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 Thursday May 03, 2012

Reading 1, First Corinthians 15:1-8

1 I want to make quite clear to you, brothers, what the message of the gospel that I preached to you is; you accepted it and took your stand on it,

 2 and you are saved by it, if you keep to the message I preached to you; otherwise your coming to believe was in vain.

3 The tradition I handed on to you in the first place, a tradition which I had myself received, was that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures,

4 and that he was buried; and that on the third day, he was raised to life, in accordance with the scriptures;

5 and that he appeared to Cephas; and later to the Twelve;

6 and next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still with us, though some have fallen asleep;

7 then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles.

8 Last of all he appeared to me too, as though I was a child born abnormally.

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, John 14:6-14 6 

Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

7 If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.

8 Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.' Jesus said to him,

9 'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, "Show us the Father"?

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works.

11 You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe it on the evidence of these works.

12 In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.

13 Whatever you ask in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday March 14, 2012

Reading 1, Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9

1 'And now, Israel, listen to the laws and customs which I am teaching you today, so that, by observing them, you may survive to enter and take possession of the country which Yahweh, God of your ancestors, is giving you.

5 Look: as Yahweh my God commanded me, I have taught you laws and customs, for you to observe in the country of which you are going to take possession.

6 Keep them, put them into practice, and other peoples will admire your wisdom and prudence. Once they know what all these laws are, they will exclaim, "No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation!"

7 And indeed, what great nation has its gods as near as Yahweh our God is to us whenever we call to him?

8 And what great nation has laws and customs as upright as the entirety of this Law which I am laying down for you today?

9 'But take care, as you value your lives! Do not forget the things which you yourselves have seen, or let them slip from your heart as long as you live; teach them, rather, to your children and to your children's children.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

12 Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem, Zion, praise your God.

13 For he gives strength to the bars of your gates, he blesses your children within you,

15 He sends his word to the earth, his command runs quickly,

16 he spreads the snow like flax, strews hoarfrost like ashes,

19 He reveals his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgements to Israel.

20 For no other nation has he done this, no other has known his judgements.

Gospel, Matthew 5:17-19

17 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.

18 In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved.

19 Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven. 

Daily Readings for Thursday March 08, 2012

Reading 1, Jeremiah 17:5-10

5 Yahweh says this, 'Accursed be anyone who trusts in human beings, who relies on human strength and whose heart turns from Yahweh.

6 Such a person is like scrub in the wastelands: when good comes, it does not affect him since he lives in the parched places of the desert, uninhabited, salt land.

7 'Blessed is anyone who trusts in Yahweh, with Yahweh to rely on.

8 Such a person is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it has nothing to fear, its foliage stays green; untroubled in a year of drought, it never stops bearing fruit.

9 'The heart is more devious than any other thing, and is depraved; who can pierce its secrets?

10 I, Yahweh, search the heart, test the motives, to give each person what his conduct and his actions deserve.

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, Luke 16:19-31

19 'There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day.

20 And at his gate there used to lie a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores,

21 who longed to fill himself with what fell from the rich man's table. Even dogs came and licked his sores.

22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels into Abraham's embrace. The rich man also died and was buried.

23 'In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his embrace.

24 So he cried out, "Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames."

25 Abraham said, "My son, remember that during your life you had your fill of good things, just as Lazarus his fill of bad. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony.

26 But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to prevent those who want to cross from our side to yours or from your side to ours."

27 'So he said, "Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father's house,

28 since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too."

29 Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them."

30 The rich man replied, "Ah no, father Abraham, but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent."

31 Then Abraham said to him, "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead."

Daily Bible Readings for Friday January 13, 2012

Reading 1, First Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22

4 The elders of Israel all assembled, went back to Samuel at Ramah, and said,

5 'Look, you are old, and your sons are not following your example. So give us a king to judge us, like the other nations.'

6 Samuel thought that it was wrong of them to say, 'Let us have a king to judge us,' so he prayed to Yahweh.

7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you: it is not you they have rejected

10 Everything that Yahweh had said, Samuel then repeated to the people who were asking him for a king.

11 He said, 'This is what the king who is to reign over you will do. He will take your sons and direct them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot.

12 He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his fields and gather in his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots.

13 He will take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers.

14 He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his officials.

15 He will tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his courtiers and his officials.

16 He will take the best of your servants, men and women, of your oxen and your donkeys, and make them work for him.

17 He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

18 When that day comes, you will cry aloud because of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day Yahweh will not hear you.'

19 The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel. They said, 'No! We are determined to have a king,

20 so that we can be like the other nations, with our own king to rule us and lead us and fight our battles.'

21 Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and repeated it in Yahweh's ear.

22 Yahweh then said to Samuel, 'Do as they ask and give them a king.' Samuel then said to the Israelites, 'Go home, each of you, to his own town.'

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:16-17, 18-19

16 In your name they rejoice all day long, by your saving justice they are raised up.

17 You are the flower of their strength, by your favour our strength is triumphant;

18 for to Yahweh belongs our shield, to the Holy One of Israel our king.

19 Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful you said: 'I have given strength to a warrior, I have raised up a man chosen from my people.

Gospel, Mark 2:1-12

1 When he returned to Capernaum, some time later word went round that he was in the house;

2 and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them

3 when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men,

4 but as they could not get the man to him through the crowd, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay.

5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'My child, your sins are forgiven.'

6 Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves,

7 'How can this man talk like that? He is being blasphemous. Who but God can forgive sins?'

8 And at once, Jesus, inwardly aware that this is what they were thinking, said to them, 'Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts?

9 Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven" or to say, "Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk"?

10 But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority to forgive sins on earth' --

11 he said to the paralytic-'I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.'

12 And the man got up, and at once picked up his stretcher and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astonished and praised God saying, 'We have never seen anything like this.'

Daily bible Readings for Sunday November 27, 2011

Reading 1, Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7

16 After all, you are our Father. If Abraham will not own us, if Israel will not acknowledge us, you, Yahweh, are our Father, 'Our Redeemer' is your name from of old.

17 Why, Yahweh, do you let us wander from your ways and let our hearts grow too hard to fear you? Return, for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.

19 We have long been like those you do not rule, people who do not bear your name. Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down -- in your presence the mountains would quake,

2 at the unexpected miracles you would do. (Oh, that you would come down, in your presence the mountains would quake!)

3 Never has anyone heard, no ear has heard, no eye has seen any god but you act like this for the sake of those who trust him.

4 You come to meet those who are happy to act uprightly; keeping your ways reminds them of you. Yes, you have been angry and we have been sinners; now we persist in your ways and we shall be saved.

5 We have all been like unclean things and our upright deeds like filthy rags. We wither, all of us, like leaves, and all our misdeeds carry us off like the wind.

6 There is no one to invoke your name, to rouse himself to hold fast to you, for you have hidden your face from us and given us up to the power of our misdeeds.

7 And yet, Yahweh, you are our Father; we the clay and you our potter, all of us are the work of your hands.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

2 over Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh; rouse your valour and come to our help.

3 God, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we shall be safe.

15 protect what your own hand has planted.

16 They have thrown it on the fire like dung, the frown of your rebuke will destroy them.

18 Never again will we turn away from you, give us life and we will call upon your name.

19 God Sabaoth, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we shall be safe.

Gospel, Mk 13:33-37

33 'Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.

34 It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from his home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake.

35 So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn;

36 if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep.

37 And what I am saying to you I say to all: Stay awake!'

Reading 2, 1 Cor 1:3-9

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I am continually thanking God about you, for the grace of God which you have been given in Christ Jesus;

5 in him you have been richly endowed in every kind of utterance and knowledge;

6 so firmly has witness to Christ taken root in you.

7 And so you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed;

8 he will continue to give you strength till the very end, so that you will be irreproachable on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 You can rely on God, who has called you to be partners with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday November 13, 2011

Reading 1, Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

10 The truly capable woman -- who can find her? She is far beyond the price of pearls.

11 Her husband's heart has confidence in her, from her he will derive no little profit.

12 Advantage and not hurt she brings him all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax, she does her work with eager hands.

19 She sets her hands to the distaff, her fingers grasp the spindle.

20 She holds out her hands to the poor, she opens her arms to the needy.

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty; the woman who fears Yahweh is the one to praise.

31 Give her a share in what her hands have worked for, and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

1 [Song of Ascents] How blessed are all who fear Yahweh, who walk in his ways!

2 Your own labours will yield you a living, happy and prosperous will you be.

3 Your wife a fruitful vine in the inner places of your house. Your children round your table like shoots of an olive tree.

4 Such are the blessings that fall on those who fear Yahweh.

5 May Yahweh bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life,

Gospel, Mt 25:14-30

14 'It is like a man about to go abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.

15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one, each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out on his journey.

16 The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more.

17 The man who had received two made two more in the same way.

18 But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.

20 The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made."

21 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

22 Next the man with the two talents came forward. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made."

23 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

24 Last came forward the man who had the single talent. "Sir," said he, "I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown and gathering where you had not scattered;

25 so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back."

26 But his master answered him, "You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?

27 Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have got my money back with interest.

28 So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents.

29 For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.

30 As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

Reading 2, 1 Thes 5:1-6

1 About times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you

2 for you are well aware in any case that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night.

3 It is when people are saying, 'How quiet and peaceful it is' that sudden destruction falls on them, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there is no escape.

4 But you, brothers, do not live in the dark, that the Day should take you unawares like a thief.

5 No, you are all children of light and children of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness,

6 so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober.

Daily b Readings for Sunday October 09, 2011

Reading 1, Is 25:6-10a

6 On this mountain, for all peoples, Yahweh Sabaoth is preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of succulent food, of well-strained wines.

7 On this mountain, he has destroyed the veil which used to veil all peoples, the pall enveloping all nations;

8 he has destroyed death for ever. Lord Yahweh has wiped away the tears from every cheek; he has taken his people's shame away everywhere on earth, for Yahweh has spoken.

9 And on that day, it will be said, 'Look, this is our God, in him we put our hope that he should save us, this is Yahweh, we put our hope in him. Let us exult and rejoice since he has saved us.'

10 For Yahweh's hand will rest on this mountain, and Moab will be trodden under his feet as straw is trodden into the dung-heap.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

1 [Psalm Of David] Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me

3 to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name.

4 Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.

5 You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over.

6 Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.

Gospel, Mt 22:1-14

1 Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again,

2 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son's wedding.

3 He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come.

4 Next he sent some more servants with the words, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, my banquet is all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding."

5 But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business,

6 and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them.

7 The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town.

8 Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy,

9 go to the main crossroads and invite everyone you can find to come to the wedding."

10 So these servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment,

12 and said to him, "How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?" And the man was silent.

13 Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

14 For many are invited but not all are chosen.'

Reading 2, Phil 4:12-14, 19-20

12 I know how to live modestly, and I know how to live luxuriously too: in every way now I have mastered the secret of all conditions: full stomach and empty stomach, plenty and poverty.

13 There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me.

14 All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships.

19 And my God will fulfil all your needs out of the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

20 And so glory be to God our Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Daily Bible Readings for Monday October 03, 2011

Reading 1, Jon 1:1-2:2, 11

1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to Jonah son of Amittai:

2 'Up!' he said, 'Go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to them that their wickedness has forced itself upon me.'

3 Jonah set about running away from Yahweh, and going to Tarshish. He went down to Jaffa and found a ship bound for Tarshish; he paid his fare and boarded it, to go with them to Tarshish, to get away from Yahweh.

4 But Yahweh threw a hurricane at the sea, and there was such a great storm at sea that the ship threatened to break up.

5 The sailors took fright, and each of them called on his own god, and to lighten the ship they threw the cargo overboard. Jonah, however, had gone below, had lain down in the hold and was fast asleep,

6 when the boatswain went up to him and said, 'What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps he will spare us a thought and not leave us to die.'

7 Then they said to each other, 'Come on, let us draw lots to find out who is to blame for bringing us this bad luck.' So they cast lots, and the lot pointed to Jonah.

8 Then they said to him, 'Tell us, what is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country? What is your nationality?'

9 He replied, 'I am a Hebrew, and I worship Yahweh, God of Heaven, who made both sea and dry land.'

10 The sailors were seized with terror at this and said, 'Why ever did you do this?' since they knew that he was trying to escape from Yahweh, because he had told them so.

11 They then said, 'What are we to do with you, to make the sea calm down for us?' For the sea was growing rougher and rougher.

12 He replied, 'Take me and throw me into the sea, and then it will calm down for you. I know it is my fault that this great storm has struck you.'

13 The sailors rowed hard in an effort to reach the shore, but in vain, since the sea was growing rougher and rougher.

14 So at last they called on Yahweh and said, 'O, Yahweh, do not let us perish for the sake of this man's life, and do not hold us responsible for causing an innocent man's death; for you, Yahweh, have acted as you saw fit.'

15 And taking hold of Jonah they threw him into the sea; and the sea stopped raging.

16 At this, the men were seized with dread of Yahweh; they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and made vows to him.

1 Now Yahweh ordained that a great fish should swallow Jonah; and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

2 From the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God; he said:

11 Yahweh spoke to the fish, which then vomited Jonah onto the dry land.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 2:2, 3, 4, 5, 8

2 Kings of the earth take up position, princes plot together against Yahweh and his anointed,

3 'Now let us break their fetters! Now let us throw off their bonds!'

4 He who is enthroned in the heavens laughs, Yahweh makes a mockery of them,

5 then in his anger rebukes them, in his rage he strikes them with terror.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations as your birthright, the whole wide world as your possession.

Gospel, Lk 10:25-37

25 And now a lawyer stood up and, to test him, asked, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'

26 He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?'

27 He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.'

28 Jesus said to him, 'You have answered right, do this and life is yours.'

29 But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?'

30 In answer Jesus said, 'A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead.

31 Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

32 In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan traveller who came on him was moved with compassion when he saw him.

34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him.

35 Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him, and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have."

36 Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?'

37 He replied, 'The one who showed pity towards him.' Jesus said to him, 'Go, and do the same yourself.'

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 Monday August 29, 2011

Reading 1, 1 Thes 4:13-18

13 We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, to make sure that you do not grieve for them, as others do who have no hope.

14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that in the same way God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15 We can tell you this from the Lord's own teaching, that we who are still alive for the Lord's coming will not have any advantage over those who have fallen asleep.

16 At the signal given by the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise,

17 and only after that shall we who remain alive be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. This is the way we shall be with the Lord for ever.

18 With such thoughts as these, then, you should encourage one another.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17

1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge, I shall never be put to shame.

2 In your saving justice rescue me, deliver me, listen to me and save me.

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.

15 My lips shall proclaim your saving justice, your saving power all day long.

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

Gospel, Mk 6:17-29

17 Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom he had married.

18 For John had told Herod, 'It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife.'

19 As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so,

20 because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

21 An opportunity came on Herod's birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee.

22 When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, 'Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.'

23 And he swore her an oath, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.'

24 She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.'

25 The girl at once rushed back to the king and made her request, 'I want you to give me John the Baptist's head, immediately, on a dish.'

26 The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her.

27 At once the king sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John's head.

28 The man went off and beheaded him in the prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When John's disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Daily Bible Readings for Friday August 26, 2011

Reading 1, 1 Thes 4:1-8

1 Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus; we instructed you how to live in the way that pleases God, and you are so living; but make more progress still.

2 You are well aware of the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God wills you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from sexual immorality,

4 and each one of you to know how to control his body in a way that is holy and honourable,

5 not giving way to selfish lust like the nations who do not acknowledge God.

6 He wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always pays back sins of that sort, as we told you before emphatically.

7 God called us to be holy, not to be immoral;

8 in other words, anyone who rejects this is rejecting not human authority, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 97:1, 2, 5-6, 10, 11-12

1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad!

2 Cloud, black cloud enfolds him, saving justice and judgement the foundations of his throne.

5 The mountains melt like wax, before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his saving justice, all nations see his glory.

10 Yahweh loves those who hate evil, he keeps safe his faithful, rescues them from the clutches of the wicked.

11 Light dawns for the upright, and joy for honest hearts.

12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you who are upright, praise his unforgettable holiness.

Gospel, Mt 25:1-13

1 'Then the kingdom of Heaven will be like this: Ten wedding attendants took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible:

3 the foolish ones, though they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

4 whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.

5 The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

6 But at midnight there was a cry, "Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him."

7 Then all those wedding attendants woke up and trimmed their lamps,

8 and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, "Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out."

9 But they replied, "There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves."

10 They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed.

11 The other attendants arrived later. "Lord, Lord," they said, "open the door for us."

12 But he replied, "In truth I tell you, I do not know you."

13 So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.