First Reading

The Song of Songs (Sgs 3: 1-4b)

I found him whom my heart loves.

The Bride says:

On my bed at night I sought him
whom my heart loves –
I sought him but I did not find him.
I will rise then and go about the city;
in the streets and crossings I will seek
Him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but I did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me,
as they made their rounds of the city:

Have you seen him whom my heart loves?

I had hardly left them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

— The wprd of the Lord.

First Reading

Second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 5: 14-17)

We no longer understand Christ in a merely human way.

Brothers and sisters:
The love of Christ impels us,
once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;
therefore, all have died.
He indeed died for all,
so that those who live might no longer live for themselves
but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;
even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,
yet now we know him so no longer.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.

— The wprd of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.

You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John (Jn 20: 1-2, 11-18)

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,

“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her,

“Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them,

“They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her,

“Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”

She thought it was the gardener and said to him,

“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”

Jesus said to her,

“Mary!”

She turned and said to him in Hebrew,

“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.

Jesus said to her,

“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,

‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,

“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

First Reading

The Book of Jeremiah (Jer 23: 1-6)

I will gather the remnant of my flock. I will appoint shepherds for them.

Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,
says the LORD.
Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
against the shepherds who shepherd my people:
You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.
You have not cared for them,
but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
from all the lands to which I have driven them
and bring them back to their meadow;
there they shall increase and multiply.
I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them
so that they need no longer fear and tremble;
and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
as king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:

“The LORD our justice.”

— The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 23: 1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

Second Reading

Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Eph 2: 13-18)

Christ is our peace, he who made both one.

Brothers and sisters:
In Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

— The word of the Lord.

Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark (Mk 6: 30-34)

They were like sheep without a shepherd.

The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

— The Gospel of the Lord.

God often deals with difficult, hard to convince and anxious people, and Moses is one of them. At the time he was called, he was a person who had failed in what he had done and Moses fled, which is why he ended up in Midian. Catechesis on Moses with Fr Bertrand Ratovoalinirina.

July 15, 2024 — Monday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time — Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven — Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 10: 34 — 11: 1)

The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth

At the end of its second General Assembly, held from 15 to 18 October 2024, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace sent a message to government officials at all levels, as well as to all Malagasy and all people of goodwill.

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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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