Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, 31 January 2007

For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed. Have you forgotten the encouraging words which God speaks to you as his children?

"My child, pay attention when the Lord corrects you,
and do not be discouraged when he rebukes you.
Because the Lord corrects everyone he loves,
and punishes everyone he accepts as a child."

Endure what you suffer as being a father's punishment; your suffering shows that God is treating you as his children. Was there ever a child who was not punished by his father?

When we are punished, it seems to us at the time something to make us sad, not glad. Later, however, those who have been disciplined by such punishment reap the peaceful reward of a righteous life.

Instructions and Warnings

Lift up your tired hands, then, and strengthen your trembling knees! Keep walking on straight paths, so that the lame foot may not be disabled, but instead be healed.

Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it. Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with its poison.

- Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday, 30 January 2007

God Our Father

As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.

Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up. For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed.

- Hebrews 12:1-4

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Monday, 29 January 2007

Should I go on? There isn't enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions, put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners. Through faith women received their dead relatives back to life.

Others, refusing to accept freedom, died under torture in order to be raised to a better life. Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. They went around clothed in skins of shepp or goats -- poor, persecuted, and mistreated. The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.

What a record all of these have won by their faith! Yet they did not receive what God had promised, because God had decided on an even better plan for us. His purpose was that only in company with us would they be made perfect.

- Hebrews 11:32-40

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Friday, 26 January 2007

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, sent to proclaim the promised life which we have in union with Christ Jesus --

To Timothy, my dear son:

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

Thanksgiving and Encouragement

I give thanks to God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did. I thank him as I remember you always in my prayers night and day. I remember your tears, and I want to see you very much, so that I may be filled with joy. I remember the sincere faith you have, the kind of faith that your grandmother Lois and your Mother Eunice also had. I am sure that you have it also. For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For the Spirit that god has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.

Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.

- 2 Timothy 1:1-8

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday, 25 January 2006

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received strict instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as dedicated to God as are all of you who are here today. I persecuted to the death the people who followed this Way. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison. The High Priest sand the whole Council can prove that I am telling the truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews in Damascus, so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

"As I was traveling and coming near Damascus, about midday a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,' he said to me. The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me. I asked, 'What shall I do, Lord? and the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that God has determined for you to do.' I was blind because of the bright light, and so my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.

"In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there. He came to me, stood by me, and said, 'Brother Saul, see again!' At that very moment I saw again and looked at him. He said, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see his righteous Servant, and to hear him speaking with his own voice. For you will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard. And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by praying to him.'"

- Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22

He said to them, "Go throughout the whole world and preach the Gospel to all people. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues; if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, and these will get well."

- Mark 16:15-18

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, 24 January 2006

The Parable of the Sower

Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was out in the water, and the crowd stood on the shore at the water's edge. He used parables to teach them many things, saying to them:

"Listen! Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. Then, when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants, and they didn't bear grain. But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants sprouted, grew, and bore grain; some had thirty grains, others sixty, and others one hundred."

And Jesus concluded, "Listen, then, if you have ears!"

The Purpose of the Parables

When Jesus was alone, some of those who had heard him came to him with the twelve disciples and asked him to explain the parables. "you have been given the secret of the Kingdom of God," Jesus answered. "But the others, who are on the outside, hear all things by means of parables, so that,

"'They may look and look, yet not see;
they may listen and listen, yet not understand.
For if they did, they would turn to God,
and he would forgive them.'"

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower

Then Jesus asked them, "Don't you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable? The sower sows God's message. Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away. Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message, but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don't bear fruit. But other people are like seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred."

- Mark 4:1-20

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday, 23 January 2006

The Jewish Law is not a full and faithful model of the real things; it is only a faint outline of the good things to come. The same sacrifices are offered forever, year after year. How can the Law, then, by means of these sacrifices make perfect the people who come to God? If the people worshiping God had really been purified from their sins, they would not feel guilty of sin any more, and all sacrifices would stop. As it is, however, the sacrifices serve year after year to remind people of their sins. For the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins.

For this reason, when Christ was about to come into the world, he said to God:

"You do not want sacrifices and offerings,
but you have prepared a body for me.
You are not pleased with animals burned whole on the altar
or with sacrifices to take away sins.
Then I said, 'Here I am, to do your will, O God,
just as it is written of me in the book of the Law.'"

First he said, "You neither want nor are you pleased with sacrifices and offerings or with animals burned on the altar and the sacrifices to take away sins." He said this even though all these sacrifices are offered according to the Law. Then he said, "Here I am, O God, to do your will." So God does away with all the old sacrifices and puts the sacrifice of Christ in their place. Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all.

- Hebrews 10:1-10

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside the house and sent in a message, asking for him. A crowd was sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you."

Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" He looked at the people sitting around him and said, "Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother."

- Mark 3:31-35


Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Monday, 22 January 2006

Jesus and Beelzebul

Some teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem were saying, "He has Beelzebul in him! It is the chief of the demons who gives him the power to drive them out."

So Jesus called them to him and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a country divides itself into groups which fight each other, that country will fall apart. If a family divides itself into groups which fight each other, that family will fall apart. So if Satan's kingdom divides into groups, it cannot last, but will fall apart and come to an end.

"No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.

"I assure you that people can be forgiven all their sins and all the evil things they may say. But whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, because he has committed an eternal sin." (Jesus said this because some people were saying, "He has an evil spirit in him.")

- Mark 3:22-30

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday, 21 January 2006

God the Supreme King

The Lord is king, and the people tremble. He sits on his throne above the winged creatures, and the earth shakes. The Lord is mighty in Zion; he is supreme over all the nations. Everyone will praise his great and majestic name. Holy is he!

Mighty king, you love what is right; you have established justice in Israel; you have brought righteousness and fairness. Praise the Lord our God; worship before his throne! Holy is he!

Moses and Aaron were his priests and Samuel was one who prayed to him; they called to the Lord, and he answered them.

- Psalms 98:1-6

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.

Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children -- this was his pleasure and purpose. Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son!

- Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Saturday, 20 January 2006

A tent was put up, the outer one, which was called the Holy Place. In it were the lampstand and the table with the bread offered to God. Behind the second curtain was the tent called the Most Holy Place.

But Christ has already come as the High Priest of the good things that are already here. The tent in which he serves is greater and more perfect; it is not a tent made by human hands, that is, it is not a part of this created world.

When Christ went through the tent and entered once and for all into the Most Holy Place, he did not take the blood of goats and bulls to offer as a sacrifice; rather, he took his own blood and obtained eternal salvation for us. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a burnt calf are sprinkled on the people who are ritually unclean, and this purifies them by taking away their ritual impurity. Since this is true, how much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will purify our consciences from useless rituals, so that we may serve the living God.

- Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14

The Lord, the Most High is to be feared; he is a great king, ruling over all the world. He gave us victory over the peoples; he made us rule over the nations.

Sing praise to God; sing praise to our king! God is king over all the world; praise him with songs!

God sits on his sacred throne; he rules over the nations. The rulers of the nations assemble with the people of the God of Abraham. More powerful than all armies is he; he rules supreme.

- Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9

Then Jesus went home. Again such a large crowd gathered that Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat. When his family heard about it, they set out to take charge of him, because people were saying, "He's gone mad!"

- Mark 3:20-21

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Friday, 19 January 2007

But now, Jesus has been given priestly work which is superior to theirs, just as the covenant which he arranged between God and his people is a better one, because it is based on promises of better things.

If there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant, there would have been no need for a second one. But God finds fault with his people when he says,

"The days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will draw up a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt.
They were not faithful to the covenant I made with them,
and so I paid no attention to them.
Now, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel
in the days to come, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
None of them will have to teach their friends
or tell their neighbors, 'Know the Lord.'
For they will all follow me,
from the least to the greatest.
I will forgive their sins
and will no longer remember their wrongs."

By speaking of a new covenant, God has made the first one old; and anything that becomes old and worn out will soon disappear.

- Hebrews 8:6-13

I am listening to what the Lord God is saying; he promises peace to us, his own people, if we do not go back to our foolish ways.

Love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will embrace. Human loyalty will reach up from the earth, and God's righteousness will look down from heaven. The Lord will make us prosperous, and our land will produce rich harvests. Righteousness will go before the Lord and prepare the path for him.

- Psalms 85:8, 10-13

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles

Then Jesus went up a hill and called to himself the men he wanted. They came to him, and he chose twelve, whom he named apostles. "I have chosen you to be with me," he told them. "I will also send you out to preach, and you will have authority to drive out demons."

These are the twelve he chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter); James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (Jesus gave them the name Boanerges, which means "Men of Thunder"); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

- Mark 3:13-19

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday, 18 January 2007

Jesus Our High Priest

And so he is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through him, because he lives forever to plead with God for them.

Jesus, then, is the High Priest that meets our needs. He is holy; he has no fault or sin in him; he has been set apart from sinners and raised above the heavens. He is not like the other high priests; he does not need to offer sacrifices every day for his own sins first and then for the sins of the people. He offered one sacrifice, once and for all, when he offered himself. The Law of Moses appoints men who are imperfect to be high priests; but God's promise made with the vow, which came later than the Law, appoints the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

The whole point of what we are saying is that we have such a High Priest, who sits at the right of the throne of the Divine Majesty in heaven. He serves as high priest in the Most Holy Place, that is, in the real tent which was put up by the Lord, not by human hands.

Every high priest is appointed to present offerings and animal sacrifices to God, and so our High Priest must also have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer the gifts required by the Jewish Law. The work they do as priests is really only a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven. It is the same as it was with Moses. When he was about to build the Sacred Tent, God told him, "Be sure to make everything according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain." But now, Jesus has been given priestly work which is superior to theirs, just as the covenant which he arranged between God and his people is a better one, because it is based on promises of better things.

- Hebrews 7:25-8:6

Listen, my people, and I will speak: I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God. I do not reprimand you because of your sacrifices and the burnt offerings you always bring me. And yet I do not need bulls from your farms or goats from your flocks; all the animals in the forest are mine and the cattle on thousands of hills.

You refuse to let me correct you; you reject my commands.

- Psalms 50:7-10, 17

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, 17 January 2007

The Priest Melchizedek

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. As Abraham was coming back from the battle in which he defeated the four kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him, and Abraham gave him one tenth of all he had taken. (The first meaning of Melchizedek's name is "King of Righteousness"; and because he was king of Salem, his name also means "King of Peace.") There is no record of Melchizedek's father or mother or any of his ancestors; no record of his birth or his death. He is like the Son of God; he remains a priest forever.

The matter becomes even plainer; a different priest has appeared, who is like Melchizedek. He was made a priest, not by human rules and regulations, but through the power of a life which has no end. For the scripture says, "You will be a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek."

- Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17

The Lord and His Chosen King

The Lord said to my lord, "Sit here at my right side until I put your enemies under your feet." From Zion the Lord will extend your royal power. "Rule over your enemies," he says. On the day you fight your enemies, your people will volunteer. Like the dew of early morning your young men will come to you on sacred hills.

The Lord made a solemn promise and will not take it back: "You will be a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchizedek."

- Psalms 110:1-4

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday, 16 January 2007

- Hebrews 6:10-20

God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians. Our great desire is that each of you keep up your eagerness to the end, so that the things you hope for will come true. We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe and are patient, and so receive what God has promised.

God's sure promise

When God made his promise to Abraham, he made a vow to do what he had promised. Since there was no one greater than himself, he used his own name when he made his vow. He said, "I promise you that I will bless you and give you many descendants." Abraham was patient, and so he received what God had promised. When we make a vow, we use the name of someone greater than ourselves, and the vow settles all arguments. To those who were to receive what he promised, God wanted to make it very clear that he would never change his purpose; so he added his vow to the promise. There are these two things, then, that cannot change and about which God cannot lie. So we who have found safety with him are greatly encouraged to hold firmly to the hope placed before us. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives. It is safe and sure, and goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary. On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

- Psalms 111:1-5, 9-10c

The Question about the Sabbath

Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. As his disciples walked along with him, they began to pick the heads of wheat. So the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do that on the Sabbath!"

Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he needed something to eat? He and his men were hungry, so he went into the house of God and ate the bread offered to God. This happened when Abiathar was the High Priest. According to our law only the priests may eat this bread -- but David ate it and even gave it to his men."

And Jesus concluded, "The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

- Mark 2:23-28 *

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Monday, 15 January 2007

Jesus the Great High Priest

Every high priest is chosen from his fellow-men and appointed to serve God on their behalf, to offer sacrifices and offerings for sins. Since he himself is weak in many ways, he is able to be gentle with those who are ignorant and make mistakes. And because he is himself weak, he must offer sacrifices not only for the sins of the people but also for his own sins. No one chooses for himself the honor of being a high priest. It is only by God's call that a man is made a high priest - just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take upon himself the honor of being a high priest. Instead, God said to him,

"You are my Son;
today I have become your Father."

He also said in another place,

"You will be a priest forever,
in the priestly order of Melchizedek."

In his life on earth Jesus made his prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save him from death. Because he was humble and devoted, God heard him. But even though he was God's Son, he learned through his sufferings to be obedient. When he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him, and God declared him to be high priest in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

- Hebrews 5:1-10

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday, 14 January 2007

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

Jerusalem, be strong and great again!
Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor!
The heathen will never enter your gates again.
Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!
Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!
Undo the chains that bind you, captive people of Zion!

The Sovereign Lord says to his people, "When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free. When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened; you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me."

- Isaiah 52:1-5

God the Supreme King

Sing a new song to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord, all the world!
Sing to the Lord and praise him!
Proclaim every day the good news that he has saved us.
Proclaim his glory to the nations.

Praise the Lord, all people on earth;
praise his glory and might.
Praise the Lord's glorious name;
bring an offering and come into his Temple.
Bow down before the Holy one when he appears;
tremble before him, all the earth!

- Psalms 96:1-3, 7-10

Christ Our Helper

I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin: but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf -- Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.

If we obey God's commands, then are sure that we know him. If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us. But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God. If we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Christ did.

The New Command

My dear friends, this command I am writing you is not new; it is the old command, the one you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the message you have already heard. However, the command I now write you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ an also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining.

If we say that we are in the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very hour. If we love others, we live in the light, and so there is nothing in us that will cause someone else to sin. But if we hate others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where we are going, because the darkness has made us blind.

- John 2:1-11

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Saturday, 13 January 2007

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves.

Jesus the Great High Priest

Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we professs. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God -- Jesus, the son of God. Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

- Hebrews 4:12-16

The Law of the Lord

The laws of the Lord are right,
and those who obey them are happy.
The commands of the Lord are just
and give understanding to the mind.
Reverence for the Lord is good;
it will continue forever.
The judgments of the Lord are just;
they are always fair.
They are more desirable than the finest gold;
they are sweeter than the purest honey.

- Psalms 19:8-10

Jesus Calls Levi

Jesus went back again to the shore of Lake Galilee. A crowd came to him, and he started teaching them. As he walked along, he saw a tax collector, Levi son of Alphaeus, sitting in his office. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Levi got up and followed him.

Later on Jesus was having a meal in Levi's house. A large number of tax collectors and other outcasts was following Jesus, and many of them joined him and his disciples at the table. Some teachers of the Law, who were Pharisees, saw that Jesus was eating with these outcasts and tax collectors, so they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such people?"

Jesus heard them and answered, "People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts."

- Mark 2:13-17

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Friday, 12 January 2007

Now, God has offered us the promise that we may receive that rest he spoke about. Let us take care, then, that none of you will be found to have failed to receive that promised rest. For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith. We who believe, then, do receive that rest which God promised. It is just as he said,

"I was angry and made a solemn promise:
'They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!'"

He said this even though his work had been finished from the time he created the world. For somewhere in the Scriptures this is said about the seventh day: "God rested on the seventh day from all his work." This same matter is spoken of again: "They will never enter that land where I would have given them rest."

Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.

- Hebrews 4:1-5, 11

...things we have heard and known,
things that our ancestors told us.
We will not keep them from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the Lord's power and his great deeds
and the wonderful things he has done.

...so that the next generagion might learn them
and in turn should tell their children.
In this way they also will put their trust in God
and not forget what he has done,
but always obey his commandments.
They will not be like their ancestors,
a rebellious and disobedient people,
whose trust in God was never firm
and who did not remain faithful to him.

- Psalms 78:3, 4, 6c-8

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum, and the news spread that he was at home. So many people came together that there was no room left, not even out in front of the door. Jesus was preaching the message to them when four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus. Because of the crowd, however, they could not get the man to him. So they made a hole in the roof right above the place where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they let the man down, lying on his mat. Seeing how much faith they had, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

Some teachers of the Law who were sitting there thought to themselves, "How does he dare talk like this? This is blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!"

At once Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said to them, "Why do you think such things? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, pick up your mat, and walk'? I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." So he said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home!"

While they all watched, the man got up, picked up his mat, and hurried away. They were all completely amazed and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

- Mark 2:1-12

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday, 11 January 2007

A Rest for God's People

So then, as the Holy Spirit says,

"If you hear God's voice today,
do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God,
as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test.
There they put me to the test and tried me, says God,
although they had seen what I did for forty years.
And so I was angry with those people and said,
"They are always disloyal and refuse to obey my commands.'
I was angry and made a solemn promise:
They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!'"

My friends, be careful that none of you have a heart so evil and unbelieving that you will turn away from the living God. Instead, in order that none of you be deceived by sin and become stubborn, you must help one another everyday, as long as the word "Today" in the scripture applies to us. For we are all partners with Christ if we hold firmly to the end the confidence we had at the beginning.

- Hebrews 3:7-14

Come, let us bow down and worship him;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
He is our God;
we are the people he cares for,
the flock for which he provides.

Listen today to what he says:
"Don't be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah,
as they were that day in the Desert at Massah.
There they put me to the test and tried me,
although they had seen what I did for them.
For forty years I was disgusted with those people.
I said, 'How disloyal they are!
They refuse to obey my commands.'
I was angry and made a solemn promise:
'You will never enter the land
where I would have given you rest.'"

- Psalms 95:6-11

Jesus Heals a Man

A man suffering from a dreaded skin disease came to Jesus, knelt down, and begged him for help. "If you want to," he said, "you can make me clean."

Jesus was filled with pity, and reached out and touched him. "I do want to," he answered. "Be clean!" At once the disease left the man, and he was clean. Then Jesus spoke sternly to him and sent him away at once, after saying to him, "Listen, don't tell anyone about this. But go straight to the priest and let him examine you; then in order to prove to everyone that you are cured, offer the sacrifice that Moses ordered."

But the man went away and began to spread the news everywhere. Indeed he talked so much that Jesus could not go into a town publicly. Instead, he stayed out in lonely places, and people came to him from everywhere.

- Mark 1:40-45

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Wednesday, 10 January 2007

Since the children, as he calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through his death he might destroy the devil, who has the power over death, and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. For it is clear that it is not the angels that he helps. Instead, he helps the descendants of Abraham. This means that he had to become like his people in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful HIgh Priest in his service to God, so that the people's sins would be forgiven. And now he can help those who are tempted because he himself was tempted and suffered.

- Hebrews 2:14-18

Jesus Heals Many People
Jesus and his disciples, including James and John, left the synagogue and went straight to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and as soon as Jesus arrived, he was told about her. He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to wait on them.

After the sun had set and evening had come, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had demons. All the people of the town gathered in front of the house. Jesus healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases and drove out many demons. He wold not let the demons say anything, because they knew who he was.

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

Very early the next morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and left the house. He went out of town to a lonely place, where he prayed. But Simon and his companions went out searching for him, and when they found him, they said, "Everyone is looking for you."

But Jesus answered, "We must go on to the other villages around here. I have to preach in them also, because that is why I came."

So he traveled all over Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and driving out demons.

- Mark 1:29-39

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Tuesday, 9 January 2007

A Man With an Evil Spirit

Jesus and his disciples came to the town of Capernaum, and on the next Sabbath Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. The people who heard him were amazed at the way he taught, for he wasn't like the teachers of the Law; instead, he taught with authority.

Just then a man with an evil spirit came into the synagogue and screamed, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you here to destroy us? I know who you are -- you are God's holy messenger!"

Jesus ordered the spirit, "Be quiet, and come out of the man!"

The evil spirit shook the man hard, gave a loud scream, and came out of him. The people were all so amazed that they started saying to one another, "What is this? Is it some kind of new teaching? This man has authority to give orders to the evil spirits, and they obey him!"

And so the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the province of Galilee.

- Mark 1:21-28

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Monday, 8 January 2007

The Lord's Servant

The Lord says,

"Here is my servant, whom I strengthen --
the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased.
I have filled him with my Spirit,
and he will bring justice to every nation.
He will not shout or raise his voice
or make loud speeches in the streets.
He will not break off a bent read
nor put out a flickered lamp.
He will bring lasting justice to all.
He will not lose hope or courage;
he will establish justice on the earth.
Distant lands eagerly wait for his teaching.

"I, the Lord have called you and given you power
to see that justice is done on earth.
Through you I will make a covenant with all peoples;
through you I will bring light to the nations.
You will open the eyes of the blind
and set free those who sit in dark prisons."

- Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

People's hopes began to rise, and they began to wonder whether John perhaps might be the Messiah. So John said to all of them, "I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

The Baptism of Jesus

After all the people had been baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While he was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you."

- Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Sunday, 7 January 2007

Visitors from the East

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the law and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?"

"In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they answered. "For this is what the prophet wrote:

'Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah;
for from you will come a leader
who will guide my people Israel.'"

So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: "Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him."

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

- Matthew 2:1-12

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Saturday, 6 January 2007

The Witness About Jesus Christ

Who can defeat the world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is the one who came with the water of his baptism and the blood of his death. He came not only with the water, but with both the water and the blood. And the Spirit himself testifies that this is true, because the Spirit is truth. There are three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and all three give the same testimony. We believe human testimony; but God's testimony is much stronger, and he has given testimony about his Son. So those who believe in the Son of God have this testimony in their own heart; but those who do not believe have made a liar oh mi, because they have not believed what God has said about his son. The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in his Son. Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

- 1 John 5:5-13

The Baptism of Jesus

He announced to the people, "The man who will come after me is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to bend down and untie his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you."

- Mark 1:7-11

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Friday, 5 January 2007

Love One Another

The message you heard from the very beginning is this: we must love one another. We must not be like Cain; he belonged to the Evil One and murdered his own brother Abel. Why did Cain murder him? Because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right.

So do not be surprised, my friends, if the people of the world hate you. We know that we have left death and come over into life; we know it because we love others. Those who do not love are still under the power of death. Those who hate others are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life in them. This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others! If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God? My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.

This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God's presence. If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything. And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God's presence.

- 1 John 3:11-21

A Hymn of Praise

Sing to the Lord, all the world!
Worship the Lord with joy; come before him with happy songs!

Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock.

Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving; go into its courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise him.

The Lord is good; and his love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever.

- Psalms 100:1-5

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come with me!" (Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) Philip found Nathanael who told him, "We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Nathanael asked.

"Come and see," answered Philip.

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, "Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!"

Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?"

Jesus answered, "I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you."

"Teacher," answered Nathanael, "you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Jesus said, "Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!" And he said to them, "I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man."

- John 1:43-51

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Readings for Thursday, 4 January 2007

Let no one deceive you, my children! Whoever does what is right is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. Whoever continues to sin belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the very beginning. The Son of God appeared for this reason, to destroy what the Devil had done.

Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin. Here is the clear difference between God's children and the Devil's children: those who do not do what is right or do not love others are not God's children.

- 1 John 3:7-10

God the Ruler of the World

Sing a new song to the Lord; he has done wonderful things!
By his own power and holy strength he has won the victory.

Roar, sea, and every creature in you; sing; earth and all who live on you.
Clap your hands, you rivers; you hills, sing together with joy before the Lord, because he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the peoples of the world with justice and fairness.

- Psalms 98:1, 7-9

The First Disciples of Jesus

The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, when he saw Jesus walking by. "There is the Lamb of God!" he said.

The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. Jesus turned, "What are you looking for?"

They answered, "Where do you live, Rabbi?" (This word means "Teacher.")

"Come and see," he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.

One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. At once he found his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah." (This word means "Christ.") Then he took Simon to Jesus.

- John 1:35-42


Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Reading for Wednesday, 3 January 2007

Children of God

You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child.

See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great -- and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us; it has not known God. My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is. Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.

Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the Law. You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him. So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin; but whoever continues to sin has never seen him or known him.

- 1 John 2:29-3:6

The Lamb of God

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.' I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel."

And John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him. I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, 'You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen it," said John, "and I tell you that he is the Son of God."

- John 1:29-34

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Reading for Tuesday, 2 January 2007

Who, then, is the liar? It is those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemy of Christ -- they reject both the Father and the Son. For those who reject the Son reject also the Father; those who accept the Son have the Father also.

Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then you will always live in union with the Son and the Father. And this is what Christ himself promised to give us -- eternal life.

I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But as for you, Christ has poured our his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.

Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes.

- 1 John 2:22-28

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible

Daily Bible Reading for New Year, Monday, 1 January 2007

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said. Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them. The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.

A week later, when the time came for the baby to be circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

- Luke 2:16-21

Technorati tags: Catholic
Bible
Daily Bible
Catholic Bible