Daily Readings for August 13, 2014

1ST READING Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22

1 The Lord cried loud for me to hear: Come, you scourges of the city! 2 With that I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate which faces the north, each with a destroying weapon in his hand. In their midst was a man dressed in linen, with a writer’s case at his waist. They entered and stood beside the bronze altar. 3 Then he called to the man dressed in linen with the writer’s case at his waist, 4 saying to him: Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a “Thau” on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it. 5 To the others I heard the Lord say: Pass through the city after him and strike! Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy! 6 Old men, youths and maidens, women and children — wipe them out! But do not touch any marked with the “Thau”; begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the men, the elders, who were in front of the temple. 7 Defile the temple, he said to them, and fill the courts with the slain; then go out and strike in the city. 10: 24 [18] Then the glory of the Lord left the threshold of the temple and rested upon the cherubim. 25 [19] These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth, the wheels rising along with them. They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was up above them. 26 [11:22] Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels went along with them, while up above them was the glory of the God of Israel.

P S A L M Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.

1 Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever. (R) 

3 From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised. (R) 4 High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory. (R) 

5 Who is like the Lord, our God, who is enthroned on high, 6 and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? (R)

GOSPEL Matthew 18:15-20

15 Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. 16 If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 18 Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

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Daily Readings for August 12, 2014

1ST READING Ezekiel 2:8–3:4

8 The Lord God said to me: As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you: be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you. 9 It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a written scroll 10 which he unrolled before me. It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was: Lamentation and wailing and woe! 3: 1 He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said: 4 Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.

P S A L M Psalm 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

R: How sweet to my taste is your promise!

14 In the way of your decrees I rejoice, as much as in all riches. (R) 

24 Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors. (R) 

72 The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (R) 

103 How sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (R) 

111 Your decrees are my inheritance forever; the joy of my heart they are. (R) 

131 I gasp with open mouth in my yearning for your commands. (R)

GOSPEL Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

1 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child over, placed it in their midst, 3 and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. 10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. 12 What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? 13 And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 14 In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

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Daily Readings for August 11, 2014

1ST READING Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28

2 On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year, that is, of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar. There the hand of the Lord came upon me. 4 As I looked, a storm wind came from the North, a huge cloud with flashing fire enveloped in brightness, from the midst of which (the midst of the fire) something gleamed like electrum. 5 Within it were figures resembling four living creatures that looked like this: their form was human. 24 Then I heard the sound of their wings, like the roaring of mighty waters, like the voice of the Almighty. When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army. And when they stood still, they lowered their wings. 25 26 Above the firmament over their heads something like a throne could be seen, looking like sapphire. Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man. 27 Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum; downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire; he was surrounded with splendor. 28 Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

P S A L M Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R: Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

1 Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights; 2 praise him, all you his angels, praise him, all you his hosts. (R) 

11 Let the kings of the earth and all peoples, the princes and all the judges of the earth, 12 young men too, and maidens, old men and boys. (R) 

13 Praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. (R) 

14 And he has lifted up the horn of his people. Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia. (R)

GOSPEL Matthew 17:22-27

22 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief. 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” 26 When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. 27 But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.”

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Daily Examen for Busy Business People

1.    Thanksgiving                   6:45 am

Begin by relaxing into God’s presence in an attitude of thankfulness.  Find one thing to be thankful for-even if you are having a tough time.  Allow gratitude to take hold of you.

2.    Pray for Insight               10:15 am

Pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you need at this time.  Consciously open yourself to God’s light.

3.    Finding God in All Things           1:15 pm

This is the heart of the prayer where you examine very concretely the events of the day.

What happened since this morning?
Who have you come in contact with?
What occupies your thoughts today?
How are you being drawn to God in your life today?  Now?
Where is God calling you specifically this day?
Is it time to make a tough decision that will affect the lives of many people?
Should I simply bask in gratefulness to God for my life, career in family?
This is not a time for searching for faults.  Rather it is a chance to take a step back and recognize that God is active in the entirety of the day.

4.    Petition                5:30 pm

Express to God your desires.  Again be specific and frame your prayer here in a petition:  “Dear Lord, at this time I ask….for strength to…for courage to….for the resolve to…to be thankful for…”

5.    Resolve for the Future               9:00 pm

Finally, look to the future.  “How shall I live the rest of the day?”  “What shall I do?

Finish with a prayer, for example, the Our Father.

Adapted from: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2012/05/randy-hain-praying-the-daily-examen/

Daily Readings for August 10, 2014

1ST READING 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13

9 At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord — but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake — but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was fire — but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. 13 When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

P S A L M Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14

R: Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

8 [9] I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord — for he proclaims peace. 9 [10] Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. (R) 

10 [11] Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. 11 [12] Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. (R) 

12 [13] The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. 13 [14] Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. (R)

2nd READING Romans 9:1-5

1 Brothers and sisters: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness 2 that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5 theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

GOSPEL Matthew 14:22-33

22 After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27 At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

Credits to: www.kerygmafamily.com