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  1. #341

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)


    Friday (3/24): "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength"
    Gospel Reading: Mark 12:28-34

    28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 32 And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; 33 and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any question.

    Old Testament Reading: Hosea 14:2-10

    9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

    Meditation: How does love and obedience to God’s law go together? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to study the six hundred and thirteen precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose. What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God's love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will. What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart? Paul the Apostle says: hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5). Do you know the love which conquers all?

    "We love you, O our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter, come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips, our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy. Give us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love, let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son." (Prayer of Anselm, 12th century)

    Psalm 81:6-16

    6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
    7 In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Mer'ibah. [Selah]
    8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
    9 There shall be no strange God among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign God.
    10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
    11 "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me.
    14 I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
    15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last for ever.
    16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."



  2. #342

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Monday, March 27, 2006

    The eyes of all hope in Thee, O Lord; and Thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest Thy hand, and fillest every living creature with blessing.

    -- Psalm cxliv. 15,16

    First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-21
    Psalm: Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
    Gospel: John 4:43-54

    43 After the two days he departed to Galilee.
    44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
    45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast.
    46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose son was ill.
    47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
    48 Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."
    49 The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
    50 Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.
    51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living.
    52 So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
    53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed, and all his household.
    54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.




  3. #343

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Tuesday, March 28, 2006

    Incline Thy ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am needy and poor.

    -- Psalm lxxxv. 1

    First Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
    Psalm: Psalm 46, 2-3, 5-6, 8-9
    Gospel: John 5:1-16

    1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
    2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Beth-za'tha, which has five porticoes.
    3 In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed.
    5 One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
    6 When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
    7 The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me."
    8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk."
    9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the sabbath.
    10 So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet."
    11 But he answered them, "The man who healed me said to me, `Take up your pallet, and walk.'"
    12 They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, `Take up your pallet, and walk'?"
    13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
    14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you."
    15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
    16 And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath.





  4. #344

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Wednesday (3/29): "My Father is working still, and I am working"
    Gospel Reading: John 5:17-30

    17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working still, and I am working." 18 This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, 27 and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. 30 "I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

    Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 49:8-15

    8 Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; 9 saying to the prisoners, `Come forth,' to those who are in darkness, `Appear.' They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights shall be their pasture; 10 they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.

    Meditation: God’s actions reveal his mercy and his justice. Do you recognize his action in your life, his saving grace and love, and the purifying fire of his Spirit who convicts us of sin and transforms us in his holiness? Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah when he brings healing, restoration, and forgiveness to those who accept his divine message. Unfortunately many people refused Jesus’ message and authority to speak and act on behalf of the Father. The religious authorities charged Jesus as a “Sabbath-breaker” and as a “blasphemer”. They wanted to kill Jesus because he claimed the same authority and power as God. He claimed equality with God— something no mortal could say without blaspheming. Jesus answered their charge of breaking the Sabbath law by demonstrating God's purpose for creation and redemption— to save and restore life. God's love and mercy never ceases, even on the Sabbath. Jesus continues to show the Father's mercy, even on the Sabbath day of rest. When they charged that Jesus was making himself equal with God, he replied that he was not acting independently of God because his relationship is that of a Father and Son relationship. If we wish to see how God reacts to sin and how he responds to our sinful condition, then we must look to Jesus. The mind of Jesus is the mind of God, and the words of Jesus are the words of God. Jesus also states that his identity to the Father is based on complete obedience. Jesus always did what his Father wanted him to do. His obedience was not based on submission or power, but on love. The unity between Jesus and the Father is a unity of love. We are called to submit our lives to God with the same love and obedience which Jesus demonstrated for his Father. Jesus states that to accept him is life and to reject him is death. Are you ready to follow the Lord and to leave behind whatever is false and contrary to his will?

    "Lord, increase my love for you and unite my heart and will with yours, that I may only seek what is pleasing to you".

    Psalm 145:14-21

    14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.
    15 The eyes of all look to thee, and thou givest them their food in due season.
    16 Thou openest thy hand, thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
    17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
    18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.
    19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him, he also hears their cry, and saves them.
    20 The LORD preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy.
    21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.



  5. #345

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Thursday (3/30): The Father's witness
    Gospel Reading: John 5:31-47

    31 If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true; 32 there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true. 33 You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. 39 You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men. 42 But I know that you have not the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"

    Old Testament Reading: Exodus 32:7-14

    9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; 10 now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation." 11 But Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does thy wrath burn hot against thy people, whom thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

    Meditation: Do you know the joy of the gospel and a life fully submitted to Jesus Christ? Jesus’ opponents refused to accept his divine authority and claim to be the only Son from the Father. They demanded evidence for his Messianic claim and equality with God. Jesus answers their charges with the supporting evidence of witnesses. The Mosaic law had laid down the principle that the unsupported evidence of one person shall not prevail against a man for any crime or wrong in connection with any offence he committed (see Deuteronomy 17:6). At least two or three witnesses were needed. Jesus begins his defense by citing John the Baptist as a witness, since John publicly pointed to Jesus as the Messiah and had repeatedly borne witness to him (see John 1:19, 20, 26, 29, 35, 36). Jesus also asserts that a greater witness to his identity are the signs he performed. He cites his works, not to point to himself but to point to the power of God working in and through him. He cites God as his supreme witness.

    Jesus asserts that the scriptures themselves, including the books of Moses, point to himself as the Messiah, the promised Savior. The problem with the scribes and Pharisees was that they did not believe what Moses had written. They desired the praise of their fellow humans and because of that they were unable to recognize and understand the word of God. Their pride made them deaf to God’s voice. God reveals himself to the lowly, to those who trust not in themselves, but in God. The Lord opens the ears of those who are eager to hear his voice and he fills their hearts and minds with his love and wisdom.

    Saint Augustine of Hippo says: “As Christians, our task is to make daily progress toward God. Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher, and it demands good students, not ones who play truant. In this school we learn something every day. We learn something from commandments, something from examples, and something from sacraments. These things are remedies for our wounds and materials for study.” Are you an eager student of God’s word and do you listen to it with faith and trust?

    "Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may listen to your word attentively and obey it joyfully."

    Psalm 106:19-23

    19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image.
    20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
    21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
    22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea.
    23 Therefore he said he would destroy them -- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.



  6. #346

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Friday (3/31): “His hour had not yet come”
    Gospel Reading: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

    1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews' feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, "Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from." 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me." 30 So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.

    Old Testament Reading: Wisdom 2:1,12-22 (Deutero-canonical book)

    17 Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; 18 for if the righteous man is God's son, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. 19 Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. 20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected." 21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them,22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls

    Meditation: What can hold us back from doing the will of God? Fear, especially the fear of death, can easily rob us of courage and the will to do what we know is right. Jesus met opposition and the threat of death with grace and determination to accomplish his Father’s will. Jesus knew that his mission, his purpose in life, would entail sacrifice and suffering and culminate with death on the cross. But that would not be the end. His “hour” would crush defeat with victory, condemnation with pardon and freedom, and death with glory and everlasting life. He willingly suffered and went to the cross for our sake, to redeem us from sin and to restore our relationship with God the Father. Saint August of Hippo says: “Our Lord had the power to lay down his life and to take it up again. But we cannot choose how long we shall live, and death comes to us even against our will. Christ, by dying, has already overcome death. Our freedom from death comes only through his death. To save us Christ had no need of us. Yet without him we can do nothing. He gave himself to us as the vine to the branches; apart from him we cannot live.”

    No one can be indifferent with Jesus for long. What he said and did – his signs and wonders – he did in the name of God. Jesus not only claimed to be the Messiah, God’s Anointed One. He claimed to be in a unique relationship with God and to know him as no one else did. To the Jews this was utter blasphemy. The religious authorities did all they could to put a stop to Jesus because they could not accept his claims and the demands he made. We cannot be indifferent to the claims which Jesus makes on us. We are either for him or against him. There is no middle ground. We can try to mold Jesus to our own ideas and preferences or we can allow his word to free us from our own ignorance, stubborn pride, and deception. Do you accept all that Jesus has said and done for you with faith and reverence or with disbelief and contempt? The consequences are enormous, both in this life and in eternity.

    “Eternal God, who are the light of the minds that know you, the joy of the hearts that love you, and the strength of the wills that serve you; grant us so to know you, that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom, in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Prayer of Saint Augustine)

    Psalm 34:17-22

    17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
    18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
    19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
    21 Evil shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
    22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.



  7. #347

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Sunday, April 2, 2006

    Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

    -- Matthew xxv. 34

    First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
    Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 12-15
    Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7-9
    Gospel: John 12:20-33

    20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
    21 So these came to Philip, who was from Beth-sa'ida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
    22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus.
    23 And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.
    24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
    25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
    26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
    27 "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour.
    28 Father, glorify thy name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
    29 The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."
    30 Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.
    31 Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out;
    32 and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
    33 He said this to show by what death he was to die.







  8. #348

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Wednesday: (4/5): "The truth will make you free"
    Gospel Reading: John 8:31-42

    31 Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, `You will be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father." 39 They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do what Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. 41 You do what your father did." They said to him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

    Old Testament Reading: Daniel 3:14-20,91-92,95

    14 Nebuchadnez'zar said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up." 19 Then Nebuchadnez'zar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

    Meditation: What saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego from the fiery furnace? Obedience to God’s will. They were willing to suffer death rather than disobey their God. God was with them in the fiery furnace and he rewarded them for their faithfulness. Jesus came to do the will of his Father. He was not spared the cross which he willing embraced for our sake. His obedience reversed the curse of Adam’s disobedience. The Father crowned him with victory over sin, death, and Satan. Jesus shows us the way to true freedom and victory–freely submitting our heart, mind, and will to an all-merciful, all-loving, and all-wise God. What the Father offers us is a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom.14:17).The happiest, freest people are those who delight in God. Their joy is the pleasure of doing the Father’s will. Do you know the joy of submission to God?

    What is the world’s notion of freedom? “To do as I please”. This is really a mask for servitude to one’s passions and unruly desires. Jesus offers his disciples true freedom – freedom from the slavery of selfishness, freedom from fear, especially the fear of what others might think of us, and freedom from hurtful desires and the power of sin. The good news is that Christ has truly set us free from sin. How is this possible? Through the gift and power of the Holy Spirit we can choose to walk in Christ’s way of love and holiness. A disciple is a follower and a listener. If we listen to the words of Jesus, with a humble and teachable spirit, he will give us the grace and the power to follow in his way of holiness. Ask the Lord to open your ears to his word that you may be attentive to his voice.

    "Lord, write your words of love and truth upon my heart and make me a diligent student and a worthy disciple of your word."

    Psalm 18: 25-27

    25 With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal; with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless;
    26 with the pure thou dost show thyself pure; and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse.
    27 For thou dost deliver a humble people; but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down.



  9. #349

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Thursday: (4/6): "Before Abraham was, I am"
    Gospel Reading: John 8:51-59

    51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death." 52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, `If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. 55 But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I should be a liar like you; but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." 59 So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

    Old Testament Reading: Genesis 17:3-9

    3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

    Meditation: Do you thirst to know God fully -- to know him personally and to know the power of his love and wisdom for you? God made us to know him and he gives us the gift of faith and understanding to grow in our knowledge of him. Jesus challenged the people of Israel to accept his word as the revelation of God. His claims challenged the very foundation of their belief and understanding of God. Jesus made a series of claims which are the very foundation of his life and mission. What are these claims? First, Jesus claims unique knowledge of God. Jesus claims that the only way to full knowledge of the mind and heart of God is through himself. Jesus also claims unique obedience to God the Father. He thinks, lives and acts in the knowledge of his Father's word. To look at his life is to "see how God wishes me to live." In Jesus alone we see what God wants us to know and what he wants us to be.

    When the Jews asked Jesus who do you claim to be? he answered, before Abraham was, I am. Jesus claims to be timeless and there is only one in the universe who is timeless, namely God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:. Jesus was not just a man who came, lived, died, and then rose again. He is the immortal timeless One, who always was and always will be. In Jesus we see the eternal God in visible flesh. His death and rising make it possible for us to share in his eternal life. Do you live in the hope and joy of the resurrection?

    "Lord, let your word be on my lips and in my heart that I may walk in the freedom of your truth and love."

    Psalm 105:4-9

    4 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!
    5 Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
    6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
    7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
    8 He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
    9 the covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac



  10. #350

    Default Re: Daily Scripture Reading (from the Catholic Bible)

    Friday: (4/7): "I am the Son of God"
    Gospel Reading: John 10:31-42

    31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?" 33 The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God." 34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, `I said, you are Gods'? 35 If he called them Gods to whom the word of God came (and scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." 39 Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. 40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptized, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him; and they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." 42 And many believed in him there.

    Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13

    10 For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him." 11 But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.

    Meditation: Is your life consecrated to God? The scriptural understanding of consecration is to make holy for God – to be given over as a free-will offering and sacrifice for God. Jesus made himself a sin-offering for us, to ransom us from condemnation and slavery to sin. He spoke of his Father consecrating him for this mission of salvation. Why were the religious leaders so upset with Jesus that they wanted to kill him ? They charged him with blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus made two claims in his response: He was consecrated by the Father to a special task and he was sent into the world to carry out his Father's mission. Jesus challenged his opponents to accept his works if they could not accept his words. One can argue with words, but deeds are beyond argument. Jesus is the perfect teacher in that he does not base his claims on what he says but on what he does. The word of God is life and power to those who believe. Jesus shows us the way to walk the path of truth and holiness. And he anoints us with his power to live the gospel with joy and to be his witnesses in the world. Are you a doer of God's word, or a forgetful hearer only?

    "Write upon my heart, O Lord, the lessons of your holy word, and grant that I may be a doer of your word, and not a forgetful hearer only."

    Psalm 18:2-6

    2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
    3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
    4 The cords of death encompassed me, the torrents of perdition assailed me;
    5 the cords of Sheol entangled me, the snares of death confronted me.
    6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.



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