First Reading

Book of Jeremiah (Jer 18: 18-20)

Come, let us strike him.

The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,

“Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word.”

Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them.

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm (Ps 31: 5-6. 14. 15-16)

Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.

You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.

But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.

Gospel

Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of lif.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 20: 17-28)

They will condemn him to death.

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.

He said to her,

“What do you wish?”

She answered him,

“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”

Jesus said in reply,

“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

They said to him,

“We can.”

He replied,

“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.

But Jesus summoned them and said,

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

— The Gospel of the Lord.

Diocese of Miarinarivo

Pope Francis has accepted the renunciation of the pastoral government of the Diocese of Miarinarivo, presented by H.E. Mgr Jean Claude Randrianarisoa. At the same time, the Supreme Pontiff has appointed H.E. Mgr Marie Fabien Raharilamboniaina, as Apostolic Admnistrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the same Diocese.

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Love and Salvation

Christmas is a great joy, because it is the love of God that has come to us, proclaims Fr. Bizimana Innocent, Provincial Superior of the Salesians Don Bosco of Madagascar and Mauritius, presenting his Christmas greetings. Salvation is accomplished, so life is not in danger of disappearing. It is this love and this salvation that we wish to fill our life so that we have peace.

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Zatti, our brother

The short film "Zatti, our brother" (Argentina, 2020) focuses on one of the most difficult episodes of his life. We are in Viedma, in 1941: at the age of 60, Zatti is forced to leave the hospital he has attended for decades. His faith and strength are tested.

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