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 Bible Blogs 

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:  Daniel 13  

A beautiful woman named Susanna
was condemned to death on a false charge of immorality.

God stirred Daniel's heart to help Susanna.
Daniel confronted Susanna's two accusers, two elderly Jewish men.

Daniel had the two men separated.
He then asked them individually where the alleged crime took place.

One of them said "under a mastic tree."
The other said "under an oak tree."

The people then realized the men were lying.
The people praised God for giving such wisdom to Daniel.

Susanna was freed.
The two men were executed, as required by the Law.

Reflection: 
Susanna was "on death row" (due to be executed).
There were 3,125 people on death row in the United States on January 1, 2013 (Wikipedia).

Prayer:  Lord, please bless everyone in the world on death row today

Reading:  Psalm 118

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
His love has no end.

Let the sons of Israel say:
"His love has no end."

Let those who honor the Lord say:
"His love has no end."

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

I was falling, falling, falling,
but the Lord was my helper.

The Lord is my strength and my song.
He is my saviour.

The Lord's right hand has triumphed.
His right hand has raised me up.

I shall not die, I shall live
and recount all his deeds.

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.

This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.

This day was made by the Lord.
We rejoice and are glad.

Reflection: 
Jesus was a "rejected stone" who became a "corner stone".
Here are 50 other people who became successful after being rejected

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the times when "failure has been the mother of success"

Reading:  Romans 12

I beg you, trust in God's mercy, and worship him in a spiritual way, not just in an external way

Offer your whole life to him as a holy sacrifice

Do not blindly follow the fashions of the world. Instead, let your behavior change, fashioned by your enlightened mind

This is the way to discover the will of God, the way to know what God wants us to do

Reflection:  
"The fashions of the world".
On July 6 Pope Francis spoke about the danger of being tempted by a culture that exalts the "latest trappings"
like the latest smartphones and expensive cars 

Prayer: Jesus, please help me live more simply, and give more help to the poor from money I've saved by simple living

Reading: Mark 7     

Some religious leaders asked Jesus 
"Why do your disciples ignore many external practices of our religion?"

Jesus answered, with the words of the prophet Isaiah:
"This people honors me with external lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me."

Jesus also said
"It's not certain foods or lack of washing  that makes a person unclean.
It's evil in the  heart that makes a person unclean.

Evil intentions like murder, adultery, fornication, theft, perjury, slander.
These are the things that make a person unclean."

Reflection: 
A person can go to church every week but have an unclean heart.
A person might never go to church but have a clean heart

Prayer: Jesus, please clean my heart