Computer Cud    Vatican II asks us to read the Bible every day,   'to have a burning love'   for the Word of God      Resolution

This plan follows the Sunday liturgy:  reading + psalm + reading + gospel       From  www.simplebible.info         Previous R-R-P 

O Holy Spirit, please guide me as I read these passages for today.                     
May these passages give me hope, strength, wisdom, compassion, courage and peace for my daily life     Chinese text

Reading:  The Song of Songs 8

For love is strong as death.
Love is like a fire, a mighty flame.

No flood can quench love.
No torrents can drown it.

Money cannot buy love.

Reflection:
Two special songs which use the above words:
Like a Seal on Your Heart  (YouTube - Carey Landry - Lyrics)
Can't Buy Me Love (YouTube - Beatles)

Prayer: Lord, please fill my heart with your love

O Lord, you search me and you know me.
You know my resting and my rising.

You know exactly what's going on in my life,
all my ways are an open book to you.

Before ever a word is on my tongue,
You know, O Lord, what I'm going to say.

Your knowledge is beyond my understanding,
too high, beyond my reach.

It was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother's womb.

I thank you for the wonder of my life,
for the wonders of all your creation.

Reflection:
If we have free will, how come God knows today what I'm going to do tomorrow?
Maybe God is like someone on top of a very high mountain...who can see a group of people hiking way down below....and can see the place where they will be in a few hours time - even though the hikers can't yet see that place

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of life.  Please help me live life as well as I can

Peter said to the crowd "You know that Jesus of Nazareth was a man from God.
You know all about the miracles he worked

This same Jesus has been raised from the dead by God. There are many witnesses to his resurrection

Jesus has been taken up to God's right hand. He has received the Holy Spirit from the Father. 
He has poured out the Holy Spirit on us

Know for sure that Jesus whom you crucified is the Messiah and he is Lord"

Reflection:
This reading speaks of the Holy Spirit being "poured out"....like liquid into a glass or other container.
Almost as if Jesus and the Father up in Heaven are holding a large container of liquid ...and tipping it over the world.
If you put "how can the Holy Spirit be poured out?" into Google, many items appear.
Bottom line: "pouring out" is a physical description of a non-physical reality....as when someone says an upset person "poured out their heart, poured out their story"

Prayer:  Jesus, Messiah Lord, please pour your Holy Spirit into my heart....and into the hearts of the conclave cardinals!

In Jesus' time, it was illegal for anyone to touch a leper,
and it was illegal for lepers  to go near other people.

But one day a leper broke the law.
He came right up to Jesus and said
"If you want to, you can heal me."

Jesus also broke the law.
He stretched out his hand, touched the leper,
and said "Of course I want to heal you. Be healed!"

The man was healed immediately.

Reflection:    
The laws re lepers was wise ones....to prevent the spread of leprosy.
But Jesus didn't say "you've broken the law by coming close to me".
Rather, Jesus himself broke the law by touching the leper.

Prayer: Jesus, I didn't know you were a law-breaker. 
I guess this means that sometimes, in special cases,  it's ok to break the law