Daily Bible Readings for Thursday August 02, 2012

Reading 1, Jeremiah 18:1-6

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh as follows,

2 'Get up and make your way down to the potter's house, and there I shall tell you what I have to say.'

3 So I went down to the potter's house; and there he was, working at the wheel.

4 But the vessel he was making came out wrong, as may happen with clay when a potter is at work. So he began again and shaped it into another vessel, as he thought fit.

5 Then the word of Yahweh came to me as follows,

6 'House of Israel, can I not do to you what this potter does? Yahweh demands. Yes, like clay in the potter's hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 146:1-2, 2-4, 5-6

1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh, my soul!

2 I will praise Yahweh all my life, I will make music to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes, in any child of Adam, who has no power to save.

4 When his spirit goes forth he returns to the earth, on that very day all his plans come to nothing.

5 How blessed is he who has Jacob's God to help him, his hope is in Yahweh his God,

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He keeps faith for ever,

Gospel, Matthew 13:47-53

47 'Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea and brings in a haul of all kinds of fish.

48 When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in baskets and throw away those that are no use.

49 This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright,

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

51 'Have you understood all these?' They said, 'Yes.'

52 And he said to them, 'Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.'

53 When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district;

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Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday July 17, 2012

Reading 1, Isaiah 7:1-9

1 In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah, Razon king of Aram advanced on Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, to attack it; but he was unable to attack it.

2 The House of David was informed: 'Aram has halted in Ephraimite territory.' At this, his heart and his people's hearts shook like forest trees shaking in the wind.

3 Yahweh then said to Isaiah, 'Go out with your son Shear-Jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the Fuller's Field,

4 and say to him, "Pay attention and keep calm. Do not be frightened or demoralised by these two smouldering sticks of firewood, by the fierce anger of Razon, Aram and the son of Remaliah,

5 or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have been plotting against you and saying:

6 Let us mount an attack on Judah, destroy it, force it onto our side and install the son of Tabeel there as king.

7 "Lord Yahweh says this: This will not happen, it will never occur,

8 for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Razon; another sixty-five years, and Ephraim will cease to be a people.

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not take your stand on me you will not stand firm." '

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 48:2-3, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

2 towering in beauty, the joy of the whole world: Mount Zion in the heart of the north, the settlement of the great king;

3 God himself among its palaces has proved himself its bulwark.

4 For look, kings made alliance, together they advanced;

5 without a second glance, when they saw, they panicked and fled away.

6 Trembling seized them on the spot, pains like those of a woman in labour;

7 it was the east wind, that wrecker of ships from Tarshish.

8 What we had heard we saw for ourselves in the city of our God, in the city of Yahweh Sabaoth, which God has established for ever.Pause

Gospel, Matthew 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.'

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday June 24, 2012

Reading 1, Isaiah 49:1-6

1 Coasts and islands, listen to me, pay attention, distant peoples. Yahweh called me when I was in the womb, before my birth he had pronounced my name.

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow and concealed me in his quiver.

3 He said to me, 'Israel, you are my servant, through whom I shall manifest my glory.'

4 But I said, 'My toil has been futile, I have exhausted myself for nothing, to no purpose.' Yet all the while my cause was with Yahweh and my reward with my God.

5 And now Yahweh has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and to re-unite Israel to him;-I shall be honoured in Yahweh's eyes, and my God has been my strength.-

6 He said, 'It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of earth.'

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15

1 [For the choirmaster Of David Psalm] Yahweh, you examine me and know me,

2 you know when I sit, when I rise, you understand my thoughts from afar.

3 You watch when I walk or lie down, you know every detail of my conduct.

13 You created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders. You knew me through and through,

15 my being held no secrets from you, when I was being formed in secret, textured in the depths of the earth.

Gospel, Luke 1:57-66, 80

57 The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son;

58 and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had lavished on her his faithful love, they shared her joy.

59 Now it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

60 but his mother spoke up. 'No,' she said, 'he is to be called John.'

61 They said to her, 'But no one in your family has that name,'

62 and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called.

63 The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they were all astonished.

64 At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God.

65 All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea.

66 All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. 'What will this child turn out to be?' they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

80 Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit grew strong. And he lived in the desert until the day he appeared openly to Israel.

Reading 2, Acts 13:22-26

22 he deposed him and raised up David to be king, whom he attested in these words, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will perform my entire will."

23 To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David's descendants, Jesus, as Saviour,

24 whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel.

25 Before John ended his course he said, "I am not the one you imagine me to be; there is someone coming after me whose sandal I am not fit to undo."

26 'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this message of salvation is meant for you.

Daily Readings for Friday May 11, 2012

Reading 1, Acts 15:22-31

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose delegates from among themselves to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men in the brotherhood,

23 and gave them this letter to take with them: 'The apostles and elders, your brothers, send greetings to the brothers of gentile birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.

24 We hear that some people coming from here, but acting without any authority from ourselves, have disturbed you with their demands and have unsettled your minds;

25 and so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with our well-beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26 who have committed their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written.

28 It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to impose on you any burden beyond these essentials:

29 you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from illicit marriages. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.'

30 The party left and went down to Antioch, where they summoned the whole community and delivered the letter.

31 The community read it and were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 57:8-9, 10-12

8 Awake, my glory, awake, lyre and harp, that I may awake the Dawn.

9 I will praise you among the peoples, Lord, I will make music for you among nations,

10 for your faithful love towers to heaven, your constancy to the clouds.

11 Be exalted above the heavens, God! Your glory over all the earth!

Gospel, John 15:12-17

12 This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.

13 No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you.

15 I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.

16 You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name.

17 My command to you is to love one another.

Daily Readings for Tuesday March 20, 2012

Reading 1, Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12

1 He brought me back to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream flowed eastwards from under the Temple threshold, for the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar.

2 He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side.

3 The man went off to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles.

4 He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my waist.

5 He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross.

6 He then said, 'Do you see, son of man?' He then took me and brought me back to the bank on the river.

7 Now, when I reached it, I saw an enormous number of trees on each bank of the river.

8 He said, 'This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome.

9 Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows.

12 Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.'

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

2 so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil, though mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,

3 and its waters roar and seethe, and the mountains totter as it heaves. (Yahweh Sabaoth is with us, our citadel, the God of Jacob.)Pause

5 God is in the city, it cannot fall; at break of day God comes to its rescue.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are tumbling, when he raises his voice the earth crumbles away.

8 Come, consider the wonders of Yahweh, the astounding deeds he has done on the earth;

9 he puts an end to wars over the whole wide world, he breaks the bow, he snaps the spear, shields he burns in the fire.

Gospel, John 5:1-3, 5-16

1 After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now in Jerusalem next to the Sheep Pool there is a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five porticos;

3 and under these were crowds of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed.

5 One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years,

6 and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in that condition for a long time, he said, 'Do you want to be well again?'

7 'Sir,' replied the sick man, 'I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets down there before me.'

8 Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around.'

9 The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and started to walk around. Now that day happened to be the Sabbath,

10 so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, 'It is the Sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.'

11 He replied, 'But the man who cured me told me, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around." '

12 They asked, 'Who is the man who said to you, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around"? '

13 The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared, as the place was crowded.

14 After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, 'Now you are well again, do not sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.'

15 The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him.

16 It was because he did things like this on the Sabbath that the Jews began to harass Jesus.

Daily Readings for Wednesday March 07, 2012

Reading 1, Jeremiah 18:18-20

18 'Come on,' they said, 'let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah, for the Law will not perish for lack of priests, nor advice for lack of wise men, nor the word for lack of prophets. Come on, let us slander him and pay no attention to anything he says.'

19 Pay attention to me, Yahweh, hear what my adversaries are saying.

20 Should evil be returned for good? Now they are digging a pit for me. Remember how I pleaded before you and spoke good of them, to turn your retribution away from them.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 31:5-6, 14, 15-16

5 to your hands I commit my spirit, by you have I been redeemed. God of truth,

6 you hate those who serve useless idols; but my trust is in Yahweh:

14 But my trust is in you, Yahweh; I say, 'You are my God,'

15 every moment of my life is in your hands, rescue me from the clutches of my foes who pursue me;

16 let your face shine on your servant, save me in your faithful love.

Gospel, Matthew 20:17-28

17 Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the road he took the Twelve aside by themselves and said to them,

18 'Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death

19 and will hand him over to the gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised up again.'

20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low;

21 and he said to her, 'What is it you want?' She said to him, 'Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.'

22 Jesus answered, 'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?' They replied, 'We can.'

23 He said to them, 'Very well; you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.'

24 When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that among the gentiles the rulers lord it over them, and great men make their authority felt.

26 Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant,

27 and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave,

28 just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.' 

Daily Bible Readings for Monday January 30, 2012

Reading 1, Second Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13

13 A messenger came and told David, 'The men of Israel have shifted their allegiance to Absalom.'

14 David said to all his retinue then with him in Jerusalem, 'Up, let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom! Leave as quickly as you can, in case he mounts a sudden attack, overcomes us and puts the city to the sword.'

30 David then made his way up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, his head covered and his feet bare. And all the people with him had their heads covered and made their way up, weeping as they went.

5 As David was reaching Bahurim, out came a man of the same clan as Saul's family. His name was Shimei son of Gera and, as he came, he uttered curse after curse

6 and threw stones at David and at all King David's retinue, even though the whole army and all the champions formed an escort round the king on either side.

7 The words of his curse were these, 'Off with you, off with you, man of blood, scoundrel!

8 Yahweh has paid you back for all the spilt blood of the House of Saul whose sovereignty you have usurped; and Yahweh has transferred the sovereign power to Absalom your son. Now your wickedness has overtaken you, man of blood that you are.'

9 Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, 'Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut his head off.'

10 But the king replied, 'What concern is my business to you, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse! If Yahweh has said to him, "Curse David!" what right has anyone to say, "Why have you done so?" '

11 David said to Abishai and all his retinue, 'Why, the son sprung from my own body is now seeking my life; all the more reason for this Benjaminite to do so! Let him curse on, if Yahweh has told him to!

12 Perhaps Yahweh will look on my wretchedness and will repay me with good for his curses today.'

13 So David and his men went on their way, and Shimei kept pace with him along the opposite mountainside, cursing as he went, throwing stones and flinging dust.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

2 how countless those who say of me, 'No salvation for him from his God!'Pause

3 But you, Yahweh, the shield at my side, my glory, you hold my head high.

4 I cry out to Yahweh; he answers from his holy mountain.Pause

5 As for me, if I lie down and sleep, I shall awake, for Yahweh sustains me.

6 I have no fear of people in their thousands upon thousands, who range themselves against me wherever I turn.

7 Arise, Yahweh, rescue me, my God! You strike all my foes across the face, you break the teeth of the wicked.

Gospel, Mark 5:1-20

1 They reached the territory of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake,

2 and when he disembarked, a man with an unclean spirit at once came out from the tombs towards him.

3 The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain,

4 because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him.

5 All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones.

6 Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet

7 and shouted at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? In God's name do not torture me!'

8 For Jesus had been saying to him, 'Come out of the man, unclean spirit.'

9 Then he asked, 'What is your name?' He answered, 'My name is Legion, for there are many of us.'

10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.

11 Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding,

12 and the unclean spirits begged him, 'Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.'

13 So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned.

14 The men looking after them ran off and told their story in the city and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened.

15 They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there -- the man who had had the legion in him -- properly dressed and in his full senses, and they were afraid.

16 And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs.

17 Then they began to implore Jesus to leave their neighbourhood.

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him.

19 Jesus would not let him but said to him, 'Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.'

20 So the man went off and proceeded to proclaim in the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed. 

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday December 20, 2011

Reading 1, Is 7:10-14

10 Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:

11 Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.

12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.'

13 He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too?

14 The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

1 [Psalm Of David] To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live there;

2 it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, on the flowing waters fixed it firm.

3 Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? Who shall take a stand in his holy place?

4 The clean of hands and pure of heart, whose heart is not set on vanities, who does not swear an oath in order to deceive.

5 Such a one will receive blessing from Yahweh, saving justice from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the people that seeks him, that seeks your presence, God of Jacob.Pause

Gospel, Lk 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.'

29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,

30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.

31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.

32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David;

33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'

34 Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'

35 The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.

36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,

37 for nothing is impossible to God.'

38 Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her. 

Daily Bible Readings for Monday December 19, 2011

Reading 1, Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a

2 There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren; she had borne no children.

3 The Angel of Yahweh appeared to this woman and said to her, 'You are barren and have had no child, but you are going to conceive and give birth to a son.

4 From now on, take great care. Drink no wine or fermented liquor, and eat nothing unclean.

5 For you are going to conceive and give birth to a son. No razor is to touch his head, for the boy is to be God's nazirite from his mother's womb; and he will start rescuing Israel from the power of the Philistines.'

6 The woman then went and told her husband, 'A man of God has just come to me, who looked like the Angel of God, so majestic was he. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

7 But he said to me, "You are going to conceive and will give birth to a son. From now on, drink no wine or fermented liquor, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy is to be God's nazirite from his mother's womb to his dying day." '

24 The woman gave birth to a son and called him Samson. The child grew, and Yahweh blessed him;

25 and the spirit of Yahweh began to stir him in the Camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 71:3-4, 5-6, 16-17

3 Be a sheltering rock for me, always accessible; you have determined to save me, for you are my rock, my fortress.

4 My God, rescue me from the clutches of the wicked, from the grasp of the rogue and the ruthless.

5 For you are my hope, Lord, my trust, Yahweh, since boyhood.

6 On you I have relied since my birth, since my mother's womb you have been my portion, the constant theme of my praise.

16 I will come in the power of Yahweh to tell of your justice, yours alone.

17 God, you have taught me from boyhood, and I am still proclaiming your marvels.

Gospel, Lk 1:5-25

5 In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron.

6 Both were upright in the sight of God and impeccably carried out all the commandments and observances of the Lord.

7 But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years.

8 Now it happened that it was the turn of his section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God

9 when it fell to him by lot, as the priestly custom was, to enter the Lord's sanctuary and burn incense there.

10 And at the hour of incense all the people were outside, praying.

11 Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense.

12 The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear.

13 But the angel said to him, 'Zechariah, do not be afraid, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you shall name him John.

14 He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth,

15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink; even from his mother's womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,

16 and he will bring back many of the Israelites to the Lord their God.

17 With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to reconcile fathers to their children and the disobedient to the good sense of the upright, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.'

18 Zechariah said to the angel, 'How can I know this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.'

19 The angel replied, 'I am Gabriel, who stand in God's presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news.

20 Look! Since you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.'

21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long.

22 When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them and remained dumb.

23 When his time of service came to an end he returned home.

24 Some time later his wife Elizabeth conceived and for five months she kept to herself, saying,

25 'The Lord has done this for me, now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered in public.' 

Cardinal Arinze predicts lasting heritage for Pope's Benin trip

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze says Pope Benedict’s upcoming visit to Benin will leave at the back a positive and lasting legacy for all Africans.

“Catholics, other Christians in Africa and, indeed, those who are not Christian are all worried in this visit,” the cardinal told Vatican Radio on Nov. 17.

Cardinal Arinze, 79, will accompany Pope Benedict on his three day visit to the small West African state which starts tomorrow. The Cardinal served as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship until 2008 when he retired.

The primary reason for the Pope’s visit is to permit the pontiff to sign the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation from 2009's synod of African bishops in Rome. The document—which is the Pope’s own response to that meeting—aims to help chart a path for the prospect of the Church in Africa. 

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday November 17, 2011

Reading 1, 1 Mc 2:15-29

15 The king's commissioners who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein for the sacrifices.

16 Many Israelites gathered round them, but Mattathias and his sons drew apart.

17 The king's commissioners then addressed Mattathias as follows, 'You are a respected leader, a great man in this town; you have sons and brothers to support you.

18 Be the first to step forward and conform to the king's decree, as all the nations have done, and the leaders of Judah and the survivors in Jerusalem; you and your sons shall be reckoned among the Friends of the King, you and your sons will be honoured with gold and silver and many presents.'

19 Raising his voice, Mattathias retorted, 'Even if every nation living in the king's dominions obeys him, each forsaking its ancestral religion to conform to his decrees,

20 I, my sons and my brothers will still follow the covenant of our ancestors.

21 May Heaven preserve us from forsaking the Law and its observances.

22 As for the king's orders, we will not follow them: we shall not swerve from our own religion either to right or to left.'

23 As he finished speaking, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein as the royal edict required.

24 When Mattathias saw this, he was fired with zeal; stirred to the depth of his being, he gave vent to his legitimate anger, threw himself on the man and slaughtered him on the altar.

25 At the same time he killed the king's commissioner who was there to enforce the sacrifice, and tore down the altar.

26 In his zeal for the Law he acted as Phinehas had against Zimri son of Salu.

27 Then Mattathias went through the town, shouting at the top of his voice, 'Let everyone who has any zeal for the Law and takes his stand on the covenant come out and follow me.'

28 Then he fled with his sons into the hills, leaving all their possessions behind in the town.

29 Many people who were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and stayed there,

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15

1 [Psalm Of Asaph] The God of gods, Yahweh, is speaking, from east to west he summons the earth.

2 From Zion, perfection of beauty, he shines forth;

5 'Gather to me my faithful, who sealed my covenant by sacrifice.'

6 The heavens proclaim his saving justice, 'God himself is judge.'Pause

14 'Let thanksgiving be your sacrifice to God, fulfil the vows you make to the Most High;

15 then if you call to me in time of trouble I will rescue you and you will honour me.'

Gospel, Lk 19:41-44

41 As he drew near and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it

42 and said, 'If you too had only recognised on this day the way to peace! But in fact it is hidden from your eyes!

43 Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side;

44 they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you, because you did not recognise the moment of your visitation.'

Daily Bible Readings for Monday November 14, 2011

Reading 1, 1 Mc 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63

10 From these there grew a wicked offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes son of King Antiochus; once a hostage in Rome, he became king in the 107th year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

11 It was then that there emerged from Israel a set of renegades who led many people astray. 'Come,' they said, 'let us ally ourselves with the gentiles surrounding us, for since we separated ourselves from them many misfortunes have overtaken us.'

12 This proposal proved acceptable,

13 and a number of the people eagerly approached the king, who authorised them to practise the gentiles' observances.

14 So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, such as the gentiles have,

15 disguised their circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant, submitting to gentile rule as willing slaves of impiety.

41 The king then issued a proclamation to his whole kingdom that all were to become a single people, each nation renouncing its particular customs.

42 All the gentiles conformed to the king's decree,

43 and many Israelites chose to accept his religion, sacrificing to idols and profaning the Sabbath.

54 On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year 145 the king built the appalling abomination on top of the altar of burnt offering; and altars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah

55 and incense offered at the doors of houses and in the streets.

56 Any books of the Law that came to light were torn up and burned.

57 Whenever anyone was discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practising the Law, the king's decree sentenced him to death.

62 Yet there were many in Israel who stood firm and found the courage to refuse unclean food.

63 They chose death rather than contamination by such fare or profanation of the holy covenant, and they were executed.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158

53 Fury grips me when I see the wicked who abandon your Law.

61 Though caught in the snares of the wicked, I do not forget your Law.

134 Rescue me from human oppression, and I will observe your precepts.

150 My pursuers are coming closer to their wicked designs, and further from your Law.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your will.

158 The sight of these renegades appals me; they do not observe your promise.

Gospel, Lk 18:35-43

35 Now it happened that as he drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging.

36 When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about,

37 and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by.

38 So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.'

39 The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.'

40 Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him,

41 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied, 'let me see again.'

42 Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.'

43 And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God.

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday October 20, 2011

Reading 1, Rom 6:19-23

19 I am putting it in human terms because you are still weak human beings: as once you surrendered yourselves as servants to immorality and to a lawlessness which results in more lawlessness, now you have to surrender yourselves to uprightness which is to result in sanctification.

20 When you were the servants of sin, you felt no obligation to uprightness,

21 and what did you gain from living like that? Experiences of which you are now ashamed, for that sort of behaviour ends in death.

22 But, now you are set free from sin and bound to the service of God, your gain will be sanctification and the end will be eternal life.

23 For the wage paid by sin is death; the gift freely given by God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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

1 How blessed is anyone who rejects the advice of the wicked and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread, nor a seat in company with cynics,

2 but who delights in the law of Yahweh and murmurs his law day and night.

3 Such a one is like a tree planted near streams; it bears fruit in season and its leaves never wither, and every project succeeds.

4 How different the wicked, how different! Just like chaff blown around by the wind

6 For Yahweh watches over the path of the upright, but the path of the wicked is doomed.

Gospel, Lk 12:49-53

49 'I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!

50 There is a baptism I must still receive, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!

51 'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

52 For from now on, a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three;

53 father opposed to son, son to father, mother to daughter, daughter to mother, mother-in-law to daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law to mother-in-law.'

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday October 06, 2011

Reading 1, Mal 3:13-20b

13 'You have said harsh things about me, says Yahweh. And yet you say, "What have we said against you?"

14 You have said, "It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands or of walking mournfully before Yahweh Sabaoth?

15 In fact, we now call the proud the happy ones; the evil-doers are the ones who prosper; they put God to the test, yet come to no harm!" '

16 Then those who feared Yahweh talked to one another about this, and Yahweh took note and listened; and a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those who feared him and kept his name in mind.

17 'On the day when I act, says Yahweh Sabaoth, they will be my most prized possession, and I shall spare them in the way a man spares the son who serves him.

18 Then once again you will see the difference between the upright person and the wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.

19 'For look, the Day is coming, glowing like a furnace. All the proud and all the evil-doers will be the stubble, and the Day, when it comes, will set them ablaze, says Yahweh Sabaoth, leaving them neither root nor branch.

20 But for you who fear my name, the Sun of justice will rise with healing in his rays, and you will come out leaping like calves from the stall,

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

1 How blessed is anyone who rejects the advice of the wicked and does not take a stand in the path that sinners tread, nor a seat in company with cynics,

2 but who delights in the law of Yahweh and murmurs his law day and night.

3 Such a one is like a tree planted near streams; it bears fruit in season and its leaves never wither, and every project succeeds.

4 How different the wicked, how different! Just like chaff blown around by the wind

6 For Yahweh watches over the path of the upright, but the path of the wicked is doomed.

Gospel, Lk 11:5-13

5 He also said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me three loaves,

6 because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;"

7 and the man answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you."

8 I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

9 'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.

11 What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake?

12 Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?

13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'