Daily Bible Readings

July 22, 2011
1st READING
God gives to His people the Ten Commandments so that they can live in the truth of who they are as sons and daughters of God. While the law itself cannot free us from sin, when we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to control our lives we are then able to fulfill the commandments out of love for God. And so we experience the blessings of a life anchored on God’s will for us, thereby avoiding much sorrow, pain and fruitless suffering.

Exodus 20:1-17 (or Song of Songs 3:1-4 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-17)
1 In those days: God delivered all these commandments: 2 “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 3 You shall not have other gods besides me. 4 You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; 5 you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; 6 but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain. 8 Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. 9 Six days you may labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. 11 In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 12 Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. 13 “You shall not kill. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”

P S A L M

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11 (or Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9)
R: Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
7 [8] The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. (R) 10 [11] They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. (R)

G O S P E L

In the garden of Eden, Eve loses the gift of fellowship with God and is driven out into the wilderness. Now, in another garden, another woman who has suffered greatly from the effects of Eve’s sin, weeps with longing for the Lord of Life who had forgiven her. Jesus appears to her and asks, “For whom are you weeping?” Jesus asks this of us, too. He alone can comfort our hearts and fulfill our deepest yearnings.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way? I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

John 20:1-2, 11-18 (or Matthew 13:18-23)
1 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” 11 Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary of Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.

my reflections
t h i n k : J esus alone can comfort our hearts and fulfill our deepest yearnings.

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 Psalm 146-150