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Monday, April 1, 2013

Daily Bible Readings - March 31,2013

1ST READING
 
Peter is addressing Gentiles in this passage and so we see him carefully explaining events that could otherwise be assumed as known by a Jewish audience. It is important that we take into account the audience we speak to when we are proclaiming the Gospel, so that we can present it clearly and concisely. The message of the resurrection of Jesus would have been an astounding claim, and still is today when you think about it, and so we need to be careful that we present it well to those who are willing to listen.
 
Acts 10:34, 37-43
34 Peter proceeded to speak and said: 37 “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. 40 This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, 41 not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”
 
P S A L M
 
Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23
R: This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” (R) 16 “The right hand of the Lord has struck with power; the right hand of the Lord is exalted.” 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. (R) 22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. (R)
 
 
2ND READING
 
In receiving the new life Christ offers us through the Gospel and baptism, we also take on the responsibility to become living examples of the Gospel way of life. This is both a privilege and a responsibility — a privilege in the sense that we do not deserve the blessing or opportunity, and a responsibility in that we will be called to account if we fail to live out the Gospel after having heard it and accepted it.
 
Colossians 3:1-4 (or 1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
1 Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.
 
GOSPEL
 
The empty tomb is an important aspect of the Johannine story of the resurrection. It helps the disciples understand the meaning of Jesus’ words throughout His ministry with them and also the Scriptures. Belief in the resurrection is the clinching aspect of our faith, as it informs every other event of Jesus’ passion and death. Jesus’ death is an empty one without the victory of the resurrection. His suffering ends with the same result if He simply dies on the cross. Let us pray for a deeper trust and belief in the resurrection so that it can transform everything we do in our lives.
 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been sacrificed; let us then feast with joy in the Lord.
 
John 20:1-9 (or Matthew 28:1-10)
1 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala 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.” 3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
 
think: We are living examples of the Gospel way of life.
 
 
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
 
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God’s special verse/thought for me today_
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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Exodus 4-6
                                                                                                          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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REVIEW OF THE QUARTER
 
 
Did I fulfill my last quarter goals?
 
 
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What were the most important words the Lord gave to me this quarter?
 
 
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What were my greatest blessings these past three months?
 
 
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What are my most pressing needs for the next quarter?
 
 
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NOTES:
 
 
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