Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

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Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Present sorrow and suffering is the way to glory, the way to the kingdom.

-- St Bernard

First Reading:Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm:Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Gospel:Matthew 7:15-20

15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit.
18 A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.

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Friday, June 24, 2005
The Birth of St. John the Baptist (Solemnity)

I should willingly give every drop of my blood to please Him and to prevent sinners offending Him. I shall be satisfied only when I am a victim, to make reparation for my innumerable sins and for the sins of all the world.

-- St Gemma Galgani


First Reading:Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm:Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15
Second Reading:Acts 13:22-26
Gospel:Luke 1:57-66, 80



57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son.
58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari'ah after his father,
60 but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John."
61 And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name."
62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea;
66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

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Saturday, June 25, 2005
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The fountain of baptism is set to protect against the flame. This is the water that avails for the quenching of hell.

-- St Ephraem the Syrian

First Reading: Genesis 18: 1 - 15
Psalm: Luke 1: 46 - 50, 53 - 55
Gospel: Matthew 8: 5 - 17

5 As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him
6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress."
7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8 But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it."
10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
13 And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.
14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever;
15 he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and served him.
16 That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.
17 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."

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Sunday, June 26, 2005

Oh my God! Would I might prevent all from offending Thee! Rather, would I could make Thee known, loved and served by all Thy creatures! This is the sole object of my desire, for all things else are unworthy of attention.

-- St Anthony Mary Claret

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16
Psalm:Psalm 89:2-3, 16-19
Second Reading:Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Gospel:Matthew 10:37-42


37Â* He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;Â*
38Â* and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.Â*
39Â* He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.Â*
40Â* "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.Â*
41Â* He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.Â*
42Â* And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."Â*

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Monday, June 27, 2005

God in his omnipotence could not give more, in His wisdom He knew not how to give more, in His riches He had not more to give, than the Eucharist.

-- St Augustine

First Reading: Genesis 18: 16 - 33
Psalm: Psalms 103: 1 - 4, 8 - 11
Gospel: Matthew 8: 18 - 22

18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side.
19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
21 Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr (Memorial)

The Blessed Sacrament is the first and supreme object of our worship. We must preserve in the depths of our hearts a constant and uninterrupted, profound adoration of this precious pledge of Divine Love.

-- St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

First Reading:Genesis 19:15-29
Psalm:Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12
Gospel:Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.
25 And they went and woke him, saying, "Save, Lord; we are perishing."
26 And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27 And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

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for Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (Solemnity)

She is the entrance to life; all the others are thieves and robbers.

-- St Irenaeus

First Reading:Acts 12:1-11
Psalm:Psalm 34:2-9
Second Reading:2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Gospel:Matthew 16:13-19


13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"
14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

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June 30, 2005

Labour without stopping; do all the good works you can while you still have the time.

-- St John of God


First Reading:Tobit 1:3; 2:1-8
Psalm:Psalm 112:1-6
Gospel:Mark 12:1-12


1 And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.
2 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.
5 And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed.
6 He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, `They will respect my son.'
7 But those tenants said to one another, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
8 And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others.
10 Have you not read this scripture: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner;
11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
12 And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away.

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Friday, July 1, 2005
Blessed Junipero Serra, OFM, Priest (Optional Memorial)


Charity may be a very short word, but with its tremendous meaning of pure love, it sums up man's entire relation to God and to his neighbor.

-- St Aelred of Rievaulx


First Reading:Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67
Psalm:Psalm 106:1-5
Gospel:Matthew 9:9-13


9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12 But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

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Saturday, July 2, 2005
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[God] does not want each person to keep all the counsels, but only those appropriate to the diversity of persons, times, opportunities, and strengths, as charity requires; for it is charity, as queen of all virtues, all commandments, all counsels, and, in short, of all laws and all Christian actions that gives to all of them their rank, order, time, and value.

-- St Francis de Sales

First Reading:Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29
Psalm:Psalm 135:1-6
Gospel:Matthew 9:14-17

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."