The Word for today: Encourage one an other daily, as long as it is called Today. Hebrews 3:13 NIV
To finish the Bible in one year, Read Psalms 112 to 118 and John 5 : 16-30.
Old Testament Reading for today – Listen or read it for yourself:
Reflection for Today.
Also read the verses, if you like.
Psalm 112
1 Alleluia! How blessed is anyone who fears Yahweh, who delights in his commandments!
2 His descendants shall be powerful on earth, the race of the honest shall receive blessings:
3 Riches and wealth for his family; his uprightness stands firm for ever.
4 For the honest he shines as a lamp in the dark, generous, tender-hearted, and upright.
5 All goes well for one who lends generously, who is honest in all his dealing;
6 for all time to come he will not stumble, for all time to come the upright will be remembered.
7 Bad news holds no fears for him, firm is his heart, trusting in Yahweh.
8 His heart held steady, he has no fears, till he can gloat over his enemies.
9 To the needy he gives without stint, his uprightness stands firm for ever; his reputation is founded on strength.
10 The wicked are vexed at the sight, they grind their teeth and waste away. The desires of the wicked will be frustrated.
Psalm 113
1 Alleluia! Praise, servants of Yahweh, praise the name of Yahweh.
2 Blessed be the name of Yahweh, henceforth and for ever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, praised be the name of Yahweh!
4 Supreme over all nations is Yahweh, supreme over the heavens his glory.
5 Who is like Yahweh our God? His throne is set on high,
6 but he stoops to look down on heaven and earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dust, he lifts the needy from the dunghill,
8 to give them a place among princes, among princes of his people.
9 He lets the barren woman be seated at home, the happy mother of sons.
Psalm 114
1 Alleluia! When Israel came out of Egypt, the House of Jacob from a people of foreign speech,
2 Judah became his sanctuary, and Israel his domain.
3 The sea fled at the sight, the Jordan turned back,
4 the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like sheep.
5 Sea, what makes you flee? Jordan, why turn back?
6 Why skip like rams, you mountains? Why like sheep, you hills?
7 Tremble, earth, at the coming of the Lord, at the coming of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns rock into pool, flint into fountain.
Psalm 115
1 Not to us, Yahweh, not to us, but to your name give the glory, for your faithful love and your constancy!
2 Why should the nations ask, ‘Where is their God?’
3 Our God is in heaven, he creates whatever he chooses.
4 They have idols of silver and gold, made by human hands.
5 These have mouths but say nothing, have eyes but see nothing,
6 have ears but hear nothing, have noses but smell nothing.
7 They have hands but cannot feel, have feet but cannot walk, no sound comes from their throats.
8 Their makers will end up like them, and all who rely on them.
9 House of Israel, rely on Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.
10 House of Aaron, rely on Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear Yahweh, rely on Yahweh; he is their help and their shield.
12 Yahweh will keep us in mind, he will bless, he will bless the House of Israel, he will bless the House of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear Yahweh, small and great alike.
14 May Yahweh add to your numbers, yours and your children’s too!
15 May you be blessed by Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.
16 Heaven belongs to Yahweh, but earth he has given to the children of Adam.
17 The dead cannot praise Yahweh, those who sink into silence,
18 but we, the living, shall bless Yahweh, henceforth and for ever.
Psalm 116
1 Alleluia! I am filled with love when Yahweh listens to the sound of my prayer,
2 when he bends down to hear me, as I call.
3 The bonds of death were all round me, the snares of Sheol held me fast; distress and anguish held me in their grip,
4 I called on the name of Yahweh. Deliver me, Yahweh, I beg you.
5 Yahweh is merciful and upright, our God is tenderness.
6 Yahweh looks after the simple, when I was brought low he gave me strength.
7 My heart, be at peace once again, for Yahweh has treated you generously.
8 He has rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
9 I shall pass my life in the presence of Yahweh, in the land of the living.
10 My trust does not fail even when I say, ‘I am completely wretched.’
11 In my terror I said, ‘No human being can be relied on.’
12 What return can I make to Yahweh for his generosity to me?
13 I shall take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh.
14 I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh, witnessed by all his people.
15 Costly in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his faithful.
16 I beg you, Yahweh! I am your servant, I am your servant and my mother was your servant; you have undone my fetters.
17 I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of Yahweh.
18 I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh, witnessed by all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of Yahweh, in your very heart, Jerusalem.
Psalm 117
1 Alleluia! Praise Yahweh, all nations, extol him, all peoples,
2 for his faithful love is strong and his constancy never-ending.
Psalm 118
1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.
2 Let the House of Israel say, ‘His faithful love endures for ever.’
3 Let the House of Aaron say, ‘His faithful love endures for ever.’
4 Let those who fear Yahweh say, ‘His faithful love endures for ever.’
5 In my distress I called to Yahweh, he heard me and brought me relief.
6 With Yahweh on my side I fear nothing; what can human beings do to me?
7 With Yahweh on my side as my help, I gloat over my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to rely on human beings;
9 better to take refuge in Yahweh than to rely on princes.
10 Nations were swarming around me, in the name of Yahweh I cut them down;
11 they swarmed around me, pressing upon me, in the name of Yahweh I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees, they flared up like a brushwood fire, in the name of Yahweh I cut them down.
13 I was pushed hard, to make me fall, but Yahweh came to my help.
14 Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has been my Saviour.
15 Shouts of joy and salvation, in the tents of the upright, ‘Yahweh’s right hand is triumphant,
16 Yahweh’s right hand is victorious, Yahweh’s right hand is triumphant!’
17 I shall not die, I shall live to recount the great deeds of Yahweh.
18 Though Yahweh punished me sternly, he has not abandoned me to death.
19 Open for me the gates of saving justice, I shall go in and thank Yahweh.
20 This is the gate of Yahweh, where the upright go in.
21 I thank you for hearing me, and making yourself my Saviour.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
23 This is Yahweh’s doing, and we marvel at it.
24 This is the day which Yahweh has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad.
25 We beg you, Yahweh, save us, we beg you, Yahweh, give us victory!
26 Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming! We bless you from the house of Yahweh.
27 Yahweh is God, he gives us light. Link your processions, branches in hand, up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, I thank you, all praise to you, my God. I thank you for hearing me, and making yourself my Saviour.
29 Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.
John 5 : 16-30
16 It was because he did things like this on the Sabbath that the Jews began to harass Jesus.
17 His answer to them was, ‘My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too.’
18 But that only made the Jews even more intent on killing him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he spoke of God as his own Father and so made himself God’s equal.
19 To this Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he himself does, and he will show him even greater things than these, works that will astonish you.
21 Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;
22 for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son,
23 so that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father. Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuses honour to the Father who sent him.
24 In all truth I tell you, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement such a person has passed from death to life.
25 In all truth I tell you, the hour is coming — indeed it is already here — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it 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, because he is the Son of man, has granted him power to give judgement.
28 Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice:
29 those who did good will come forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement.
30 By myself I can do nothing; I can judge only as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Sermons by various teachers regarding the verses above.
Catholic Daily Readings and Reflections
Reading 1, Jeremiah 7:1-11
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,
2 ‘Stand at the gate of the Temple of Yahweh and there proclaim this message. Say, “Listen to the word of Yahweh, all you of Judah who come in by these gates to worship Yahweh.
3 Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Amend your behaviour and your actions and I will let you stay in this place.
4 Do not put your faith in delusive words, such as: This is Yahweh’s sanctuary, Yahweh’s sanctuary, Yahweh’s sanctuary!
5 But if you really amend your behaviour and your actions, if you really treat one another fairly,
6 if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow, if you do not shed innocent blood in this place and if you do not follow other gods, to your own ruin,
7 then I shall let you stay in this place, in the country I gave for ever to your ancestors of old.
8 Look, you are putting your faith in delusive, worthless words!
9 Steal, would you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to Baal, follow other gods of whom you know nothing? –
10 and then come and stand before me in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are safe to go on doing all these loathsome things!
11 Do you look on this Temple that bears my name as a den of bandits? I, at any rate, can see straight, Yahweh declares.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 84:3, 4, 5-6, 8, 11
3 Even the sparrow has found a home, the swallow a nest to place its young: your altars, Yahweh Sabaoth, my King and my God.
4 How blessed are those who live in your house; they shall praise you continually.
5 Blessed those who find their strength in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of the Balsam, they make there a water-hole, and — a further blessing — early rain fills it.
8 Yahweh, God Sabaoth, hear my prayer, listen, God of Jacob.
11 For Yahweh God is a rampart and shield, he gives grace and glory; Yahweh refuses nothing good to those whose life is blameless.
Book of Psalms, Outline Summary, Outline Book of John (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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