Hail to you, our King; you alone are compassionate with our faults - Daily Bible Readings March 21,2016

1^ST READING

 

Christians must always work for justice. God has chosen to redeem us as an expression of His justice and love for us. It is now up to us to be witnesses of His love through our lives. It is a constant challenge to live justly and reflect the love of God as the world does not have the same sense of justice as God does.

 

Isaiah 42:1-7

1 Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, 4 until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands  will wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops, who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it. 6 I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

 

P S A L M

 

Psalm 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R) 2 When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies themselves stumble and fall. (R) 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war be waged upon me, even then will I trust. (R) 13 I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R)

 

GOSPEL

 

Judas is an example of what happens when we choose to tolerate sin rather than fight it. It seems that he was a thief and stole from the Apostles while taking care of the common purse. He did not fight this temptation and so his life became a fertile ground for more temptations, including that of betraying Jesus to the authorities. Sin builds on sin; little sins grow into big sins. We need to reject sin in our lives.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Hail to you, our King; you alone are compassionate with our faults.                                                    

 

John 12:1-11

1 Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. 3 Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, 5 “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” 6 He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. 7 So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” 9 The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, 11 because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.

think: Christians must always work for justice.

 

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: __________________

 

____________________________________

 

God’s special verse/thought for me today_

_____________________________________

 

 READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Genesis 37-39