Daily Bible Reading - August 31, 2020

 1st READING 

Paul tells us that God will use His power to convince us about the truth of the Gospel. Let’s ask Him to show us His power and love. Persuasive words are not enough to ensure a person’s salvation. Salvation also relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to change us and bring an encounter with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, 4 and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

PSALM

Psalm 119:97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102

R: Lord, I love your commands.

97 How I love your law, O Lord! It is my meditation all the day. (R) 98 Your command has made me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. (R) 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers when your decrees are my meditation. (R) 100 I have more discernment than the elders, because I observe your precepts. (R) 101 From every evil way I withhold my feet, that I may keep your words. (R) 102 From your ordinances I turn not away, for you have instructed me. (R)

GOSPEL

What does it mean to bring “glad tidings to the poor”? The greatest gift we can bring to anyone is the truth of the Gospel—this is what Jesus is talking about. A better way of life in this world will be good for a hundred years. Salvation is for eternity.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.

Luke 4:16-30

16 Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17 and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. 20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” 23 He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26 It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Reflect: “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8

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T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST 

thank You, Lord, for: 

____________________  

                                      

Read the Bible in one year - Psalms 31-35

Daily Bible Reading - August 30, 2020

 TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

1st READING

The Lord always finds a way to bring us to Him such that we are caught up in a faith response even before we realize it. This is the way of the Holy Spirit. He always draws us to God.

Jeremiah 20:7-9

7 You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day. 9 I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

PSALM

Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R: My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

2 O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. (R)3 Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory, 4 for your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify you. (R) 5 Thus will I bless you while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name. 6 As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. (R) 8 You are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. 9 My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me. (R)

2nd READING

Our minds play a central role in our conversion. We may be drawn to faith in many different ways, but ultimately, we have to rationally acknowledge the truth of the Gospel. Faith is not simply an instinct or emotion; there is a rational component to faith, which helps us endure the hardships and struggles. Paul knows this and calls us to a renewal of our minds according to the ways and mind of God.

Romans 12:1-2

1 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. 2 Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

GOSPEL

Jesus reminds us that we cannot save ourselves from sin. If we insist on this, the result will be disastrous. We need to let go of our self-sufficiency and admit that we need Jesus to redeem and lead us on the path to salvation. This path is not easy to follow. Let us pray for the humility to receive God’s graces for the journey.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.

Matthew 16:21-27

21 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 23 He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

Reflect: In what ways can we die to ourselves and follow Jesus more closely? 

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T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST 

thank You, Lord, for: 

____________________  

                                       

Read the Bible in one year - Psalms 26-30 

Daily Bible Reading - August 29, 2020

 

Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

1st READING

We are sons and daughters of God. Our identity as His children is the basis of our dignity and who we are in His eyes and our own. Paul claims he is not a great orator and knows this does not matter, because the Gospel is inherent and convinces the individual of its truth. We just need to be faithful in both living and proclaiming it and leave the rest to the grace of God and the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (or Jeremiah 1:17-19)

26 Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, 28 and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, 29 so that no human being might boast before God. 30 It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”

PSALM

Psalm 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21 (or Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17)

R: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

12 Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. 13 From heaven the Lord looks down; he sees all mankind. (R) 18 But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, 19 to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. (R) 20 Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield, 21 for in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust. (R)

GOSPEL

John the Baptist is a man of integrity. Even if it will displease Herod, John still told him the truth about his illicit marriage to his brother’s wife. This results in his martyrdom after a major flaw in Herod’s character is revealed—his lack of integrity and doing what he knows is wrong. Herod is weak and wants to please the people around him at the cost of John’s life.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Mark 6:17-29

17 Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. 18 John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. 20 Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. 21 She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. 22 Herodias’s own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” 23 He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Reflect: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” – Matthew 11:11

______________________________   

     

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST 

thank You, Lord, for: 

____________________  

                                       

Read the Bible in one year - Psalms 12-25

Daily Bible Reading - August 28, 2020

 

1st READING 

The Gospel does not make sense when all we see are words written on a piece of paper. It only makes sense when we live it to the full within the context of a faith community. The more people we can encourage to live the Gospel through faith, the greater the power of our witness. May we be good witnesses by the way we live out our faith in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:17-25

17 Brothers and sisters: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. 18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside. 20 Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

PSALM

Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

R: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

1 Exult, you just, in the Lord; praise from the upright is fitting. 2 Give thanks to the Lord on the harp; with the ten- stringed lyre chant his praises. (R) 4 For upright is the word of the Lord, and all his works are trustworthy. 5 He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full. (R) 10 The Lord brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. 11 But the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. (R)

GOSPEL

Preparation is an important part of discipleship. God calls us to serve at any time and we may or may not know what He is asking us to do. The most important aspect of our preparation is listening to the Lord’s voice. Through this, we will know what He wants us to do.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Be vigilant at all times and pray, that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.

Matthew 25:1-13

1 Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, 4 but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. 11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ 12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Reflect: “Behold, I am coming soon . . .” – Revelations 22:12

______________________________   

    

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST 

thank You, Lord, for: 

____________________  

                                       

Read the Bible in one year - Psalms 16-20

Daily Bible Reading - August 27, 2020

 

1st READING

Today’s reading shows Paul’s love for the Corinthian community. According to scholars, Paul wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians. He was involved with the formation of the community for a number of years before moving on, and also visited them on occasion. From this, we learn that it took Paul years to establish a community. He did not simply arrive, preach the Gospel, and have an instant community. He worked hard at discipleship and formation of leaders.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1 Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 to the Church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, 6 as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

P S A L M

Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R: I will praise your name forever, Lord.

2 Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. (R) 4 Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might. 5 They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works. (R) 6 They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds and declare your greatness. 7 They publish the fame of your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your justice. (R)

GOSPEL

Let us identify our gifts and calling from the Lord. How we use our gifts and respond to His call is the basis for His judgment. Let us pray for the grace to use our God-given gifts so we can do our part in building His Kingdom. Let us also encourage others to respond to God’s call.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Stay Awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.

Matthew 24:42-51

42 Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 43 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. 44 So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. 45 “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. 47 Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, 50 the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour 51 and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

Reflect: Are you prepared to see Jesus face to face? How do you prepare for His coming again?

______________________________   

    

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST 

thank You, Lord, for: 

____________________  

                                       

Read the Bible in one year - Psalms 11-15