The Word for today: For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18,19 NIV
No one can be a Catholic without a simple faith that what the Church declares in God’s name is God’s word, and therefore true. A man must simply believe that the Church is the oracle of God; he must be as certain of her mission as he is the mission of the apostles. — Venerable John Henry Newman
To finish the Bible in one year, Read Psalms 120-127 and John 6 : 1-24
Verses for today – Listen here:
Reflection for Today.
Also read the verses, if you like.
Psalm 120
1 [Song of Ascents *{* The Songs of Ascents (Pss 120-134) were sung by pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem.} ] To Yahweh when I am in trouble I call and he answers me.
2 Yahweh, save me from lying lips and a treacherous tongue!
3 What will he repay you, what more, treacherous tongue?
4 War-arrows made sharp over red-hot charcoal.
5 How wretched I am, living in Meshech, dwelling in the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I lived among people who hate peace.
7 When I speak of peace they are all for war!
psalm 121
1 [Song of Ascents] I lift up my eyes to the mountains; where is my help to come from?
2 My help comes from Yahweh who made heaven and earth.
3 May he save your foot from stumbling; may he, your guardian, not fall asleep!
4 You see — he neither sleeps nor slumbers, the guardian of Israel.
5 Yahweh is your guardian, your shade, Yahweh, at your right hand.
6 By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.
7 Yahweh guards you from all harm Yahweh guards your life,
8 Yahweh guards your comings and goings, henceforth and for ever.
Psalm 122
1 [Song of Ascents Of David] I rejoiced that they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of Yahweh.’
2 At last our feet are standing at your gates, Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city, in one united whole,
4 there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, a sign for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.
5 For there are set the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, prosperity for your homes!
7 Peace within your walls, prosperity in your palaces!
8 For love of my brothers and my friends I will say, ‘Peace upon you!’
9 For love of the house of Yahweh our God I will pray for your well-being.
Psalm 123
1 [Song of Ascents] I lift up my eyes to you who are enthroned in heaven.
2 Just as the eyes of slaves are on their masters’ hand, or the eyes of a slave-girl on the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on Yahweh our God, for him to take pity on us.
3 Have pity on us, Yahweh, have pity, for we have had our full share of scorn,
4 more than our share of jeers from the complacent. (Scorn is for the proud.)
Psalm 124
1 [Song of Ascents Of David] If Yahweh had not been on our side — let Israel repeat it-
2 if Yahweh had not been on our side when people attacked us,
3 they would have swallowed us alive in the heat of their anger.
4 Then water was washing us away, a torrent running right over us;
5 running right over us then were turbulent waters.
6 Blessed be Yahweh for not letting us fall a prey to their teeth!
7 We escaped like a bird from the fowlers’ net. The net was broken and we escaped;
8 our help is in the name of Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 125
1 [Song of Ascents] Whoever trusts in Yahweh is like Mount Zion: unshakeable, it stands for ever.
2 Jerusalem! The mountains encircle her: so Yahweh encircles his people, henceforth and for ever.
3 The sceptre of the wicked will not come to rest over the heritage of the upright; or the upright might set their own hands to evil.
4 Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good, to the sincere at heart.
5 But the crooked, the twisted, turn them away, Yahweh, with evil-doers. Peace to Israel!
Psalm 126
1 [Song of Ascents] When Yahweh brought back Zion’s captives we lived in a dream;
2 then our mouths filled with laughter, and our lips with song. Then the nations kept saying, ‘What great deeds Yahweh has done for them!’
3 Yes, Yahweh did great deeds for us, and we were overjoyed.
4 Bring back, Yahweh, our people from captivity like torrents in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears sing as they reap.
6 He went off, went off weeping, carrying the seed. He comes back, comes back singing, bringing in his sheaves.
Psalm 127
1 [Song of Ascents Of Solomon] If Yahweh does not build a house in vain do its builders toil. If Yahweh does not guard a city in vain does its guard keep watch.
2 In vain you get up earlier, and put off going to bed, sweating to make a living, since it is he who provides for his beloved as they sleep.
3 Sons are a birthright from Yahweh, children are a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in a warrior’s hand are the sons you father when young.
5 How blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them; in dispute with his enemies at the city gate he will not be worsted.
John 6 : 1-24
1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee — or of Tiberias-
2 and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he had done in curing the sick.
3 Jesus climbed the hillside and sat down there with his disciples.
4 The time of the Jewish Passover was near.
5 Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’
6 He said this only to put Philip to the test; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would not buy enough to give them a little piece each.’
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said,
9 ‘Here is a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?’
10 Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down.
11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were sitting there; he then did the same with the fish, distributing as much as they wanted.
12 When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing is wasted.’
13 So they picked them up and filled twelve large baskets with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves.
14 Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’
15 Jesus, as he realised they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, fled back to the hills alone.
16 That evening the disciples went down to the shore of the sea
17 and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them.
18 The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough.
19 They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid,
20 but he said, ‘It’s me. Don’t be afraid.’
21 They were ready to take him into the boat, and immediately it reached the shore at the place they were making for.
22 Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves.
23 Other boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been eaten.
24 When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus.
Sermons by various teachers regarding the verses above.
Catholic Daily Readings and Reflections
Reading 1, Second Corinthians 4:7-15
7 But we hold this treasure in pots of earthenware, so that the immensity of the power is God’s and not our own.
8 We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair;
9 we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us;
10 always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body.
11 Indeed, while we are still alive, we are continually being handed over to death, for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our mortal flesh.
12 In us, then, death is at work; in you, life.
13 But as we have the same spirit of faith as is described in scripture — I believed and therefore I spoke -we, too, believe and therefore we, too, speak,
14 realising that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up with Jesus in our turn, and bring us to himself — and you as well.
15 You see, everything is for your benefit, so that as grace spreads, so, to the glory of God, thanksgiving may also overflow among more and more people.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
1 [Song of Ascents] When Yahweh brought back Zion’s captives we lived in a dream;
2 then our mouths filled with laughter, and our lips with song. Then the nations kept saying, ‘What great deeds Yahweh has done for them!’
3 Yes, Yahweh did great deeds for us, and we were overjoyed.
4 Bring back, Yahweh, our people from captivity like torrents in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears sing as they reap.
6 He went off, went off weeping, carrying the seed. He comes back, comes back singing, bringing in his sheaves.
Gospel, Matthew 20:20-28
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low;
21 and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’
22 Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’
23 He said to them, ‘Very well; you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
24 When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers.
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the gentiles the rulers lord it over them, and great men make their authority felt.
26 Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant,
27 and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave,
28 just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
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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