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, may these passages give us hope, wisdom, compassion,
courage and peace for our daily life     Chinese text

  Reading:  Exodus 19 

The Israelites kept traveling
and came to Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb?).

Through Moses,  God told the people to prepare themselves
for a special revelation from Heaven.

Three days later a thick cloud covered the mountain
accompanied by lightning and thunder
and a trumpet blast which grew louder and louder.

God then called Moses to the top of the mountain
and gave him "The Ten Commandments".

Reflection:
Many other religions have basic laws and guidelines, but 
as regards the basic do's and don't for harmonious living, the Ten Commandments best merit the title "Commandments for Dummies" (as in the Dummies publishing series which tries to put everything in the simplest terms)

Prayer: Dear God, please us dummies keep the Commandments!

Reading: Psalm 78

Listen, everyone, to my teaching.
I will recount the lessons of our history.

The things  our parents have told us,
we will not hide from our children,
but will pass them on to the next generation.

We want the next generation to know 
all that the Lord has done for us in the past.

May the next generation in turn
pass on this knowledge to their own children,
so that they too will put their hope in God
and never forget all that God has done for us.

May future generations not be like our ancestors
who so often were unfaithful to God.

Even though our ancestors had seen God part the sea,
even though they had seen him provide food and water for them
in the desert, still they went on sinning.

Yet he who is full of compassion forgave and spared them.
He remembered they were only weak humans.

Eventually he brought them to the promised land
and gave a home to each of Israel's tribes.

But still they sinned by building mountain shrines
and serving idols.

Then God raised up David to be their leader. 
God called him from looking after sheep 
to be the shepherd of his people.

Reflection: 
The basic responsibility of parents and teachers: 
to pass on the knowledge of God to the next generation

Prayer: Lord, help us to pass on the knowledge of your love to the next generation

Reading:  Philippians 1 

Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the Good News of Christ

Be united in your convictions, and united in your love.
There must be no competition among you, no conceit

Everyone should be self-effacing.
Always regard others as better than yourself

Put others interests before your own 

Reflection:
Parents put their baby children's interests before their own. Paul's challenges us to have the same attitude in general life ...by often thinking "what's good for the family/group" rather than "what's good for me" 

Prayer: Jesus, help me other people's interests before my own

Reading:  Luke 7

Jesus and his disciples went to a town called Nain.  Many other people went with them. As they reached the town, a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow

When the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her. "Do not cry" he said. Then he said "Young man, I tell you to get up"

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother

Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying "A great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people"

Reflection:
I often used to wonder if there were any modern day cases of dead people coming back to life.  Not "Near Death Experience" people, but people who had been dead for many hours, even days.  Then I read Testing Prayer - Science and Healing by Candy Gunther Brown which has many cases of long-term dead people coming back to life....and this sentence (p. 250): "An estimated two hundred fifty individuals have reportedly been raised from the dead through the prayers of Mozambican (Christian) leaders..."

Prayer: Jesus, please give us the faith to pray that dead people will come back to life - you who once told your disciples "to raise the dead"