Word for today: Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9 KJV
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 40 to 44 and 2nd Corinthians 8
Old Testament Reading for today – Listen or read it for yourself:
Reflection for Today.
Also read the verses, if you like.
psalm 40
1 [For the choirmaster Of David Psalm] I waited, I waited for Yahweh, then he stooped to me and heard my cry for help.
2 He pulled me up from the seething chasm, from the mud of the mire. He set my feet on rock, and made my footsteps firm.
3 He put a fresh song in my mouth, praise of our God. Many will be awestruck at the sight, and will put their trust in Yahweh.
4 How blessed are those who put their trust in Yahweh, who have not sided with rebels and those who have gone astray in falsehood.
5 How much you have done, Yahweh, my God — your wonders, your plans for us — you have no equal. I will proclaim and speak of them; they are beyond number.
6 You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering, but you gave me an open ear, you did not ask for burnt offering or sacrifice for sin;
7 then I said, ‘Here I am, I am coming.’ In the scroll of the book it is written of me,
8 my delight is to do your will; your law, my God, is deep in my heart.
9 I proclaimed the saving justice of Yahweh in the great assembly. See, I will not hold my tongue, as you well know.
10 I have not kept your saving justice locked in the depths of my heart, but have spoken of your constancy and saving help. I have made no secret of your faithful and steadfast love, in the great assembly.
11 You, Yahweh, have not withheld your tenderness from me; your faithful and steadfast love will always guard me.
12 For troubles surround me, until they are beyond number; my sins have overtaken me; I cannot see my way. They outnumber the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, Yahweh, to rescue me, Yahweh, come quickly and help me!
14 Shame and dismay to all who seek to take my life. Back with them, let them be humiliated who delight in my misfortunes.
15 Let them be aghast with shame, those who say to me, ‘Aha, aha!’
16 But joy and happiness in you to all who seek you! Let them ceaselessly cry, ‘Great is Yahweh’ who love your saving power.
17 Poor and needy as I am, the Lord has me in mind. You, my helper, my Saviour, my God, do not delay.
psalm 41
1 [For the choirmaster Psalm Of David] Blessed is anyone who cares for the poor and the weak; in time of trouble Yahweh rescues him.
2 Yahweh protects him, gives him life and happiness on earth. Do not abandon him to his enemies’ pleasure!
3 Yahweh sustains him on his bed of sickness; you transform altogether the bed where he lies sick.
4 For my part I said, ‘Yahweh, take pity on me! Cure me for I have sinned against you.’
5 My enemies speak to me only of disaster, ‘When will he die and his name disappear?’
6 When people come to see me their talk is hollow, when they get out they spread the news with spite in their hearts.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me and reckon I deserve the misery I suffer.
8 ‘A fatal sickness has a grip on him; now that he is down, he will never get up again.’
9 Even my trusted friend on whom I relied, who shared my table, takes advantage of me.
10 But you, Yahweh, take pity on me! Put me on my feet and I will give them their due.
11 This will convince me that you delight in me, if my enemy no longer exults over me.
12 Then you will keep me unscathed, and set me in your presence for ever.
13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from eternity to eternity. Amen, Amen.
Psalm 42
1 [For the choirmaster Poem Of the sons of Korah] As a deer yearns for running streams, so I yearn for you, my God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God; when shall I go to see the face of God?
3 I have no food but tears day and night, as all day long I am taunted, ‘Where is your God?’
4 This I remember as I pour out my heart, how I used to pass under the roof of the Most High used to go to the house of God, among cries of joy and praise, the sound of the feast.
5 Why be so downcast, why all these sighs? Hope in God! I will praise him still, my Saviour,
6 my God. When I am downcast I think of you: from the land of Jordan and Hermon, I think of you, humble mountain.
7 Deep is calling to deep by the roar of your cataracts, all your waves and breakers have rolled over me.
8 In the daytime God sends his faithful love, and even at night; the song it inspires in me is a prayer to my living God.
9 I shall say to God, my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go around in mourning, harrassed by the enemy?’
10 With death in my bones, my enemies taunt me, all day long they ask me, ‘Where is your God?’
11 Why so downcast, why all these sighs? Hope in God! I will praise him still, my Saviour, my God.
Psalm 43
1 Judge me, God, defend my cause against a people who have no faithful love; from those who are treacherous and unjust, rescue me.
2 For you are the God of my strength; why abandon me? Why must I go around in mourning, harrassed by the enemy?
3 Send out your light and your truth; they shall be my guide, to lead me to your holy mountain to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I shall go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy. I will rejoice and praise you on the harp, O God, my God.
5 Why so downcast, why all these sighs? Hope in God! I will praise him still, my Saviour, my God.
Psalm 44
1 [For the choirmaster Of the sons of Korah Poem] God, we have heard for ourselves, our ancestors have told us, of the deeds you did in their days, in days of old,
2 by your hand. To establish them in the land you drove out nations, to make room for them you harried peoples.
3 It was not their own sword that won the land, nor their own arms which made them victorious, but your hand it was and your arm, and the light of your presence, for you loved them.
4 You are my king, my God, who decreed Jacob’s victories;
5 through you we conquered our opponents, in your name we trampled down those who rose up against us.
6 For my trust was not in my bow, my victory was not won by my sword;
7 it was you who saved us from our opponents, you who put to shame those who hate us.
8 Our boast was always of God, we praised your name without ceasing.
9 Yet now you have abandoned and humiliated us, you no longer take the field with our armies,
10 you leave us to fall back before the enemy, those who hate us plunder us at will.
11 You hand us over like sheep for slaughter, you scatter us among the nations,
12 you sell your people for a trifle and make no profit on the sale.
13 You make us the butt of our neighbours, the mockery and scorn of those around us,
14 you make us a by-word among nations, other peoples shake their heads over us.
15 All day long I brood on my disgrace, the shame written clear on my face,
16 from the sound of insult and abuse, from the sight of hatred and vengefulness.
17 All this has befallen us though we had not forgotten you, nor been disloyal to your covenant,
18 our hearts never turning away, our feet never straying from your path.
19 Yet you have crushed us in the place where jackals live, and immersed us in shadow dark as death.
20 Had we forgotten the name of our God and stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have found this out, for he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 For your sake we are being massacred all day long, treated as sheep to be slaughtered.
23 Wake, Lord! Why are you asleep? Awake! Do not abandon us for good.
24 Why do you turn your face away, forgetting that we are poor and harrassed?
25 For we are bowed down to the dust, and lie prone on the ground.
26 Arise! Come to our help! Ransom us, as your faithful love demands.
2nd Corinthians 8
1 Next, brothers, we will tell you of the grace of God which has been granted to the churches of Macedonia,
2 and how, throughout continual ordeals of hardship, their unfailing joy and their intense poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
3 I can testify that it was of their own accord that they made their gift, which was not merely as far as their resources would allow, but well beyond their resources;
4 and they had kept imploring us most insistently for the privilege of a share in the fellowship of service to God’s holy people-
5 it was not something that we expected of them, but it began by their offering themselves to the Lord and to us at the prompting of the will of God.
6 In the end we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, also to bring this work of generosity to completion among you.
7 More, as you are rich in everything-faith, eloquence, understanding, concern for everything, and love for us too — then make sure that you excel in this work of generosity too.
8 I am not saying this as an order, but testing the genuineness of your love against the concern of others.
9 You are well aware of the generosity which our Lord Jesus Christ had, that, although he was rich, he became poor for your sake, so that you should become rich through his poverty.
10 I will give you my considered opinion in the matter; this will be the right course for you as you were the first, a year ago, not only to take any action but also even to conceive the project.
11 Now, then, complete the action as well, so that the fulfilment may — so far as your resources permit — be proportionate to your enthusiasm for the project.
12 As long as the enthusiasm is there, the basis on which it is acceptable is what someone has, not what someone does not have.
13 It is not that you ought to relieve other people’s needs and leave yourselves in hardship; but there should be a fair balance-
14 your surplus at present may fill their deficit, and another time their surplus may fill your deficit. So there may be a fair balance;
15 as scripture says: No one who had collected more had too much, no one who collected less had too little.
16 Thank God for putting into Titus’ heart the same sincere concern for you.
17 He certainly took our urging to heart; but greater still was his own enthusiasm, and he went off to you of his own accord.
18 We have sent with him the brother who is praised as an evangelist in all the churches
19 and who, what is more, was elected by the churches to be our travelling companion in this work of generosity, a work to be administered by us for the glory of the Lord and our complete satisfaction.
20 We arranged it this way so that no one should be able to make any accusation against us about this large sum we are administering.
21 And so we have been careful to do right not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of people.
22 Along with these, we have sent a brother of ours whose eagerness we have tested over and over again in many ways and who is now all the more eager because he has so much faith in you.
23 If Titus is in question — he is my own partner and fellow-worker in your interests; and if our brothers — they are the emissaries of the churches and the glory of Christ.
24 So then, in full view of all the churches, give proof that you love them, and that we were right to boast of you to them.
Reading 1, Isaiah 6:1-8
1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne; his train filled the sanctuary.
2 Above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings: two to cover its face, two to cover its feet and two for flying;
3 and they were shouting these words to each other: Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth. His glory fills the whole earth.
4 The door-posts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the Temple was full of smoke.
5 Then I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh Sabaoth.’
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in its hand a live coal which it had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
7 With this it touched my mouth and said: ‘Look, this has touched your lips, your guilt has been removed and your sin forgiven.’
8 I then heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me.’
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5
1 Yahweh is king, robed in majesty, robed is Yahweh and girded with power.
2 The world is indeed set firm, it can never be shaken; your throne is set firm from of old, from all eternity you exist.
5 Your decrees stand firm, unshakeable, holiness is the beauty of your house, Yahweh, for all time to come.
Gospel, Matthew 10:24-33
24 ‘Disciple is not superior to teacher, nor slave to master.
25 It is enough for disciple to grow to be like teacher, and slave like master. If they have called the master of the house “Beelzebul”, how much more the members of his household?
26 ‘So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.
27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.
28 ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
29 Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing.
30 Why, every hair on your head has been counted.
31 So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 ‘So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.
33 But the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.
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 
Leave a comment