Today, May 31
Feast of the Day
No feast of the day
Saint of the Day
This feast, which commemorates the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, has been celebrated in the Roman liturgy since the 8th century. Found in Luke's Gospel, this event is one of rejoicing in the wonders God has done, as both the barren Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary find themselves with child. Each woman experiences an outpouring of the Holy Spirit: Elizabeth's response is to declare Mary and her child blessed; and Mary's response is the hymn of praise, the Magnificat.©2011 Living with Christ, Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/. Reprinted with permission.
Readings of the Day
Book of Exodus 34,4b-6.8-9.
Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets. Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD." Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."
Book of Daniel 3,52.53.54.55.56.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim; praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.
Second Letter to the Corinthians 13,11-13.
Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3,16-18.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Daily Reflection
There is one God, without principle, without cause, who cannot be limited either by someone prior to him, nor by a being who comes later. He is enveloped in eternity, infinite, very great Father of an only Son, good and great, whom he generates without undergoing anything carnal since he is spirit. God unique and other, but not other in his divinity, such is the Word of God. He is the imprint of the Father, the only Son of him who is without principle, the unique of the unique and his equal. While he remains the entire Father, he, the Son, is the author and master of the world, the force and thought of the Father. (…) Let us tremble before the greatness of the Spirit who is also God and through whom I have known God. He is clearly God and he gives birth to God here on earth. He is all-powerful, distributes various gifts, inspires the songs of the choir of the blessed; he gives life to celestial and terrestrial beings, sits on high, comes from the Father; he is the divine force, acts of his own movement, is not a Son because the excellent Father has only one Son full of goodness – but he is not outside the invisible divinity and he has equal glory.