Daily Bible Readings for Sunday July 31, 2011

Reading 1, Is 55:1-3

1 Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money, free!

2 Why spend money on what cannot nourish and your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy.

3 Pay attention, come to me; listen, and you will live. I shall make an everlasting covenant with you in fulfilment of the favours promised to David.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18

8 Yahweh is tenderness and pity, slow to anger, full of faithful love.

9 Yahweh is generous to all, his tenderness embraces all his creatures.

15 All look to you in hope and you feed them with the food of the season.

16 And, with generous hand, you satisfy the desires of every living creature.

17 Upright in all that he does, Yahweh acts only in faithful love.

18 He is close to all who call upon him, all who call on him from the heart.

Gospel, Mt 14:13-21

13 When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the crowds heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on foot.

14 So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and healed their sick.

15 When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and time has slipped by; so send the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food.'

16 Jesus replied, 'There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.'

17 But they answered, 'All we have with us is five loaves and two fish.'

18 So he said, 'Bring them here to me.'

19 He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples, who gave them to the crowds.

20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected the scraps left over, twelve baskets full.

21 Now about five thousand men had eaten, to say nothing of women and children.

Reading 2, Rom 8:35, 37-39

35 Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ -- can hardships or distress, or persecution, or lack of food and clothing, or threats or violence;

37 No; we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us.

38 For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power,

39 nor the heights nor the depths, nor any created thing whatever, will be able to come between us and the love of God, known to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday July 26, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28

7 Moses used to take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult Yahweh would go out to the Tent of Meeting, outside the camp.

8 Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, the people would all stand up and every man would stand at the door of his tent and watch Moses until he went into the Tent.

9 And whenever Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and station itself at the entrance to the Tent, while Yahweh spoke with Moses.

10 The people could all see the pillar of cloud stationed at the entrance to the Tent and the people would all stand up and bow low, each at the door of his tent.

11 Yahweh would talk to Moses face to face, as a man talks to his friend, and afterwards he would come back to the camp, but the young man who was his servant, Joshua son of Nun, never left the inside of the Tent.

5 And Yahweh descended in a cloud and stood with him there and pronounced the name Yahweh.

6 Then Yahweh passed before him and called out, 'Yahweh, Yahweh, God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and constancy,

7 maintaining his faithful love to thousands, forgiving fault, crime and sin, yet letting nothing go unchecked, and punishing the parent's fault in the children and in the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation!'

8 Moses immediately bowed to the ground in worship,

9 then he said, 'If indeed I do enjoy your favour, please, my Lord, come with us, although they are an obstinate people; and forgive our faults and sins, and adopt us as your heritage.'

28 He stayed there with Yahweh for forty days and forty nights, eating and drinking nothing, and on the tablets he wrote the words of the covenant -- the Ten Words.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 132:11, 13-14, 17-18

11 Yahweh has sworn to David, and will always remain true to his word, 'I promise that I will set a son of yours upon your throne.

13 For Yahweh has chosen Zion, he has desired it as a home.

14 'Here shall I rest for evermore, here shall I make my home as I have wished.

17 'There I shall raise up a line of descendants for David, light a lamp for my anointed;

18 I shall clothe his enemies with shame, while his own crown shall flourish.'

Reading 2, Mt 13:36-43

36 Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable about the darnel in the field.'

37 He said in reply, 'The sower of the good seed is the Son of man.

38 The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the Evil One;

39 the enemy who sowed it, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels.

40 Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time.

41 The Son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of falling and all who do evil,

42 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

43 Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Anyone who has ears should listen!

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday July 21, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b

1 Three months to the day after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the desert of Sinai.

2 Setting out from Rephidim, they reached the desert of Sinai and pitched camp in the desert; there, facing the mountain, Israel pitched camp.

9 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I shall come to you in a dense cloud so that the people will hear when I speak to you and believe you ever after.' Moses then told Yahweh what the people had said.

10 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go to the people and tell them to sanctify themselves today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes

11 and be ready for the day after tomorrow; for the day after tomorrow, in the sight of all the people, Yahweh will descend on Mount Sinai.

16 Now at daybreak two days later, there were peals of thunder and flashes of lightning, dense cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast; and, in the camp, all the people trembled.

17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the bottom of the mountain.

18 Mount Sinai was entirely wrapped in smoke, because Yahweh had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke rose like smoke from a furnace and the whole mountain shook violently.

19 Louder and louder grew the trumpeting. Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder.

20 Yahweh descended on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain; and Moses went up.

Responsorial Psalm, Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

52 May you be blessed, Lord, God of our ancestors, be praised and extolled for ever. Blessed be your glorious and holy name, praised and extolled for ever.

53 May you be blessed in the Temple of your sacred glory, exalted and glorified above all for ever:

54 blessed on the throne of your kingdom, exalted above all, glorified for ever:

55 blessed are you who fathom the abyss, enthroned on the winged creatures, praised and exalted above all for ever:

56 blessed in the expanse of the heavens, exalted and glorified for ever.

Gospel, Mt 13:10-17

10 Then the disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you talk to them in parables?'

11 In answer, he said, 'Because to you is granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not granted.

12 Anyone who has will be given more and will have more than enough; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has.

13 The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.

14 So in their case what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah is being fulfilled: Listen and listen, but never understand! Look and look, but never perceive!

15 This people's heart has grown coarse, their ears dulled, they have shut their eyes tight to avoid using their eyes to see, their ears to hear, their heart to understand, changing their ways and being healed by me.

16 'But blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear!

17 In truth I tell you, many prophets and upright people longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday July 20, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 16:1-5, 9-15

1 Setting out from Elim, the whole community of Israelites entered the desert of Sin, lying between Elim and Sinai -- on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt.

2 And the whole community of Israelites began complaining about Moses and Aaron in the desert

3 and said to them, 'Why did we not die at Yahweh's hand in Egypt, where we used to sit round the flesh pots and could eat to our heart's content! As it is, you have led us into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!'

4 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I shall rain down bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people must go out and collect their ration for the day; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not.

5 On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they have brought in, this must be twice as much as they collect on ordinary days.'

9 Moses then said to Aaron, 'Say to the whole community of Israelites, "Approach Yahweh's presence, for he has heard your complaints." '

10 As Aaron was speaking to the whole community of Israelites, they turned towards the desert, and there the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud.

11 Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said,

12 'I have heard the Israelites' complaints. Speak to them as follows, "At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have bread to your heart's content, and then you will know that I am Yahweh your God." '

13 That evening, quails flew in and covered the camp, and next morning there was a layer of dew all round the camp.

14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was something fine and granular, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.

15 As soon as the Israelites saw this, they said to one another, 'What is that ?' not knowing what it was. 'That', Moses told them, 'is the food which Yahweh has given you to eat.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28

18 they deliberately challenged God by demanding food to their hearts' content.

19 They insulted God by saying, 'Can God make a banquet in the desert?

23 Even so he gave orders to the skies above, he opened the sluice-gates of heaven;

24 he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;

25 mere mortals ate the bread of the Mighty, he sent them as much food as they could want.

26 He roused an east wind in the heavens, despatched a south wind by his strength;

27 he rained down meat on them like dust, birds thick as sand on the seashore,

28 tumbling into the middle of his camp, all around his dwelling-place.

Gospel, Mt 13:1-9

1 That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside,

2 but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the shore,

3 and he told them many things in parables. He said, 'Listen, a sower went out to sow.

4 As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up.

5 Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once, because there was no depth of earth;

6 but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away.

7 Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

8 Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

9 Anyone who has ears should listen!' 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday July 19, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 14:21-15:1

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh drove the sea back with a strong easterly wind all night and made the sea into dry land. The waters were divided

22 and the Israelites went on dry ground right through the sea, with walls of water to right and left of them.

23 The Egyptians gave chase, and all Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea after them.

24 In the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the Egyptian army into confusion.

25 He so clogged their chariot wheels that they drove on only with difficulty, which made the Egyptians say, 'Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting on their side against the Egyptians!'

26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea and let the waters flow back on the Egyptians and on their chariots and their horsemen.'

27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians ran straight into it, and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.

28 The returning waters washed right over the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh's entire army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left.

29 The Israelites, however, had marched through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water to right and left of them.

30 That day, Yahweh rescued Israel from the clutches of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the sea-shore.

31 When Israel saw the mighty deed that Yahweh had performed against the Egyptians, the people revered Yahweh and put their faith in Yahweh and in Moses, his servant.

1 It was then that Moses and the Israelites sang this song in Yahweh's honour: I shall sing to Yahweh, for he has covered himself in glory, horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

Responsorial Psalm, Exodus 15:8-9, 10, 12, 17

8 A blast from your nostrils and the waters piled high; the waves stood firm as a dyke; the bed of the sea became firm ground.

9 The enemy said, 'I shall give chase and overtake, 'I shall share out the spoil and glut myself on them, 'I shall draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.'

10 You blew with your breath, the sea closed over them; they sank like lead in the terrible waters.

12 You stretched your right hand out, the earth swallowed them!

17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain which is your heritage, the place which you, Yahweh, have made your dwelling, the sanctuary, Yahweh, prepared by your own hands.

Gospel, Mt 12:46-50

46 He was still speaking to the crowds when suddenly his mother and his brothers were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him.

47

48 But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, 'Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?'

49 And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers.

50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.' 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday July 19, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 14:21-15:1

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh drove the sea back with a strong easterly wind all night and made the sea into dry land. The waters were divided

22 and the Israelites went on dry ground right through the sea, with walls of water to right and left of them.

23 The Egyptians gave chase, and all Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea after them.

24 In the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the Egyptian army into confusion.

25 He so clogged their chariot wheels that they drove on only with difficulty, which made the Egyptians say, 'Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting on their side against the Egyptians!'

26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea and let the waters flow back on the Egyptians and on their chariots and their horsemen.'

27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians ran straight into it, and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.

28 The returning waters washed right over the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh's entire army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left.

29 The Israelites, however, had marched through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water to right and left of them.

30 That day, Yahweh rescued Israel from the clutches of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the sea-shore.

31 When Israel saw the mighty deed that Yahweh had performed against the Egyptians, the people revered Yahweh and put their faith in Yahweh and in Moses, his servant.

1 It was then that Moses and the Israelites sang this song in Yahweh's honour: I shall sing to Yahweh, for he has covered himself in glory, horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

Responsorial Psalm, Exodus 15:8-9, 10, 12, 17

8 A blast from your nostrils and the waters piled high; the waves stood firm as a dyke; the bed of the sea became firm ground.

9 The enemy said, 'I shall give chase and overtake, 'I shall share out the spoil and glut myself on them, 'I shall draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.'

10 You blew with your breath, the sea closed over them; they sank like lead in the terrible waters.

12 You stretched your right hand out, the earth swallowed them!

17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain which is your heritage, the place which you, Yahweh, have made your dwelling, the sanctuary, Yahweh, prepared by your own hands.

Gospel, Mt 12:46-50

46 He was still speaking to the crowds when suddenly his mother and his brothers were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him.

47 still speaking to the crowds when suddenly his mother and his brothers were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him.

48 But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, 'Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?'

49 And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers.

50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday July 17, 2011

Reading 1, Wis 12:13, 16-19

13 For there is no god, other than you, who cares for every one, to whom you have to prove that your sentences have been just.

16 Thus he makes sure that it will not fall down -- being well aware that it cannot help itself, since it is only an image, and needs to be helped.

17 And yet, if he wishes to pray for his goods, for his marriage, for his children, he does not blush to harangue this lifeless thing -- for health, he invokes what is weak,

18 for life, he pleads with what is dead, for help, he goes begging to total inexperience, for a journey, what cannot even use its feet,

19 for profit, an undertaking, and success in pursuing his craft, he asks skill from something whose hands have no skill whatever.

13 For there is no god, other than you, who cares for every one, to whom you have to prove that your sentences have been just.

16 Thus he makes sure that it will not fall down -- being well aware that it cannot help itself, since it is only an image, and needs to be helped.

17 And yet, if he wishes to pray for his goods, for his marriage, for his children, he does not blush to harangue this lifeless thing -- for health, he invokes what is weak,

18 for life, he pleads with what is dead, for help, he goes begging to total inexperience, for a journey, what cannot even use its feet,

19 for profit, an undertaking, and success in pursuing his craft, he asks skill from something whose hands have no skill whatever.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16

5 Lord, you are kind and forgiving, rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.

6 Yahweh, hear my prayer, listen to the sound of my pleading.

9 All nations will come and adore you, Lord, and give glory to your name.

10 For you are great and do marvellous deeds, you, God, and none other.

15 But you, Lord, God of tenderness and mercy, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and loyalty,

16 turn to me and pity me. Give to your servant your strength, to the child of your servant your saving help,

Gospel, Mt 13:24-43

24 He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.

26 When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared as well.

27 The owner's labourers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?"

28 He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the labourers said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?"

29 But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it.

30 Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." '

31 He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.

32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air can come and shelter in its branches.'

33 He told them another parable, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.'

34 In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables.

35 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: I will speak to you in parables, unfold what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.

36 Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable about the darnel in the field.'

37 He said in reply, 'The sower of the good seed is the Son of man.

38 The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the Evil One;

39 the enemy who sowed it, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels.

40 Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time.

41 The Son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of falling and all who do evil,

42 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

43 Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Anyone who has ears should listen!

Reading 2, Rom 8:26-27

26 And as well as this, the Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness, for, when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit personally makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words;

27 and he who can see into all hearts knows what the Spirit means because the prayers that the Spirit makes for God's holy people are always in accordance with the mind of God.

Daily Bible Readings for Friday July 15, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 11:10-12:14

10 Moses and Aaron worked all these wonders in Pharaoh's presence, but Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn, and he did not let the Israelites leave his country.

1 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,

2 'This month must be the first of all the months for you, the first month of your year.

3 Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, "On the tenth day of this month each man must take an animal from the flock for his family: one animal for each household.

4 If the household is too small for the animal, he must join with his neighbour nearest to his house, depending on the number of persons. When you choose the animal, you will take into account what each can eat.

5 It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may choose it either from the sheep or from the goats.

6 You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter it at twilight.

7 Some of the blood must then be taken and put on both door-posts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten.

8 That night, the flesh must be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with the head, feet and entrails.

10 You must not leave any of it over till the morning: whatever is left till morning you must burn.

11 This is how you must eat it: with a belt round your waist, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You must eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover in Yahweh's honour.

12 That night, I shall go through Egypt and strike down all the first-born in Egypt, man and beast alike, and shall execute justice on all the gods of Egypt, I, Yahweh!

13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood I shall pass over you, and you will escape the destructive plague when I strike Egypt.

14 This day must be commemorated by you, and you must keep it as a feast in Yahweh's honour. You must keep it as a feast-day for all generations; this is a decree for all t

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

12 What return can I make to Yahweh for his generosity to me?

13 I shall take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh.

15 Costly in Yahweh's sight is the death of his faithful.

16 I beg you, Yahweh! I am your servant, I am your servant and my mother was your servant; you have undone my fetters.

17 I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of Yahweh.

18 I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh, witnessed by all his people,

Gospel, Mt 12:1-8

1 At that time Jesus went through the cornfields one Sabbath day. His disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them.

2 The Pharisees noticed it and said to him, 'Look, your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the Sabbath.'

3 But he said to them, 'Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry-

4 how he went into the house of God and they ate the loaves of the offering although neither he nor his followers were permitted to eat them, but only the priests?

5 Or again, have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath day the Temple priests break the Sabbath without committing any fault?

6 Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple.

7 And if you had understood the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless.

8 For the Son of man is master of the Sabbath.' 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday July 12, 2011

Reading 1, Ex 2:1-15a

1 There was a man descended from Levi who had taken a woman of Levi as his wife.

2 She conceived and gave birth to a son and, seeing what a fine child he was, she kept him hidden for three months.

3 When she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him; coating it with bitumen and pitch, she put the child inside and laid it among the reeds at the River's edge.

4 His sister took up position some distance away to see what would happen to him.

5 Now Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe in the river, while her maids walked along the riverside. Among the reeds she noticed the basket, and she sent her maid to fetch it.

6 She opened it and saw the child: the baby was crying. Feeling sorry for it, she said, 'This is one of the little Hebrews.'

7 The child's sister then said to Pharaoh's daughter, 'Shall I go and find you a nurse among the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?'

8 'Yes,' said Pharaoh's daughter, and the girl went and called the child's own mother.

9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Take this child away and nurse it for me. I shall pay you myself for doing so.' So the woman took the child away and nursed it.

10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter who treated him like a son; she named him Moses 'because', she said, 'I drew him out of the water.'

11 It happened one day, when Moses was grown up, that he went to see his kinsmen. While he was watching their forced labour he also saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.

12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one in sight, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

13 On the following day he came back, and there were two Hebrews, fighting. He said to the man who was in the wrong, 'What do you mean by hitting your kinsman?'

14 'And who appointed you', the man retorted, 'to be prince over us and judge? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?' Moses was frightened. 'Clearly that business has come to light,' he thought.

15 When Pharaoh heard of the matter, he tried to put Moses to death, but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He went into Midianite territory and sat down beside a well.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

3 I am exhausted with calling out, my throat is hoarse, my eyes are worn out with searching for my God.

14 Rescue me from the mire before I sink in; so I shall be saved from those who hate me, from the watery depths.

30 I will praise God's name in song, I will extol him by thanksgiving,

31 for this will please Yahweh more than an ox, than a bullock horned and hoofed.

33 For God listens to the poor, he has never scorned his captive people.

34 Let heaven and earth and seas, and all that stirs in them, acclaim him!

Gospel, Mt 11:20-24

20 Then he began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent.

21 'Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22 Still, I tell you that it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on Judgement Day than for you.

23 And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be raised as high as heaven? You shall be flung down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet.

24 Still, I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on Judgement Day than for you.' 

Vatican each day offers positive review of final Harry Potter film

The Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano has entered the moral discussion nearby the controversial message of the Harry Potter films. The newspaper has accessible a positive review of the saga’s last installment, which will open worldwide this weekend.

The new film is the last in the series of movies based on the seven-volume fantasy novel written by J.K. Rowling.

L’Osservatore Romano reporter Gaetano Vallini writes in his piece, “The finale is epic, with a battle worthy of this saga of unrivaled planetary success. The decisive meeting between the forces of good and evil is truly the final one, played out in an atmosphere that is roughly too dark.”

“Fans of the saga already know everything: for them, the challenge is to contrast how faithful the film is to the book. So far, they haven’t complained and we consider they will not have reason to with this film either."

Nevertheless, Vallini warns, “The atmosphere of the last few episodes which had become ever more dark and ominous, reaches its pinnacle in this last film with Hogwarts abridged to smoldering rubble. This may not sit well with all moviegoers, as occurred with the previous film, and might make the youngest among the audience uneasy.

God always respects our freedom, says Pope

God always respects human freedom and never compels anybody into a connection with him. That was the message of Pope Benedict XVI in his midday Angelus address July 10.

“God does not force us to consider in Him, but draws us to Himself throughout the truth and goodness of his incarnate Son. Love, in fact, always respects freedom,” Pope Benedict said from the balcony of his summer house at Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles southeast of Rome.

The Pope based his end upon the story told by Jesus in today’s Gospel reading: the parable of the sower who plants seed with different degrees of success.

He said that for Jesus the allegory was “autobiographical” because “it reflects the experience of Jesus himself and of his preaching” as “different effects are achieved depending on the kind of reception given to the announcement.”

Pope Benedict then attempted to answer the question consequently raised by the apostles: why does Jesus speak in parables?

The Pope said that Jesus makes a dissimilarity between the general crowd and the apostles.

“To those who have already determined for him, he can speak openly of the Kingdom of God” while to others he must speak in metaphor “to kindle precisely the decision, the conversion of heart” needed. Jesus' parables “require effort to interpret, challenging one’s aptitude but also one’s freedom.”

“After all,” said the Pope, “the real ‘Parable’ of God is Jesus himself, his person, under the form of his humanity, hiding and yet enlightening the same deity.” In this way “God does not strength us to believe in Him, but draws us to himself through the truth and goodness of his incarnate Son.”

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday July 10, 2011

Reading 1, Is 55:10-11

10 For, as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat,

11 so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14

10 you water its furrows abundantly, level its ridges, soften it with showers and bless its shoots.

11 You crown the year with your generosity, richness seeps from your tracks,

12 the pastures of the desert grow moist, the hillsides are wrapped in joy,

13 the meadows are covered with flocks, the valleys clothed with wheat; they shout and sing for joy.

Gospel, Mt 13:1-23

1 That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside,

2 but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the shore,

3 and he told them many things in parables. He said, 'Listen, a sower went out to sow.

4 As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up.

5 Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once, because there was no depth of earth;

6 but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away.

7 Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

8 Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

9 Anyone who has ears should listen!'

10 Then the disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you talk to them in parables?'

11 In answer, he said, 'Because to you is granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not granted.

12 Anyone who has will be given more and will have more than enough; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has.

13 The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.

14 So in their case what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah is being fulfilled: Listen and listen, but never understand! Look and look, but never perceive!

15 This people's heart has grown coarse, their ears dulled, they have shut their eyes tight to avoid using their eyes to see, their ears to hear, their heart to understand, changing their ways and being healed by me.

16 'But blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear!

17 In truth I tell you, many prophets and upright people longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.

18 'So pay attention to the parable of the sower.

19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the Evil One comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the seed sown on the edge of the path.

20 The seed sown on patches of rock is someone who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy.

21 But such a person has no root deep down and does not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, at once he falls away.

22 The seed sown in thorns is someone who hears the word, but the worry of the world and the lure of riches choke the word and so it produces nothing.

23 And the seed sown in rich soil is someone who hears the word and understands it; this is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.'

Reading 2, Rom 8:18-23

18 In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us,

19 for the whole creation is waiting with eagerness for the children of God to be revealed.

20 It was not for its own purposes that creation had frustration imposed on it, but for the purposes of him who imposed it-

21 with the intention that the whole creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption and brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God.

22 We are well aware that the whole creation, until this time, has been groaning in labour pains.

23 And not only that: we too, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we are groaning inside ourselves, waiting with eagerness for our bodies to be set free.

Daily Bible Readings for Saturday July 09, 2011

Reading 1, Gn 49:29-32; 50:15-26a

29 Then he gave them these instructions, 'I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors, in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 in the cave in the field at Machpelah, facing Mamre, in Canaan, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site of his own.

31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. There Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah-

32 the field and the cave in it which were bought from the Hittites.'

15 Seeing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, 'What if Joseph intends to treat us as enemies and pay us back for all the wrong we did him?'

16 So they sent this message to Joseph: 'Before your father died, he gave us this order:

17 "You are to say to Joseph: Now please forgive the crime and faults of your brothers and all the wrong they did you." So now please forgive the crime of the servants of your father's God.' Joseph wept at the message they sent to him.

18 Then his brothers went to him themselves and, throwing themselves at his feet, said, 'Take us as your slaves!'

19 But Joseph replied, 'Do not be afraid; is it for me to put myself in God's place?

20 The evil you planned to do me has by God's design been turned to good, to bring about the present result: the survival of a numerous people.

21 So there is no need to be afraid; I shall provide for you and your dependants.' In this way he reassured them by speaking affectionately to them.

22 So Joseph stayed in Egypt with his father's family; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.

23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim's line, as also the children of Machir son of Manasseh, who were born on Joseph's lap.

24 At length Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die; but God will be sure to remember you kindly and take you out of this country to the country which he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'

25 And Joseph put Israel's sons on oath, saying, 'When God remembers you with kindness, be sure to take my bones away from here.'

26 Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten; he was embalmed and laid in a coffin in Egypt.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7

1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name, proclaim his deeds to the peoples!

2 Sing to him, make music for him, recount all his wonders!

3 Glory in his holy name, let the hearts that seek Yahweh rejoice!

4 Seek Yahweh and his strength, tirelessly seek his presence!

6 Stock of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob whom he chose!

7 He is Yahweh our God, his judgements touch the whole world.

Gospel, Mt 10:24-33

24 'Disciple is not superior to teacher, nor slave to master.

25 It is enough for disciple to grow to be like teacher, and slave like master. If they have called the master of the house "Beelzebul", how much more the members of his household?

26 'So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.

27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.

28 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

29 Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing.

30 Why, every hair on your head has been counted.

31 So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 'So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.

33 But the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.