Today's Gospel 18 September 2020 with the words of Pope Francis

READING OF THE DAY
From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corìnzi
1Cor 15,12-20

Brothers, if it is announced that Christ has risen from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, neither is Christ risen! But if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, your faith too. We then turn out to be false witnesses of God, because against God we testified that he raised Christ while in fact he did not raise him, if it is true that the dead do not rise. In fact, if the dead are not raised, neither is Christ raised; but if Christ is not risen, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. Therefore those who died in Christ are also lost. If we have had hope in Christ only for this life, we are to be pitied more than all men. Now, however, Christ has risen from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lc 8,1-3

At that time, Jesus was going through towns and villages, preaching and announcing the good news of God's kingdom. There were with him the Twelve and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from which seven demons had come out; Giovanna, wife of Cuza, administrator of Herod; Susanna and many others, who served them with their goods.

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
With the coming of Jesus, the light of the world, God the Father showed humanity his closeness and friendship. They are given to us freely beyond our merits. The closeness of God and the friendship of God are not our merit: they are a free gift, given by God. We must guard this gift. Many times it is impossible to change one's life, to abandon the path of selfishness, of evil, to abandon the path of sin because the commitment of conversion is centered only on oneself and one's own strength, and not on Christ and his Spirit. It is this - the Word of Jesus, the Good News of Jesus, the Gospel - that changes the world and hearts! We are therefore called to trust in the word of Christ, to open ourselves to the Father's mercy and allow ourselves to be transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. (Angelus, January 26, 2020)