Daily Bible Readings

October 23, 2011
1st READING


The law of God, as revealed in the Old Testament, shows how concerned God was for the welfare of the poor and vulnerable. In fact, although this law was given 2,500 years ago, no country at present has the same just and fair laws as those given to Israel. Unfortunately, because of greed and hardness of heart, the people did not obey God’s law and ultimately were expelled from the land of promise. If this is how God expected His people to act in the Old Covenant, how much more justly should we, as children of the New Covenant, act?


Exodus 22:20-26

20 Thus says the LORD: “You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. 21 You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. 22 If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. 23 My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. 24 “If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. 25 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; 26 for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.”

P S A L M


Psalms 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R: I love you, Lord, my strength.

1 [2] I love you, O LORD, my strength, 2 [3] O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. (R) My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold! 3 [4] Praised be the LORD, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies. (R) 46 [47] The LORD lives and blessed be my rock! Extolled be God my savior. 50 [51] You who gave great victories to your king and showed kindness to your anointed. (R)

2nd READING


Often, the Christians were persecuted for their faith and it was difficult to be a believer at the time of the Apostles. Similarly, Christians today who live in communist, Islamic and totalitarian regimes suffer greatly for their faith. Let us be aware of our suffering brethren and keep them in our hearts and prayers.


1 Thessalonians 1:5-10

5 Brothers and sisters: You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

G O S P E L


The Pharisees often tried to test Jesus to see if they could get Him to say something for which they could accuse Him of blasphemy or doctrinal error. Here, they ask Him to tell them which of the 613 laws they followed was the greatest. This question is one that disciples would ask of their master. Jesus gives His simple and sublime answer — just two: to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. If you fulfill these two, you will have fulfilled the whole of the law.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R: Alleluia, alleluia


Matthew 22:34-40

34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them a scholar of the law tested him by asking, 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

my reflections

t h i n k : Let us be aware of our suffering brethren and keep them in our hearts and prayers.

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 Haggai 1-2
SABBATH PAUSE
My weekly time with God
THANK YOU LIST
Things to be grateful for from the past week
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SPECIAL NEEDS
Things to ask God for in the coming week
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HIDDEN TREASURE
Most important word God told me this week
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