Daily Bible Readings

March 25, 2011

1st READING

This prophecy of deliverance has both an immediate and interpreted (or future) fulfillment. In its immediate sense it refers to Jerusalem being besieged by the Assyrian armies and God promising deliverance within nine months. It was the Fathers of the Church who applied this prophecy to Mary regarding the birth of a Savior. Such is often the nature of prophecy and we should seek the guidance of the Lord for our communities in this way even today. God will speak to us if we are open to hearing and responding to His Word.

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
10 The LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” 12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” 13 Then he said: “Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, 8: 10 “God is with us!”

P S A L M

Psalms 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11
R: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
6 [7] Sacrifice or offering you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; 7 [8] then said I, “Behold I come”; (R) “In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, 8 [9] to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” (R) 9 [10] I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. (R) 10 [11] Your justice I kept not hid within my heart; your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of; I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth in the vast assembly. (R)

2nd READING

As we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation we celebrate the beginning in flesh of the most decisive intervention in worldly affairs that God ever made. The sending of the Messiah changed the world forever! In fact, the grace that Jesus unleashed from the cross will actually penetrate into both the future and the past – that is how powerful it is! Let us all seek to live under the grace of God in honor of this Feast in which we hear Mary say, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to Your word.”

Hebrews 10:4-10
4 Brothers and sisters: It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. 5 For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. 7 Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’ ” 8 First Christ says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. 9 Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. 10 By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

G O S P E L

The story of the Annunciation is one that captures our imagination as children as it has all the elements of a great drama: angels intervening in people’s lives, scandal with the pregnancy of an unwed mother; the drama of the slaughter of the Holy Innocents; an emergency birth in a stable; and the main characters are all unremarkable, ordinary people like you and me! If God can do this then, He is equally capable of using all of us for another significant task in His Kingdom.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL OR ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us; and we saw his glory.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Luke 1:26-38
26 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of 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 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

my reflections
t h i n k : God will speak to us if we are open to hearing and responding to His word.

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________
_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Samuel 13-16