Daily Readings for July 10, 2015

1ST READING

Joseph was reunited with his father, and Israel is then ready to die. He has seen once again the child he loved so much and whom he thought was dead. We all have deep desires in our hearts. Some of them will be fulfilled. God works in mysterious ways. Let us pray for the grace to accept God’s will, no matter how difficult it may be to do so at times, and live as His disciples.

Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30

1 Israel set out with all that was his. When he arrived at Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called, “Jacob! Jacob!” He answered, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said: “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. 4 Not only will I go down to Egypt with you; I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes.” 5 So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba, and the sons of Israel put their father and their wives and children on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport. 6 They took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt. 7 His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters — all his descendants — he took with him to Egypt. 28 Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that he might meet him in Goshen. On his arrival in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck and wept a long time in his arms. 30 And Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die, now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive.”

P S A L M

Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

R: The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. (R) 18 The Lord watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever. 19 They are not put to shame in an evil time; in days of famine they have plenty. (R) 27 Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever; 28 for the Lord loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones. (R) 39 The salvation of the just is from the Lord; he is their refuge in time of distress. 40 And the Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (R)

  

GOSPEL

There will be times when we have to do things against our will. These are moments of grace and growth for us. Jesus promised us that He provides all that we need to navigate these paths. All we have to do is to trust in Him and follow His lead. The simplest path is obedience to God’s will, and trust that He is at our side to guide us through the difficult moments.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth and remind you of all I told you.

Matthew 10:16-23

16 Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. 20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

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Daily Readings for July 9, 2015

1ST READING

Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. He allayed their fears and assured them that he still considers them his brothers. Joseph saw the hand of God at work in his life, even in the terrible thing they did in selling him as a slave. Joseph does not want to look back and relive those days – he looked forward to the future. We cannot change the past, but we can create the future.

 Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5

18 Judah approached Joseph and said: “I beg you, my lord, let your servant speak earnestly to my lord, and do not become angry with your servant, for you are the equal of Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked your servants, ‘Have you a father, or another brother?’ 20 So we said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and a young brother, the child of his old age. This one’s full brother is dead, and since he is the only one by that mother who is left, his father dotes on him.’ 21 Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him, unless your youngest brother comes back with you, 23 you shall not come into my presence again.’ 24 When we returned to your servant our father, we reported to him the words of my lord. 25 “Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family. 26 So we reminded him, ‘We cannot go down there; only if our youngest brother is with us can we go, for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.’ 27 Then your servant our father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts; I have not seen him since. 29 If you now take this one away from me, too, and some disaster befalls him, you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.’” 45:1 Joseph could no longer control himself in the presence of all his attendants, so he cried out, “Have everyone withdraw from me!” Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace. 3 “I am Joseph,” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still in good health?” But his brothers could give him no answer, so dumbfounded were they at him. 4 “Come closer to me,” he told his brothers. When they had done so, he said: “I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. 5 But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you.”

P S A L M

Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

R: Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

16 When the Lord called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them, 17 He sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave. (R) 18 They had weighed him down with fetters, and he was bound with chains, 19 till his prediction came to pass and the word of the Lord proved him true. (R) 20 The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free. 21 He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions. (R)

GOSPEL

We all have choices to make. Some choices are very important and require consideration. However, many of our choices are incidental and sometimes we fail to choose what is morally right. It is critical that we put our efforts where they will matter and count the most. We should listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and seek His guidance as to the important issues in our lives.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the Gospel.

Matthew 10:7-15

7 Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. 9 Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; 10 no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter a house, wish it peace. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. 14 Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words — go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. 15 Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”

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Daily Readings for July 8, 2015

1ST READING

I wonder what it was like for Joseph’s brothers to see that he was alive and held a very important position in the Egyptian government. It must have been a total shock to them. And now they are before him, begging him for food because of the famine. Joseph forgave them and this shows his character and goodness. I wonder what each of us would do if we were in his place?

Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24

55 When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them. 56 When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the cities that had grain and rationed it to the Egyptians, since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt. 57 In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world. 42:5 The sons of Israel were among those who came to procure rations. 6 It was Joseph, as governor of the country, who dispensed the rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers came and knelt down before him with their faces to the ground, 7 he recognized them as soon as he saw them. But Joseph concealed his own identity from them and spoke sternly to them. 17 With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to his brothers: “Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man. 19 If you have been honest, only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison, while the rest of you may go and take home provisions for your starving families. 20 But you must come back to me with your youngest brother. Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die.” To this they agreed. 21 To one another, however, they said: “Alas, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has now come upon us.” 22 Reuben broke in, “Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy? But you would not listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood.” 23 The brothers did not know, of course, that Joseph understood what they said, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. 24 But turning away from them, he wept.

P S A L M

Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19

R: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

2 Give thanks to the Lord on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. 3 Sing to him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness. (R) 10 The Lord brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. 11 But the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. (R) 18 But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, 19 To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus commissioned the Apostles to do exactly the same things that He did. He did not hold back God’s grace from us. The Gospel message had to be proclaimed. Jesus does not care who proclaims it, provided that it is done powerfully. Let us never worry about who is doing what, as long as we all give our best in the service of the Gospel.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the Gospel.

Matthew 10:1-7

1 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. 2 The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. 5 Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

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Daily Readings for July 7, 2015

1ST READING

Sometimes, following God’s will involves wrestling with Him. It is not always easy to accept and follow God’s Word. It is OK to clarify and confirm whether this is truly His will for your life or not. Sometimes, we can be mistaken about the source of a particular instruction and it may not be from God. In order to be certain, we need to dig deeper into the meaning of the call.

Genesis 32:23-33

23 In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 24 After he had taken them across the stream and had brought over all his possessions, 25 Jacob was left there alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. 26 When the man saw that he could not prevail over him, he struck Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled. 27 The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” 28 The man asked, “What is your name?” He answered, “Jacob.” 29 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed.” 30 Jacob then asked him, “Do tell me your name, please.” He answered, “Why should you want to know my name?” With that, he bade him farewell. 31 Jacob named the place Peniel, “Because I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.” 32 At sunrise, as he left Penuel, Jacob limped along because of his hip. 33 That is why, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket, inasmuch as Jacob’s hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle.

P S A L M

Psalm 17:1, 2-3, 6-7, 8, 15

R: In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.

1 Hear, O Lord, a just suit; attend to my outcry; hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit. (R) 2 From you let my judgment come; your eyes behold what is right. 3 Though you test my heart, searching it in the night, though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me. (R) 6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word. 7 Show your wondrous mercies, O savior of those who flee from their foes. (R) 8 Hide me in the shadow of your wings. 15 I in justice shall behold your face; on waking, I shall be content in your presence. (R)

GOSPEL

Are you ready to be a laborer sent to the harvest? Are you willing to become a priest or a nun? We need to examine our hearts and decide how much of our lives we will give to the Lord and His work, and in what ways we are willing to serve. Each of us has received the grace of God through the ministry of others. There will come a time when we need to decide what we will give back to the ministry.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.

Matthew 9:32-38

32 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, 33 and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” 35 Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. 36 At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

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Daily Readings for July 6, 2015

1ST READING

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Maria Goretti, a young girl who chose death over the violation of her virginity. As she fought off her attacker, she was mortally wounded and killed. Her example teaches us that there are things worth dying for. Life is about standing for something worthwhile – standing up for the good and not being afraid even if it means dying for the values of the Gospel.

Genesis 28:10-22

10 Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran. 11 When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set, he stopped there for the night. Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep at that spot. 12 Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God’s messengers were going up and down on it. 13 And there was the Lord standing beside him and saying: “I, the Lord, am the God of your forefather Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants. 14 These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing. 15 Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you.” 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, “Truly, the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!” 17 In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!” 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that site Bethel, whereas the former name of the town had been Luz. 20 Jacob then made this vow: “If God remains with me, to protect me on this journey I am making and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 and I come back safe to my father’s house, the Lord shall be my God. 22 This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God’s abode.”

P S A L M 

Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4, 14-15

R: In you, my God, I place my trust.

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (R) 3 For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler, from the destroying pestilence. 4 With his pinions he will cover you, and under his wings you shall take refuge. (R) 14 Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress. (R)

GOSPEL

Miracles demonstrate the power Jesus exercises in His ministry. Miracles are meant to challenge our faith and call us into a deeper faith and trust in God. Jesus performs extraordinary miracles because He trusts God completely and believes that God listens to His prayers. Like Jesus, let us put our trust in the promises of God no matter how difficult things might be. God is always in control.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

Matthew 9:18-26

18 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. 25 When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. 26 And news of this spread throughout all that land.

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