Word for today: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV
A Christian’s goal should be to create the Kingdom of God here on earth, as it is in Heaven. Not only, to get to Heaven.
To finish the Bible in one year, Read Psalms 6-10 and 2nd Corinthians 2:5-17,
Old Testament Reading for today – Listen or read it for yourself:
Reflection for Today.
Also read the verses, if you like.
psalm 6
1 [For the choirmaster For strings For the octachord Psalm Of David] Yahweh, let your rebuke to me not be in anger, your punishment not in the heat of wrath.
2 Have pity on me, Yahweh, for I am fading away. Heal me, Yahweh, my bones are shaken,
3 my spirit is shaken to its very depths. But you, Yahweh . . . how long?
4 Yahweh, relent and save my life rescue me because of your faithful love,
5 for in death there is no remembrance of you; who could sing your praises in Sheol?
6 I am worn out with groaning, every night I drench my pillow and soak my bed with tears.
7 My eyes waste away with vexation. Arrogance from all my foes!
8 Away from me, all evil-doers! For Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping,
9 Yahweh has heard my pleading. Yahweh will accept my prayer.
10 Let all my enemies be put to confusion, shaken to their depths, let them retreat in sudden confusion.
1 [Lament Of David Which he sang to Yahweh about Cush the Benjaminite] Yahweh my God, I take refuge in you, save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
2 or he will savage me like a lion, carry me off with no one to rescue me.
3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this: if injustice has stained my hands,
4 if I have repaid my ally with treachery or spared one who attacked me unprovoked,
5 may an enemy hunt me down and catch me, may he trample my life into the ground and crush my vital parts into the dust.
6 Arise, Yahweh, in your anger, rise up against the arrogance of my foes. Awake, my God, you demand judgement.
7 Let the assembly of nations gather round you; return above it on high!
8 (Yahweh judges the nations.) Judge me, Yahweh, as my uprightness and my integrity deserve.
9 Put an end to the malice of the wicked, make the upright stand firm, you who discern hearts and minds, God the upright.
10 God is a shield that protects me, saving the honest of heart.
11 God is an upright judge, slow to anger, but a God at all times threatening
12 for those who will not repent. Let the enemy whet his sword, draw his bow and make ready;
13 but he is making ready instruments of death for himself and tipping his arrows with fire;
14 look at him: pregnant with malice, conceiving spite, he gives birth to treachery.
15 He digs a trap, scoops it out, but he falls into the snare he made himself.
16 His spite recoils on his own head, his brutality falls back on his own skull.
17 I thank Yahweh for his saving justice. I sing to the name of the Most High.
psalm 8
1 [For the choirmaster On the . . . of Gath Psalm Of David] Yahweh our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the world! Whoever keeps singing of your majesty higher than the heavens,
2 even through the mouths of children, or of babes in arms, you make him a fortress, firm against your foes, to subdue the enemy and the rebel.
3 I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers, at the moon and the stars you set firm-
4 what are human beings that you spare a thought for them, or the child of Adam that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him little less than a god, you have crowned him with glory and beauty,
6 made him lord of the works of your hands, put all things under his feet,
7 sheep and cattle, all of them, and even the wild beasts,
8 birds in the sky, fish in the sea, when he makes his way across the ocean.
9 Yahweh our Lord, how majestic your name throughout the world!
Psalm 9
1 [For the choirmaster On oboe and harp Psalm Of David] I thank you, Yahweh, with my whole heart, I recount all your wonders,
2 I rejoice and delight in you, I sing to your name, Most High.
3 My enemies are in retreat, they stumble and perish at your presence,
4 for you have given fair judgement in my favour, seated on your throne as upright judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations, destroyed the wicked, blotted out their name for ever and ever;
6 the enemy is wiped out — mere ruins for ever — you have annihilated their cities, their memory has perished. See,
7 Yahweh is enthroned for ever, keeping his throne firm for judgement;
8 he will himself judge the world in uprightness, will give a true verdict on the nations.
9 May Yahweh be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble!
10 Those who revere your name can rely on you, you never desert those who seek you, Yahweh.
11 Sing to Yahweh who dwells in Zion, tell the nations his mighty deeds,
12 for the avenger of blood does not forget them, he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
13 Have pity on me, Yahweh, see my affliction, pull me back from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises at the gates of the daughter of Zion and rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into the trap they made, their feet caught in the snare they laid.
16 Yahweh has made himself known, given judgement, he has ensnared the wicked in the work of their own hands.Muted music
17 May the wicked turn away to Sheol, all the nations forgetful of God.
18 For the needy is not forgotten for ever, not for ever does the hope of the poor come to nothing.
19 Arise, Yahweh; human strength shall not prevail. The nations shall stand trial before you.
20 Strike them with terror, Yahweh; the nations shall know that they are no more than human!
Psalm 10
1 Why, Yahweh, do you keep so distant, stay hidden in times of trouble?
2 In his pride the wicked hunts down the weak, who is caught in the schemes he devises.
3 The wicked is proud of his inmost desires, by his blasphemies the grasping spurns Yahweh,
4 the wicked in his arrogance does not look very far; ‘There is no God,’ is his only thought.
5 In all circumstances his step is assured; your judgements are above his head. His rivals? He scoffs at them all.
6 He says in his heart, ‘I shall never be shaken,’ free of trouble himself,
7 he wishes it on others. His speech is full of lies and browbeating, under his tongue lurk spite and wickedness.
8 In the undergrowth he lies in ambush, in his hiding-place he murders the innocent. He watches intently for the downtrodden,
9 lurking unseen like a lion in his lair, lurking to pounce on the poor; he pounces on him and drags him off in his net.
10 He keeps watch, crouching down low, the poor wretch falls into his clutches;
11 he says in his heart, ‘God forgets, he has turned away his face to avoid seeing the end.’
12 Rise, Yahweh! God, raise your hand, do not forget the afflicted!
13 Why should the wicked spurn God, assuring himself you will never follow it up?
14 You have seen for yourself the trouble and vexation, you watch so as to take it in hand. The oppressed relies on you; you are the only recourse of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil, seek out wickedness till there is none left to be found.
16 Yahweh is king for ever and ever, the heathen has vanished from his country.
17 Yahweh, you listen to the laments of the poor, you give them courage, you grant them a hearing,
18 to give judgement for the orphaned and exploited, so that earthborn humans may strike terror no more.
2nd Corinthians 2: 5-17
5 so that your faith should depend not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6 But still, to those who have reached maturity, we do talk of a wisdom, not, it is true, a philosophy of this age or of the rulers of this age, who will not last long now.
7 It is of the mysterious wisdom of God that we talk, the wisdom that was hidden, which God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began.
8 None of the rulers of the age recognised it; for if they had recognised it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but it is as scripture says: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualise; all that God has prepared for those who love him;
10 to us, though, God has given revelation through the Spirit, for the Spirit explores the depths of everything, even the depths of God.
11 After all, is there anyone who knows the qualities of anyone except his own spirit, within him; and in the same way, nobody knows the qualities of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now, the Spirit we have received is not the spirit of the world but God’s own Spirit, so that we may understand the lavish gifts God has given us.
13 And these are what we speak of, not in the terms learnt from human philosophy, but in terms learnt from the Spirit, fitting spiritual language to spiritual things.
14 The natural person has no room for the gifts of God’s Spirit; to him they are folly; he cannot recognise them, because their value can be assessed only in the Spirit.
15 The spiritual person, on the other hand, can assess the value of everything, and that person’s value cannot be assessed by anybody else.
16 For: who has ever known the mind of the Lord? Who has ever been his adviser? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.
Sermons and explanations for the above chapters.
Daily Readings for Catholics:
Catholic Daily Reflections
Reading 1, Amos 9:11-15 11
On that Day, I shall rebuild the tottering hut of David, make good the gaps in it, restore its ruins and rebuild it as it was in the days of old, 12 for them to be master of what is left of Edom and of all the nations once called mine -Yahweh declares, and he will perform it. 13 The days are coming- declares Yahweh- when the ploughman will tread on the heels of the reaper, and the treader of grapes on the heels of the sower of seed, and the mountains will run with new wine and the hills all flow with it. 14 I shall restore the fortunes of my people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them, they will plant vineyards and drink their wine, they will lay out gardens and eat their produce. 15 And I shall plant them in their own soil and they will never be uprooted again from the country which I have given them, declares Yahweh, your God.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 85:9, 11-12, 13-14 9
His saving help is near for those who fear him, his glory will dwell in our land. 11 Loyalty will spring up from the earth, and Justice will lean down from heaven. 12 Yahweh will himself give prosperity, and our soil will yield its harvest. 13 Justice will walk before him, treading out a path.
Gospel,
Matthew 9:14-17
14 Then John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ 15 Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine in fresh skins and both are preserved.’
Previous Daily Bible Study Blogs
Book of Psalms, Outline Summary, Outline Book of 2 Corinthians (we are studying these books presently)
Audio Drama: Old Testament New Testament Each book is read in its entirety. You can listen to the bible, one book at a time in contemporary English.
Dr. Myles Munroe
I am including a video by Dr. Myles Munroe, I’ve listened to him back in the nineties, and rediscovered him recently. Now his perspective seems to be a good way to also look at scripture. In Pursuit of Purpose – Book Highlights
Sermons Rosary Prayers Catholic Answers
Did Mary have other children? No, Listen here
Called to Communion
Pray the Rosary
Rosary Mysteries
The following 4 videos are the 4 Mysteries that we pray on certain days of the week. I like these videos, because I can pray it alone, with only the images, or go along with the sound. The images help me to focus on the particular mystery that I am contemplating as I say the Hail Mary on each bead.
Joyful Mysteries
Luminous Mysteries
Sorrowful Mysteries
Glorious Mysteries
Prayers of the Rosary
Links to “How to pray the rosary” Popular Catholic Prayers
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,
He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(this prayer is optional and may be said after all Glory Be to the Fathers…..)
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy mercy.
Console the souls in Purgatory, particularly those most abandoned. Amen
Hail Mary,
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Hail, Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
That we maybe made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Closing Prayer
O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation.
Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
that we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(The Fatima Prayer:)
Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – I adore thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference’s whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
Prayer to St. Michael
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Thurzo Gizella Bible Study 
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