Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday September 28, 2011

Reading 1, Neh 2:1-8

1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, since I was in charge of the wine, I took the wine and offered it to the king. Now, he had never seen me looking depressed before.

2 So the king said to me, 'Why are you looking depressed? You are not sick! This must be a sadness of the heart.' Thoroughly alarmed by this,

3 I said to the king, 'May the king live for ever! How can I not look depressed when the city where the tombs of my ancestors are lies in ruins and its gates have been burnt down?'

4 The king then said to me, 'What would you like me to do?' Praying to the God of heaven,

5 I said to the king, 'If the king approves and your servant enjoys your favour, send me to Judah, to the city of the tombs of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.'

6 The king -- with the queen sitting beside him-said, 'How long will your journey take, and when will you come back?' Once I had given him a definite time, the king approved my mission.

7 I then said to the king, 'If the king approves, may I be given orders for the governors of Transeuphrates to let me pass through on my way to Judah?

8 Also an order for Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, to supply me with timber for the beams of the gates of the citadel of the Temple, for the city walls and for the house which I am to occupy?' These the king granted me because the kindly hand of my God was over me.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept at the memory of Zion.

2 On the poplars there we had hung up our harps.

3 For there our gaolers had asked us to sing them a song, our captors to make merry, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'

4 How could we sing a song of Yahweh on alien soil?

5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither!

6 May my tongue remain stuck to my palate if I do not keep you in mind, if I do not count Jerusalem the greatest of my joys.

Gospel, Lk 9:57-62

57 As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'

58 Jesus answered, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.'

59 Another to whom he said, 'Follow me,' replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.'

60 But he answered, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.'

61 Another said, 'I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good -- bye to my people at home.'

62 Jesus said to him, 'Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.' 

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday September 28, 2011

Reading 1, Neh 2:1-8

1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, since I was in charge of the wine, I took the wine and offered it to the king. Now, he had never seen me looking depressed before.

2 So the king said to me, 'Why are you looking depressed? You are not sick! This must be a sadness of the heart.' Thoroughly alarmed by this,

3 I said to the king, 'May the king live for ever! How can I not look depressed when the city where the tombs of my ancestors are lies in ruins and its gates have been burnt down?'

4 The king then said to me, 'What would you like me to do?' Praying to the God of heaven,

5 I said to the king, 'If the king approves and your servant enjoys your favour, send me to Judah, to the city of the tombs of my ancestors, so that I can rebuild it.'

6 The king -- with the queen sitting beside him-said, 'How long will your journey take, and when will you come back?' Once I had given him a definite time, the king approved my mission.

7 I then said to the king, 'If the king approves, may I be given orders for the governors of Transeuphrates to let me pass through on my way to Judah?

8 Also an order for Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, to supply me with timber for the beams of the gates of the citadel of the Temple, for the city walls and for the house which I am to occupy?' These the king granted me because the kindly hand of my God was over me.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept at the memory of Zion.

2 On the poplars there we had hung up our harps.

3 For there our gaolers had asked us to sing them a song, our captors to make merry, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'

4 How could we sing a song of Yahweh on alien soil?

5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither!

6 May my tongue remain stuck to my palate if I do not keep you in mind, if I do not count Jerusalem the greatest of my joys.

Gospel, Lk 9:57-62

57 As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.'

58 Jesus answered, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.'

59 Another to whom he said, 'Follow me,' replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.'

60 But he answered, 'Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.'

61 Another said, 'I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say good -- bye to my people at home.'

62 Jesus said to him, 'Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.' 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday September 27, 2011

Reading 1, Zec 8:20-23

20 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, "In the future, peoples and citizens of many cities will come;

21 and citizens of one city will go to the next and say: We must certainly go to entreat Yahweh's favour and seek out Yahweh Sabaoth; I am going myself.

22 Yes, many peoples and great nations will seek out Yahweh Sabaoth in Jerusalem and entreat Yahweh's favour."

23 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this, "In those days, ten men from nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and say: We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you." '

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 87:1-3, 4-5, 6-7

1 [Of the sons of Korah Psalm Song] With its foundations on the holy mountains,

2 Yahweh loves his city, he prefers the gates of Zion to any dwelling-place in Jacob.

3 He speaks of glory for you, city of God,Pause

4 'I number Rahab and Babylon among those that acknowledge me; look at Tyre, Philistia, Ethiopia, so and so was born there.'

5 But of Zion it will be said, 'Every one was born there,' her guarantee is the Most High.

6 Yahweh in his register of peoples will note against each, 'Born there',Pause

7 princes no less than native-born; all make their home in you.

Gospel, Lk 9:51-56

51 Now it happened that as the time drew near for him to be taken up, he resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem

52 and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him,

53 but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem.

54 Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, 'Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?'

55 But he turned and rebuked them,

56 and they went on to another village. 

Daily Bible Readings for Monday September 26, 2011

Reading 1, Zec 8:1-8

1 The word of Yahweh Sabaoth came as follows:

2 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I have been burning with jealousy for Zion, with furious jealousy for her sake.

3 Yahweh says this: I am coming back to Zion and shall live in the heart of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called Faithful City and the mountain of Yahweh Sabaoth, the Holy Mountain.

4 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Aged men and women once again will sit in the squares of Jerusalem, each with a stick to lean on because of their great age.

5 And the squares of the city will be full of boys and girls playing there.

6 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: If this seems a miracle to the remnant of this people (in those days), will it seem one to me? declares Yahweh.

7 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Look, I shall rescue my people from the countries of the east and from the countries of the west.

8 I shall bring them back to live in the heart of Jerusalem, and they will be my people and I shall be their God, faithful and just.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23

16 when Yahweh builds Zion anew, he will be seen in his glory;

17 he will turn to hear the prayer of the destitute, and will not treat their prayer with scorn.

18 This shall be put on record for a future generation, and a people yet to be born shall praise God:

19 Yahweh has leaned down from the heights of his sanctuary, has looked down from heaven to earth,

20 to listen to the sighing of the captive, and set free those condemned to death,

21 to proclaim the name of Yahweh in Zion, his praise in Jerusalem;

22 nations will gather together, and kingdoms to worship Yahweh.

23 In my journeying my strength has failed on the way;

Gospel, Lk 9:46-50

45 But they did not understand what he said; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

46 An argument started between them about which of them was the greatest.

47 Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child whom he set by his side

48 and then he said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me. The least among you all is the one who is the greatest.'

49 John spoke up. 'Master,' he said, 'we saw someone driving out devils in your name, and because he is not with us we tried to stop him.'

50 But Jesus said to him, 'You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.' 

Daily Bible Readings for Friday September 23, 2011

Reading 1, Hg 2:1-9

1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of Yahweh was addressed through the prophet Haggai, as follows,

2 'You are to speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak the high priest and to the remnant of the people. Say this,

3 "Is there anyone left among you who saw this Temple in its former glory? And how does it look to you now? Does it not seem as though there is nothing there?

4 But take courage now, Zerubbabel!-Yahweh declares. Courage, Joshua son of Jehozadak high priest! Courage, all you people of the country!-Yahweh declares. To work! I am with you -- Yahweh Sabaoth declares-

5 and my spirit is present among you. Do not be afraid!

6 For Yahweh Sabaoth says this: A little while now, and I shall shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

7 I shall shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will flow in, and I shall fill this Temple with glory, says Yahweh Sabaoth.

8 Mine is the silver, mine the gold!-Yahweh Sabaoth declares.

9 The glory of this new Temple will surpass that of the old, says Yahweh Sabaoth, and in this place I shall give peace -- Yahweh Sabaoth declares." '

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 43:1, 2, 3, 4

1 Judge me, God, defend my cause against a people who have no faithful love; from those who are treacherous and unjust, rescue me.

2 For you are the God of my strength; why abandon me? Why must I go around in mourning, harrassed by the enemy?

3 Send out your light and your truth; they shall be my guide, to lead me to your holy mountain to the place where you dwell.

4 Then I shall go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy. I will rejoice and praise you on the harp, O God, my God.

Gospel, Lk 9:18-22

18 Now it happened that he was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he put this question to them, 'Who do the crowds say I am?'

19 And they answered, 'Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others again one of the ancient prophets come back to life.'

20 'But you,' he said to them, 'who do you say I am?' It was Peter who spoke up. 'The Christ of God,' he said.

21 But he gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone.

22 He said, 'The Son of man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.'

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 43:1, 2, 3, 4

1 Judge me, God, defend my cause against a people who have no faithful love; from those who are treacherous and unjust, rescue me.

2 For you are the God of my strength; why abandon me? Why must I go around in mourning, harrassed by the enemy?

3 Send out your light and your truth; they shall be my guide, to lead me to your holy mountain to the place where you dwell.

4 Then I shall go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy. I will rejoice and praise you on the harp, O God, my God.

Gospel, Lk 9:18-22

18 Now it happened that he was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he put this question to them, 'Who do the crowds say I am?'

19 And they answered, 'Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others again one of the ancient prophets come back to life.'

20 'But you,' he said to them, 'who do you say I am?' It was Peter who spoke up. 'The Christ of God,' he said.

21 But he gave them strict orders and charged them not to say this to anyone.

22 He said, 'The Son of man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.'

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday September 21, 2011

Reading 1, Eph 4:1-7, 11-13

1 I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you therefore to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called.

2 With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love.

3 Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.

4 There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God.

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

7 On each one of us God's favour has been bestowed in whatever way Christ allotted it.

11 And to some, his 'gift' was that they should be apostles; to some prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers;

12 to knit God's holy people together for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ,

13 until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5

2 day discourses of it to day, night to night hands on the knowledge.

3 No utterance at all, no speech, not a sound to be heard,

4 but from the entire earth the design stands out, this message reaches the whole world. High above, he pitched a tent for the sun,

5 who comes forth from his pavilion like a bridegroom, delights like a champion in the course to be run.

Gospel, Mt 9:9-13

9 As Jesus was walking on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him.

10 Now while he was at table in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples.

11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?'

12 When he heard this he replied, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick.

13 Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.'

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday September 14, 2011

Reading 1, Nm 21:4b-9

4 They left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt round Edom. On the way the people lost patience.

5 They spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? For there is neither food nor water here; we are sick of this meagre diet.'

6 At this, God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel.

7 The people came and said to Moses, 'We have sinned by speaking against Yahweh and against you. Intercede for us with Yahweh to save us from these serpents.' Moses interceded for the people,

8 and Yahweh replied, 'Make a fiery serpent and raise it as a standard. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will survive.'

9 Moses then made a serpent out of bronze and raised it as a standard, and anyone who was bitten by a serpent and looked at the bronze serpent survived.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

-17

13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of man;

14 as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up

15 so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

16 For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

Reading 2, Phil 2:6-11

6 Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped.

7 But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being,

8 he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.

9 And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names;

10 so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

11 and that every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday September 07, 2011

Reading 1, Col 3:1-11

1 Since you have been raised up to be with Christ, you must look for the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at God's right hand.

2 Let your thoughts be on things above, not on the things that are on the earth,

3 because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.

4 But when Christ is revealed -- and he is your life-you, too, will be revealed with him in glory.

5 That is why you must kill everything in you that is earthly: sexual vice, impurity, uncontrolled passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god;

6 it is precisely these things which draw God's retribution upon those who resist.

7 And these things made up your way of life when you were living among such people,

8 but now you also must give up all these things: human anger, hot temper, malice, abusive language and dirty talk;

9 and do not lie to each other. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self,

10 and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its Creator;

11 and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised and uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Scythian, slave and free. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13

2 Day after day I shall bless you, I shall praise your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise, his greatness beyond all reckoning.

10 All your creatures shall thank you, Yahweh, and your faithful shall bless you.

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingship and tell of your might,

12 making known your mighty deeds to the children of Adam, the glory and majesty of your kingship.

13 Your kingship is a kingship for ever, your reign lasts from age to age. Yahweh is trustworthy in all his words, and upright in all his deeds.

Gospel, Lk 6:20-26

20 Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: How blessed are you who are poor: the kingdom of God is yours.

21 Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall have your fill. Blessed are you who are weeping now: you shall laugh.

22 'Blessed are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of man.

23 Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, look!-your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.

24 But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.

25 Alas for you who have plenty to eat now: you shall go hungry. Alas for you who are laughing now: you shall mourn and weep.

26 'Alas for you when everyone speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets. 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday September 06, 2011

Reading 1, Col 2:6-15

6 So then, as you received Jesus as Lord and Christ, now live your lives in him,

7 be rooted in him and built up on him, held firm by the faith you have been taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving.

8 Make sure that no one captivates you with the empty lure of a 'philosophy' of the kind that human beings hand on, based on the principles of this world and not on Christ.

9 In him, in bodily form, lives divinity in all its fullness,

10 and in him you too find your own fulfilment, in the one who is the head of every sovereignty and ruling force.

11 In him you have been circumcised, with a circumcision performed, not by human hand, but by the complete stripping of your natural self. This is circumcision according to Christ.

12 You have been buried with him by your baptism; by which, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead.

13 You were dead, because you were sinners and uncircumcised in body: he has brought you to life with him, he has forgiven us every one of our sins.

14 He has wiped out the record of our debt to the Law, which stood against us; he has destroyed it by nailing it to the cross;

15 and he has stripped the sovereignties and the ruling forces, and paraded them in public, behind him in his triumphal procession.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11

1 [Hymn of Praise Of David] I shall praise you to the heights, God my King, I shall bless your name for ever and ever.

2 Day after day I shall bless you, I shall praise your name for ever and ever.

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.

10 All your creatures shall thank you, Yahweh, and your faithful shall bless you.

11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingship and tell of your might,

Gospel, Lk 6:12-19

12 Now it happened in those days that he went onto the mountain to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.

13 When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them 'apostles':

14 Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot,

16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.

17 He then came down with them and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples, with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon

18 who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. People tormented by unclean spirits were also cured,

19 and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him because power came out of him that cured them all.