, and on them I saw twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white robes with golden crowns on their heads.... GOSPEL Luke 19:11-28  The parable of the talents While the people were listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they imagined that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. Accordingly he said, ‘A man of noble birth went t...

TUESDAY WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME Reading  Apocalypse 3:1-6,14-22   If one of you hears me calling, I will come in to share his meal I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: ‘Write to the angel of the church in Sardis and say, “Here is the message of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know all about you: how you are reputed to be alive and yet are dead. Wake up; revive what little you have left: it is dying fast. So far I have failed to notice anything in the way you live that my God could possibly call perfect, and yet do you remember how eager you were when you first heard the message? Hold on to that. Repent. If you do not wake up, I shall come to you like a thief, without telling you at what hour to expect me. There are a few in Sardis, it is true, who have kept their robes from being dirtied, and they are fit to come with me, dressed in white. Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot their names ou...

33RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Readings  Malachi 3:19-20  For you the sun of righteousness will shine out The day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays. Second Reading  2 Thessalonians 3:7-12  Do not let anyone have food if he refuses to work You know how you are supposed to imitate us: now we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we ever have our meals at anyone’s table without paying for them; no, we worked night and day, slaving and straining, so as not to be a burden on any of you. This was not because we had no right to be, but in order to make ourselves an example for you to follow..... Gospel Luke 21:5-19 The destruction of the Temple foretold When some were talking about the Temple, remarkin...

SATURDAY WEEK 32 IN ORDINARY TIME Reading 3 John 5-8 It is our duty to welcome missionaries and contribute our share to their work My friend, you have done faithful work in looking after these brothers, even though they were complete strangers to you. They are a proof to the whole Church of your charity and it would be a very good thing if you could help them on their journey in a way that God would approve. It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the pagans for anything; it is our duty to welcome men of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth. Reflection Gospel Luke 18:1-8 The parable of the unjust judge Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time h...

THURSDAY WEEK 32 ORDINARY TIME Reading 2 John 4-9 The commandment which you have heard since the beginning is to live a life of love It has given me great joy to find that your children have been living the life of truth as we were commanded by the Father. I am writing now, dear lady, not to give you any new commandment, but the one which we were given at the beginning, and to plead: let us love one another.   To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love.   There are many deceivers about in the world, refusing to admit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They are the Deceiver; they are the Antichrist. Watch yourselves, or all our work will be lost and not get the reward it deserves. If anybody does not keep within the teaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he cannot have God with him: only those who keep to what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them....

THURSDAY WEEK 32 IN ORDINARY TIME Luke 17:20-25 The kingdom of God is among you Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’  Readings   Reflection He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or, “Look here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of Man when his day comes. But first he must suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.’ God my Father, so often I question your ways. I fail to trust in you. I believe things should be done in my own ways, if not they are fruitless. Forgive me Father for my lack of trust in your goodness, and supr...