The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise Psalm 51-17 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 Sirach : 50-51 and Acts 8.
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Reflection for Today.
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Sirach 50
Simon Son of Onias
50 The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people[a]
was the high priest, Simon son of Onias,
who in his life repaired the house
and in his time fortified the temple.
2 He laid the foundations for the high double walls,
the high retaining walls for the temple enclosure.
3 In his days a water cistern was dug,[b]
a reservoir like the sea in circumference.
4 He considered how to save his people from ruin
and fortified the city against siege.
5 How glorious he was as he gazed from the tent,[c]
as he came out of the house of the curtain,
6 like the morning star among the clouds,
like the full moon at the festal season,[d]
7 like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High,
like the rainbow gleaming in splendid clouds,
8 like roses in the days of the spring harvest,
like lilies by springs of water,
like a green shoot on Lebanon on a summer day,
9 like fire and incense in the censer,
like a vessel of hammered gold
studded with all kinds of precious stones,
10 like an olive tree laden with fruit,
and like a cypress towering in the clouds.
11 When he put on his glorious robe
and clothed himself in perfect splendor,
when he went up to the holy altar,
he made the court of the sanctuary glorious.
12 When he received the portions from the hands of the priests,
as he stood by the hearth of the altar
with a garland of brothers around him,
he was like a young cedar on Lebanon
surrounded by the trunks of palm trees.
13 All the sons of Aaron in their splendor
held the Lord’s offering in their hands
before the whole congregation of Israel.
14 Finishing the service at the altars[e]
and arranging the offering to the Most High, the Almighty,
15 he held out his hand for the cup
and poured a drink offering of the blood of the grape;
he poured it out at the foot of the altar,
a pleasing odor to the Most High, the king of all.
16 Then the sons of Aaron shouted;
they blew their trumpets of hammered metal;
they sounded a mighty fanfare
as a reminder before the Most High.
17 Then all the people together quickly
fell to the ground on their faces
to worship their Lord,
the Almighty, God Most High.
18 Then the singers praised him with their voices
in sweet and full-toned melody.[f]
19 And the people of the Lord Most High offered
their prayer before the Merciful One,
until the order of worship of the Lord was ended
and they completed his ritual.
20 Then Simon[g] came down and raised his hands
over the whole congregation of Israelites,
to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips
and to glory in his name,
21 and they bowed down in worship a second time
to receive the blessing from the Most High.
A Benediction
22 And now bless the God of all,
who everywhere works great wonders,
who exalts our days from birth[h]
and deals with us according to his mercy.
23 May he give us[i] gladness of heart,
and may there be peace in our[j] days
in Israel, as in the days of old.
24 May he entrust to us his mercy,
and may he deliver us in our[k] days!
Epilogue
25 Two nations my soul detests,
and the third is not even a nation:
26 those who live in Seir[l] and the Philistines
and the foolish people who live in Shechem.
27 Instruction in understanding and knowledge
I have written in this book,
Jesus son of Eleazar son of Sirach[m] of Jerusalem,
whose mind poured forth wisdom.
28 Happy are those who concern themselves with these things,
and those who lay them to heart will become wise.
29 For if they put them into practice, they will be equal to anything,
for the fear[n] of the Lord is their path.[o]
Sirach 51
Prayer of Jesus Son of Sirach[a]
51 I give you thanks, O Lord and King,
and praise you, O God my Savior.
I give thanks to your name,
2 for you have been my protector and helper
and have delivered my body from destruction
and from the trap laid by a slanderous tongue,
from lips that fabricate lies.
In the face of my adversaries,
you have been my helper 3 and delivered me,
in the greatness of your mercy and of your name,
from grinding teeth about to devour me,
from the hand of those seeking my life,
from the many troubles I endured,
4 from choking fire on every side,
and from the midst of fire that I had not kindled,
5 from the deep belly of Hades,
from an unclean tongue and lying words,
6 the slander of an unrighteous tongue to the king.
My soul drew near to death,
and my life was on the brink of Hades below.
7 They surrounded me on every side,
and there was no one to help me.
I looked for human assistance,
and there was none.
8 Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord,
and your kindness[b] from of old,
for you rescue those who wait for you
and save them from the hand of their enemies.
9 And I sent up my prayer from the earth
and begged for rescue from death.
10 I cried out, “Lord, you are my Father;[c]
do not forsake me in the days of trouble,
when there is no help against the proud.
11 I will praise your name continually
and will sing hymns of thanksgiving.”
My prayer was heard,
12 for you saved me from destruction
and rescued me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank you and praise you,
and I bless the name of the Lord.
Heb adds:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of praises,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the guardian of Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who formed all things,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the redeemer of Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who gathers the dispersed of Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who rebuilt his city and his sanctuary,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who makes a horn to sprout for the house of David,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who has chosen the sons of Zadok to be priests,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the shield of Abraham,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the rock of Isaac,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the mighty one of Jacob,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to him who has chosen Zion,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the King of the kings of kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his loyal ones.
For the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Praise the Lord!
Autobiographical Poem on Wisdom
13 While I was still young, before I went on my travels,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
14 Before the temple I asked for her,
and I will search for her until the end.
15 From the first blossom to the ripening grape,
my heart delighted in her;
my foot walked on the straight path;
from my youth I followed her steps.
16 I inclined my ear a little and received her,
and I found for myself much instruction.
17 I made progress in her;
to him who gives wisdom I will give glory.
18 For I resolved to practice wisdom,[d]
and I was zealous for the good,
and I shall never be disappointed.
19 My soul grappled with wisdom,[e]
and in my conduct I was strict.[f]
I spread out my hands to the heavens
and lamented my ignorance of her.
20 I directed my soul to her,
and in purity I found her.
With her I gained understanding from the first;
therefore I will never be forsaken.
21 My heart was stirred to seek her;
therefore I have gained a prize possession.
22 The Lord gave me my tongue as a reward,
and I will praise him with it.
23 Draw near to me, you who are uneducated,
and lodge in the house of instruction.
24 Why do you say you are lacking in these things,[g]
and why do you endure such great thirst?
25 I opened my mouth and said,
“Acquire wisdom[h] for yourselves without money.
26 “Put your neck under her[i] yoke,
and let your souls receive instruction;
it is to be found close by.”
27 See with your own eyes that I have labored but little
and found for myself much serenity.
28 Hear but a little of my instruction,
and through me you will acquire silver and gold.[j]
29 May your soul rejoice in God’s[k] mercy,
and may you never be ashamed to praise him.
30 Do your work in good time,
and in his own time God[l] will give you your reward.
Acts 8
1 And Saul approved of their killing him.
Saul Persecutes the Church
That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
Philip Preaches in Samaria
4 Now those who were scattered went from place to place proclaiming the word. 5 Philip went down to the city[a] of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah[b] to them. 6 The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, 7 for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed, and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. 8 So there was great joy in that city.
9 Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. 10 All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come[c] upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John[d] laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! 21 You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” 24 Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you[e] have said may happen to me.”
25 Now after Peter and John[f] had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south[g] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”[h] 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip[i] baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Sermons by various teachers about these verses.
Catholic Daily Readings and Reflections
1 People should think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God.
2 In such a matter, what is expected of stewards is that each one should be found trustworthy.
3 It is of no importance to me how you or any other human court may judge me: I will not even be the judge of my own self.
4 It is true that my conscience does not reproach me, but that is not enough to justify me: it is the Lord who is my judge.
5 For that reason, do not judge anything before the due time, until the Lord comes; he will bring to light everything that is hidden in darkness and reveal the designs of all hearts. Then everyone will receive from God the appropriate commendation.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 37:3-4, 5-6, 27-28, 39-40
3 Put your trust in Yahweh and do right, make your home in the land and live secure.
4 Make Yahweh your joy and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit your destiny to Yahweh, be confident in him, and he will act,
6 making your uprightness clear as daylight, and the justice of your cause as the noon.
27 Turn your back on evil and do good, you will have a home for ever,
28 for Yahweh loves justice and will not forsake his faithful. Evil-doers will perish eternally, the descendants of the wicked be annihilated,
39 The upright have Yahweh for their Saviour, their refuge in times of trouble;
40 Yahweh helps them and rescues them, he will rescue them from the wicked, and save them because they take refuge in him.
Gospel, Luke 5:33-39
33 They then said to him, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees, too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’
34 Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them?
35 But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then, in those days, they will fast.’
36 He also told them a parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; otherwise, not only will the new one be torn, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.
37 ‘And nobody puts new wine in old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and run to waste, and the skins will be ruined.
38 No; new wine must be put in fresh skins.
39 And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good,” he says.’
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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