Daily Bible Readings

july 23, 2011
1st READING
When Moses returns to the people from Mt. Sinai, he conveys to them God’s commandments and they promise to keep God’s law. He then makes an altar and, sacrificing an animal, seals their promises with its blood. We, too, have made a covenant with God through the blood of Jesus and are called to be faithful to those promises.

Exodus 24:3-8
3 When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the LORD has told us.” 4 Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. 7 Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.” 8 Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his.”

P S A L M

Psalms 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15
R: Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
1 God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. (R) 5 “Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” 6 And for the heavens proclaim his justice; for God himself is the judge. (R) 14 “Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High; 15 then call upon me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me.” (R)

G O S P E L

Many times we see in the history of the Church how leaders have broken away from the one church to create another one, hoping that it will be more like the primitive church of the Apostles. Yet this is not what Jesus is telling us to do in this parable. There will never be a perfect church on earth. Rather, we should not judge others but seek instead to live the truth ourselves (as St. Francis of Assisi did) and bring renewal and life to that which is dying.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 13:24-30
24 Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 26 When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Proverbs 1-4
my reflections
t h i n k : There will never be a perfect church on earth.
God’s special verse/thought for me today________________
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T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Proverbs 1-4