Category: Daily Readings

Second Samuel 5: 1- 3

5:1	And all the tribes of Israel went to David in Hebron, saying: “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.
5:2	Moreover, yesterday and the day before, when Saul was king over us, you were the one leading out and leading back Israel. Then the Lord said to you, ‘You shall pasture my people Israel, and you shall be the leader over Israel.’ ”
5:3	Also, the elders of Israel went to the king at Hebron, and king David struck a pact with them at Hebron in the sight of the Lord. And they anointed David as king over Israel.

Colossians 1: 12- 20

1:12	giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the light.
1:13	For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
1:14	in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins.
1:15	He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature.
1:16	For in him was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him.
1:17	And he is before all, and in him all things continue.
1:18	And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy.
1:19	For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him,
1:20	and that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven.

Luke 23: 35- 43

23:35	And people were standing near, watching. And the leaders among them derided him, saying: “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this one is the Christ, the elect of God.”
23:36	And the soldiers also ridiculed him, approaching him and offering him vinegar,
23:37	and saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
23:38	Now there was also an inscription written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
23:39	And one of those robbers who were hanging blasphemed him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.”
23:40	But the other responded by rebuking him, saying: “Do you have no fear of God, since you are under the same condemnation?
23:41	And indeed, it is just for us. For we are receiving what our deeds deserve. But truly, this one has done nothing wrong.”
23:42	And he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
23:43	And Jesus said to him, “Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with me in Paradise.”

First Maccabees 6: 1- 13

6:1	And king Antiochus was traveling through the upper regions, and he heard that the city of Elymais in Persia was very noble and abundant in silver and gold,
6:2	and that the temple in it was very opulent, and that there were, in that place, coverings of gold, and breastplates and shields, which Alexander, the son of Philip, king of Macedonia, who reigned first in Greece, had left behind.
6:3	So he came and sought to seize the city and to pillage it. And he was not able, because this plan became known to those who were in the city.
6:4	And they rose up in battle, and he fled away from there, and he departed with great sadness, and he returned into Babylon.
6:5	And someone arrived to report to him in Persia, that those who were in the land of Judah were forced to flee the camp,
6:6	and that Lysias went forth with a particularly strong army, and he was forced to flee before the face of the Jews, and that they were strengthened by the weapons, and resources, and many spoils which they seized from the camps they demolished,
6:7	and that they had destroyed the abomination, which he had established on the altar that was in Jerusalem, and that the sanctuary, just as before, had been encircled with high walls, along with Bethzur, his city.
6:8	And it happened that, when the king heard these words, he was terrified and very moved. And he fell down on his bed, and he fell into feebleness out of grief. For it had not happened to him as he had intended.
6:9	And he was in that place through many days. For a great grief was renewed in him, and he concluded that he would die.
6:10	And he called all his friends, and he said to them: “Sleep has withdrawn from my eyes, and I am declining, and my heart has collapsed out of anxiety.
6:11	And I said in my heart: How much trouble has come to me, and what floods of sorrow there are, where I am now! I used to be cheerful and beloved in my power!
6:12	Truly, now, I remember the evils that I did in Jerusalem, from which place I also took away all the spoils of gold and silver that were in it, and I sent to carry away the inhabitants of Judah without cause.
6:13	Therefore, I know that it is because of this that these evils have found me. And behold, I perish with great sorrow in a foreign land.”

Luke 20: 27- 40

20:27	Now some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, approached him. And they questioned him,
20:28	saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: If any man’s brother will have died, having a wife, and if he does not have any children, then his brother should take her as his wife, and he should raise up offspring for his brother.
20:29	And so there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and he died without sons.
20:30	And the next one married her, and he also died without a son.
20:31	And the third married her, and similarly all seven, and none of them left behind any offspring, and they each died.
20:32	Last of all, the woman also died.
20:33	In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For certainly all seven had her as a wife.”
20:34	And so, Jesus said to them: “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage.
20:35	Yet truly, those who shall be held worthy of that age, and of the resurrection from the dead, will neither be married, nor take wives.
20:36	For they can no longer die. For they are equal to the Angels, and they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.
20:37	For in truth, the dead do rise again, as Moses also showed beside the bush, when he called the Lord: ‘The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
20:38	And so he is not the God of the dead, but of the living. For all are alive to him.”
20:39	Then some of the scribes, in response, said to him, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”
20:40	And they no longer dared to question him about anything.

Maccabees 2: 15- 29

2:15	And those who had been sent from king Antiochus came to that place, to compel those who fled into the city of Modin to immolate, and to burn frankincense, and to depart from the law of God.
2:16	And many of the people of Israel consented and came to them. But Mattathias and his sons stood firm.
2:17	And those who had been sent from Antiochus, responding, said to Mattathias: “You are a ruler, and very splendid and great in this city, and you are adorned with sons and brothers.
2:18	Therefore, approach first, and carryout the order of the king, as all the nations have done, and the men of Judah, and those who remained in Jerusalem. And you and your sons will be among the friends of the king, and enriched with gold and silver and many gifts.”
2:19	And Mattathias responded, and he said with a loud voice: “Even if all nations obey king Antiochus, so that each one departs from the service of the law of his fathers and consents to his commandments,
2:20	I and my sons and my brothers will obey the law of our fathers.
2:21	May God be forgiving to us. It is not useful for us to abandon the law and the justices of God.
2:22	We will not listen to the words of king Antiochus, nor will we sacrifice, transgressing the commandments of our law, so as to set out on another way.”
2:23	And, as he ceased speaking these words, a certain Jew approached in the sight of all to sacrifice to the idols upon the altar in the city of Modin, according to the order of the king.
2:24	And Mattathias saw, and he grieved, and his temperament trembled, and his fury was enkindled according to the judgment of the law, and leaping up, he slaughtered him on the altar.
2:25	Moreover, the man whom king Antiochus had sent, who compelled them to immolate, he killed at the same time, and he destroyed the altar,
2:26	and he was zealous for the law, just as Phinehas did to Zimri, the son of Salomi.
2:27	And Mattathias exclaimed with a loud voice in the city, saying, “All who hold zeal for the law, maintaining the covenant, let them follow me.”
2:28	And he and his sons fled to the mountains, and they left behind whatever they had in the city.
2:29	Then many who sought judgment and justice went down into the desert.

Luke 19: 41- 44

19:41	And when he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying:
19:42	“If only you had known, indeed even in this your day, which things are for your peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes.
19:43	For the days will overtake you. And your enemies will encircle you with a valley. And they will surround you and hem you in on every side.
19:44	And they will knock you down to the ground, with your sons who are in you. And they will not leave stone upon stone within you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Second Maccabees 7: 1, 20- 31

7:1	And it happened also that seven brothers, united with their mother, were apprehended and compelled by the king to eat the flesh of swine against divine law, being tormented with scourges and whips.

7:20	Now the mother was wonderful beyond measure, and a worthy memorial of the good, for she watched her seven sons perish within the time of one day, and she bore it with a good soul, because of the hope that she had in God.
7:21	And, with fortitude, she exhorted every one of them, in the language of the fathers, being filled with wisdom. And, joining masculine courage with feminine thinking,
7:22	she said to them: “I do not know how you were formed in my womb. For I did not give you spirit, nor soul, nor life; neither did I construct each of your limbs.
7:23	Nevertheless, the Creator of the world, who formed the nativity of man, and who founded the origins of all, will restore both spirit and life to you again, with his mercy, just as you now despise yourselves for the sake of his laws.”
7:24	But Antiochus, thinking himself despised, and at the same time also despising the voice of the reproacher, when only the youngest was still left, not only exhorted him with words, but also assured him with an oath, that he would make him wealthy and happy, and, if he would convert from the laws of his fathers, he would have him as a friend, and he would provide him with necessary things.
7:25	But, when the youth was not swayed by these things, the king called the mother and persuaded her to act toward the youth to save him.
7:26	And so, when he had exhorted her with many words, she promised that she would counsel her son.
7:27	Then, leaning towards him and mocking the cruel tyrant, she said in the language of the fathers: “My son, take pity on me, for I carried you for nine months in my womb, and I gave you milk for three years, and I nourished you and led you through to this stage of life.
7:28	I ask you, child, gaze upon heaven and earth, and all that is in them, and understand that God made them, and the family of man, out of nothing.
7:29	So shall it be that you will not fear this executioner, but, participating worthily with your brothers, you shall accept death, so that, by this mercy, I shall receive you again with your brothers.”
7:30	While she was still saying these things, the youth said: “What are you waiting for? I will not obey the precepts of the king, but the precepts of the law, which was given to us through Moses.
7:31	In truth, you, who have been the inventor of all malice against the Hebrews, will not escape the hand of God.

Luke 9: 11- 28

9:11	But when the crowd had realized this, they followed him. And he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. And those who were in need of cures, he healed.
9:12	Then the day began to decline. And drawing near, the twelve said to him: “Dismiss the crowds, so that, by going into the surrounding towns and villages, they may separate and find food. For we are here in a deserted place.”
9:13	But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “There is with us no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we are to go and buy food for this entire multitude.”
9:14	Now there were about five thousand men. So he said to his disciples, “Have them recline to eat in groups of fifty.”
9:15	And they did so. And they caused them all to recline to eat.
9:16	Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, he gazed up to heaven, and he blessed and broke and distributed them to his disciples, in order to set them before the crowd.
9:17	And they all ate and were satisfied. And twelve baskets of fragments were taken up, which were left over from them.
9:18	And it happened that, when he was praying alone, his disciples also were with him, and he questioned them, saying: “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”
9:19	But they answered by saying: “John the Baptist. But some say Elijah. Yet truly, others say that one of the prophets from before has risen again.”
9:20	Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” In response, Simon Peter said, “The Christ of God.”
9:21	But speaking sharply to them, he instructed them not to tell this to anyone,
9:22	saying, “For the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the leaders of the priests and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again.”
9:23	Then he said to everyone: “If anyone is willing to come after me: let him deny himself, and take up his cross every day, and follow me.
9:24	For whoever will have saved his life, will lose it. Yet whoever will have lost his life for my sake, will save it.
9:25	For how does it benefit a man, if he were to gain the whole world, yet lose himself, or cause himself harm?
9:26	For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words: of him the Son of man will be ashamed, when he will have arrived in his majesty and that of his Father and of the holy Angels.
9:27	And yet, I tell you a truth: There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they see the kingdom of God.”
9:28	And it happened that, about eight days after these words, he took Peter and James and John, and he ascended onto a mountain, so that he might pray.

First Maccabees   1: 10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63

1:10 And they all put diadems on themselves after his death, and their sons after them, for many years; and evils were multiplied on the earth.

1:11 And there went forth from among them a sinful root, Antiochus the illustrious, the son of king Antiochus, who had been a hostage at Rome. And he reigned in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

1:12 In those days, there went forth from Israel sons of iniquity, and they persuaded many, saying: “Let us go and negotiate a covenant with the Gentiles that are all around us. For since we have withdrawn from them, many evils have found us.”

1:13 And the word seemed good in their eyes.

1:14 And some of the people determined to do this, and they went to the king. And he gave them the power to act according to the justice of the Gentiles.

1:15 And they built a sports arena in Jerusalem, according to the laws of the Nations. –

1:41 Her sanctuary was desolate, like a place of solitude, her feast days were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into disgrace, her honors into nothing.

1:42 Her shame was multiplied according to her glory, and her loftiness was turned into lamentation

. 1:43 And king Antiochus wrote to all his kingdom, that all the people must be one, and that each one should relinquish his own law.

1:54 And these ordered the cities of Judah to sacrifice.

1:55 And many from the people, who had abandoned the law of the Lord, were gathered together by them. And they committed evils upon the land.

1:56 And they drove the people of Israel into hiding and into the secret places of fugitives.

1:57 On the fifteenth day of the month of Kislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation on the altar of God, and they built altars throughout all the surrounding cities of Judah.

1:61 By their power, they did these things to the people of Israel, as they were discovered in the cities, month after month.

1:62 And on the twenty-fifth day of the month, they sacrificed on that altar which was opposite the high altar.

1:63 And the women who circumcised their sons were butchered, according to the order of king Antiochus.

Luke 18: 35- 43

18:35 Now it happened that, as he was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting beside the way, begging.

18:36 And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this was.

18:37 And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 18:38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!”

18:39 And those who were passing by rebuked him, so that he would be silent. Yet truly, he cried out all the more, “Son of David, take pity on me!”

18:40 Then Jesus, standing still, ordered him to be brought to him. And when he had drawn near, he questioned him,

18:41 saying, “What do you want, that I might do for you?” So he said, “Lord, that I may see.” 18:42 And Jesus said to him: “Look around. Your faith has saved you.”

18:43 And immediately he saw. And he followed him, magnifying God. And all the people, when they saw this, gave praise to God.

Malachi 4: 1- 2

4:1	For, behold, the day will arrive, kindled like a furnace, and all the arrogant and all those who act impiously will be stubble. And the approaching day will inflame them, says the Lord of hosts; it will leave behind for them neither root, nor sprout.
4:2	But unto you, who fear my name, the Sun of justice will arise, and health will be in his wings. And you will go forth and leap like the calves of the herd.

2 Thessalonians 3: 7- 12

3:7	For you yourselves know the manner in which you ought to imitate us. For we were not disorderly among you.
3:8	Nor did we eat bread from anyone for free, but rather, we worked night and day, in hardship and weariness, so as not to be burdensome to you.
3:9	It was not as if we had no authority, but this was so that we might present ourselves as an example to you, in order to imitate us.
3:10	Then, too, while we were with you, we insisted on this to you: that if anyone was not willing to work, neither should he eat.
3:11	For we have heard that there are some among you who act disruptively, not working at all, but eagerly meddling.
3:12	Now we charge those who act in this way, and we beg them in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work in silence and eat their own bread.

Luke 21: 5- 19

21:5	And when some of them were saying, about the temple, that it was adorned with excellent stones and gifts, he said,
21:6	“These things that you see, the days will arrive when there will not be left behind stone upon stone, which is not thrown down.”
21:7	Then they questioned him, saying: “Teacher, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things will happen?”
21:8	And he said: “Be cautious, lest you be seduced. For many will come in my name, saying: ‘For I am he,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ And so, do not choose to go after them.
21:9	And when you will have heard of battles and seditions, do not be terrified. These things must happen first. But the end is not so soon.”
21:10	Then he said to them: “People will rise up against people, and kingdom against kingdom.
21:11	And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and pestilences, and famines, and terrors from heaven; and there will be great signs.
21:12	But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and into custody, dragging you before kings and governors, because of my name.
21:13	And this will be an opportunity for you to give testimony.
21:14	Therefore, set this in your hearts: that you should not consider in advance how you might respond.
21:15	For I will give to you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict.
21:16	And you will be handed over by your parents, and brothers, and relatives, and friends. And they will bring about the death of some of you.
21:17	And you will be hated by all because of my name.
21:18	And yet, not a hair of your head will perish.
21:19	By your patience, you shall possess your souls.

Wisdom    18: 14-16, 19: 6-9

18:14	For, when a quiet silence surrounded all things, and when the course of the night was passing the middle of its journey,
18:15	your almighty word from heaven leapt down from your royal throne, as a fierce warrior in the midst of the land of extermination,
18:16	as a sharp sword carrying your unfeigned authority, and standing, filled all things with death, and, standing on the earth, reached all the way up to touch heaven.

19:6 For every creature according to its kind was fashioned again as from the beginning, diligently serving your teachings, so that your children would be preserved unharmed.

19:7 For a cloud overshadowed their camp, and where water was before, dry land appeared, and in the Red Sea, a way without hindrance, and out of the great deep, a level field sprung up,

19:8 through which the whole nation passed, protected by your hand, seeing your miracles and wonders.

19:9 For they consumed food like horses, and they leapt about like lambs, praising you, O Lord, who had freed them.

Luke 18: 1- 8

18:1	Now he also told them a parable, that we should continually pray and not cease,
18:2	saying: “There was a certain judge in a certain city, who did not fear God and did not respect man.
18:3	But there was a certain widow in that city, and she went to him, saying, ‘Vindicate me from my adversary.’
18:4	And he refused to do so for a long time. But afterwards, he said within himself: ‘Even though I do not fear God, nor respect man,
18:5	yet because this widow is pestering me, I will vindicate her, lest by returning, she may, in the end, wear me out.’ ”
18:6	Then the Lord said: “Listen to what the unjust judge said.
18:7	So then, will not God grant the vindication of his elect, who cry out to him day and night? Or will he continue to endure them?
18:8	I tell you that he will quickly bring vindication to them. Yet truly, when the Son of man returns, do you think that he will find faith on earth?”