Daily Readings for Sunday, March 31, 2013

Reading 1, Acts 10:34, 37-43

³⁴ Then Peter addressed them, ‘I now really understand’, he said, ‘that God has no favourites,

³⁷ You know what happened all over Judaea, how Jesus of Nazareth began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism.

³⁸ God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.

³⁹ Now we are witnesses to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and they killed him by hanging him on a tree,

⁴⁰ yet on the third day God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen,

⁴¹ not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses that God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses — we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead-

⁴² and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to bear witness that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead.

⁴³ It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.’

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

¹ Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.

² Let the House of Israel say, ‘His faithful love endures for ever.’

¹⁶ Yahweh’s right hand is victorious, Yahweh’s right hand is triumphant!’

¹⁷ I shall not die, I shall live to recount the great deeds of Yahweh.

²² The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

²³ This is Yahweh’s doing, and we marvel at it.

Gospel, John 20:1-9

¹ It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb

² and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said, ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

³ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb.

⁴ They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first;

⁵ he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in.

⁶ Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground

⁷ and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.

⁸ Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

⁹ Till this moment they had still not understood the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Reading 2, First Corinthians 5:6-8

⁶ Your self-satisfaction is ill founded. Do you not realise that only a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

⁷ Throw out the old yeast so that you can be the fresh dough, unleavened as you are. For our Passover has been sacrificed, that is, Christ;

⁸ let us keep the feast, then, with none of the old yeast and no leavening of evil and wickedness, but only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 31st, 2013

Reading 1, Acts 10:34, 37-43:
Then Peter addressed them, ‘I now really understand’, he said, ‘that God has no favourites, Psalm, Psalms 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23:
Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever. Let the … Gospel, John 20:1-9:
It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the … Reading 2, First Corinthians 5:6-8:
Your self-satisfaction is ill founded. Do you not realise that only a little yeast leavens the … Read More

Old Testament »

New Testament »

The National Catholic Bible Conference is Returning to the Archdiocese of …

Contact: John Harden, Ascension Press, 484-875-4550 ext. 200, jharden@ascensionpress.com

WEST CHESTER, Penn., March 27, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ — The National Catholic Bible Conference is returning to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia June 21-22 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. This annual event is designed to help Catholics understand Scripture, apply it to their lives, and proclaim its message to a world desperately in need of conversion.

Featuring Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, Jeff Cavins, Scott Hahn, Mary Healy, Michael Barber, and more, this year’s conference theme is “Scripture and the New Evangelization.” “Many people may feel like they are not called to evangelize others, or that they are not capable. But that’s not true,” says Jeff Cavins. “The reality is, most evangelization does not happen in church or in catechism class. It happens every day in ordinary circumstances. There are multiple opportunities to share our faith with others, but in order to do so we must first be formed by the Word ourselves.”

Sponsored by Ascension Press, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Augustine Institute, the 2013 National Catholic Bible Conference will offer a variety of talks to choose from, among them: “Holy Spirit and Holy Boldness: Acts of the Apostles as the Blueprint for the New Evangelization,” “Jesus the Bridegroom and the Woman at the Well,” “Lord Teach Us to Pray,” “St. Peter and the Three Stages of the Spiritual Life,” and “Called, Chosen, Sent!”

“This conference is for everyone, laity, priests, and religious. We all need a deeper understanding of God’s Word. By virtue of our Baptism we are called to proclaim the Faith and this begins by sharing the richness of Scripture with others,” says Matthew Pinto, president of Ascension Press. “And in appreciation for their service to the Church, priests, deacons, religious, and seminarians can register for free.”

Information about speakers, registration, and schedules for the 2013 National Catholic Bible Conference can be found at CatholicBibleConference.com or by calling 1-888-842-2853.

For more information or to schedule an interview with the presenters of the National Catholic Bible Conference, please contact John Harden at (484) 875-4550, ext. 200, or jharden@ascensionpress.com.

Daily Readings for Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Reading 1, Isaiah 49:1-6

¹ Coasts and islands, listen to me, pay attention, distant peoples. Yahweh called me when I was in the womb, before my birth he had pronounced my name.

² He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow and concealed me in his quiver.

³ He said to me, ‘Israel, you are my servant, through whom I shall manifest my glory.’

⁴ But I said, ‘My toil has been futile, I have exhausted myself for nothing, to no purpose.’ Yet all the while my cause was with Yahweh and my reward with my God.

⁵ And now Yahweh has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and to re-unite Israel to him;-I shall be honoured in Yahweh’s eyes, and my God has been my strength.-

⁶ He said, ‘It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of earth.’

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17

¹ In you, Yahweh, I take refuge, I shall never be put to shame.

² In your saving justice rescue me, deliver me, listen to me and save me.

³ Be a sheltering rock for me, always accessible; you have determined to save me, for you are my rock, my fortress.

⁴ My God, rescue me from the clutches of the wicked, from the grasp of the rogue and the ruthless.

⁵ For you are my hope, Lord, my trust, Yahweh, since boyhood.

⁶ On you I have relied since my birth, since my mother’s womb you have been my portion, the constant theme of my praise.

¹⁵ My lips shall proclaim your saving justice, your saving power all day long.

¹⁷ God, you have taught me from boyhood, and I am still proclaiming your marvels.

Gospel, John 13:21-33, 36-38

²¹ Having said this, Jesus was deeply disturbed and declared, ‘In all truth I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.’

²² The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he meant.

²³ The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus;

²⁴ Simon Peter signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is he means,’

²⁵ so leaning back close to Jesus’ chest he said, ‘Who is it, Lord?’

²⁶ Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish.’ And when he had dipped the piece of bread he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.

²⁷ At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’

²⁸ None of the others at table understood why he said this.

²⁹ Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival,’ or telling him to give something to the poor.

³⁰ As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. It was night.

³¹ When he had gone, Jesus said: Now has the Son of man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified.

³² If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon.

³³ Little children, I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁶ Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Now you cannot follow me where I am going, but later you shall follow me.’

³⁷ Peter said to him, ‘Why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’

³⁸ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 26th, 2013

Reading 1, Isaiah 49:1-6:
Coasts and islands, listen to me, pay attention, distant peoples. Yahweh called me when I was in … Psalm, Psalms 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17:
In you, Yahweh, I take refuge, I shall never be put to shame. In your saving justice rescue me, … Gospel, John 13:21-33, 36-38:
Having said this, Jesus was deeply disturbed and declared, ‘In all truth I tell you, one of you is … Read More

Old Testament »

New Testament »

Daily Readings for Monday, March 25, 2013

Reading 1, Isaiah 42:1-7

¹ Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have sent my spirit upon him, he will bring fair judgement to the nations.

² He does not cry out or raise his voice, his voice is not heard in the street;

³ he does not break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick. Faithfully he presents fair judgement;

⁴ he will not grow faint, he will not be crushed until he has established fair judgement on earth, and the coasts and islands are waiting for his instruction.

⁵ Thus says God, Yahweh, who created the heavens and spread them out, who hammered into shape the earth and what comes from it, who gave breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it:

⁶ I, Yahweh, have called you in saving justice, I have grasped you by the hand and shaped you; I have made you a covenant of the people and light to the nations,

⁷ to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

¹ [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?

² When the wicked advance against me to eat me up, they, my opponents, my enemies, are the ones who stumble and fall.

³ Though an army pitch camp against me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, my trust will never be shaken.

¹³ This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh.

Gospel, John 12:1-11

¹ Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead.

² They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table.

³ Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was filled with the scent of the ointment.

⁴ Then Judas Iscariot — one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him-said,

⁵ ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’

⁶ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contents.

⁷ So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; let her keep it for the day of my burial.

⁸ You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’

⁹ Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.

¹⁰ Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well,

¹¹ since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 25th, 2013

Reading 1, Isaiah 42:1-7:
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have sent my spirit … Psalm, Psalms 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14:
[Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my … Gospel, John 12:1-11:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from … Read More

Old Testament »

New Testament »

Daily Readings for Saturday, March 23, 2013

Reading 1, Ezekiel 37:21-28

²¹ say, “The Lord Yahweh says this: I shall take the Israelites from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them to- gether from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil.

²² I shall make them into one nation in the country, on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms.

²³ They will no longer defile themselves with their foul idols, their horrors and any of their crimes. I shall save them from the acts of infidelity which they have committed and shall cleanse them; they will be my people and I shall be their God.

²⁴ My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all; they will follow my judgements, respect my laws and practise them.

²⁵ They will live in the country which I gave to my servant Jacob, the country in which your ancestors lived. They will live in it, they, their children, their children’s children, for ever. David my servant is to be their prince for ever.

²⁶ I shall make a covenant of peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and make them grow; I shall set my sanctuary among them for ever.

²⁷ I shall make my home above them; I shall be their God, and they will be my people.

²⁸ And the nations will know that I am Yahweh the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them for ever.” ‘

Responsorial Psalm, Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12, 13

¹⁰ Listen, nations, to the word of Yahweh. On the farthest coasts and islands proclaim it, say, ‘He who scattered Israel is gathering him, will guard him as a shepherd guarding his flock.’

¹¹ For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, rescued him from a hand stronger than his own.

¹² They will come, shouting for joy on the heights of Zion, thronging towards Yahweh’s lavish gifts, for wheat, new wine and oil, sheep and cattle; they will be like a well-watered garden, they will sorrow no more.

¹³ The young girl will then take pleasure in the dance, and young men and old alike; I shall change their mourning into gladness, comfort them, give them joy after their troubles;

Gospel, John 11:45-57

⁴⁵ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him,

⁴⁶ but some of them went to the Pharisees to tell them what Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. ‘Here is this man working all these signs,’ they said, ‘and what action are we taking?

⁴⁸ If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and suppress the Holy Place and our nation.’

⁴⁹ One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all;

⁵⁰ you fail to see that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people, rather than that the whole nation should perish.’

⁵¹ He did not speak in his own person, but as high priest of that year he was prophesying that Jesus was to die for the nation-

⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather together into one the scattered children of God.

⁵³ From that day onwards they were determined to kill him.

⁵⁴ So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples.

⁵⁵ The Jewish Passover was drawing near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves

⁵⁶ were looking out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, ‘What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?’

⁵⁷ The chief priests and Pharisees had by now given their orders: anyone who knew where he was must inform them so that they could arrest him.

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 23rd, 2013

Reading 1, Ezekiel 37:21-28:
say, “The Lord Yahweh says this: I shall take the Israelites from the nations where they have … Psalm, Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12, 13:
Listen, nations, to the word of Yahweh. On the farthest coasts and islands proclaim it, say, ‘He … Gospel, John 11:45-57:
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some … Read More

Old Testament »

New Testament »

Daily Readings for Saturday, February 23, 2013

Reading 1, Deuteronomy 26:16-19

¹⁶ ‘Yahweh your God commands you today to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

¹⁷ ‘Today you have obtained this declaration from Yahweh: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his customs, and listen to his voice.

¹⁸ And today Yahweh has obtained this declaration from you: that you will be his own people — as he has said — but only if you keep all his commandments;

¹⁹ then for praise and renown and honour, he will raise you higher than every other nation he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to Yahweh, as he has promised.’

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8

¹ How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of Yahweh!

² Blessed are those who observe his instructions, who seek him with all their hearts,

⁴ You lay down your precepts to be carefully kept.

⁵ May my ways be steady in doing your will.

⁷ I thank you with a sincere heart for teaching me your upright judgements.

⁸ I shall do your will; do not ever abandon me wholly.

Gospel, Matthew 5:43-48

⁴³ ‘You have heard how it was said, You will love your neighbour and hate your enemy.

⁴⁴ But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you;

⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike.

⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as much?

⁴⁷ And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional?

⁴⁸ Do not even the gentiles do as much? You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 21st, 2013

Reading 1, Genesis 17:3-9:
And Abram bowed to the ground. God spoke to him as follows, ‘For my part, this is my covenant with … Psalm, Psalms 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9:
Seek Yahweh and his strength, tirelessly seek his presence! Remember the marvels he has done, his … Gospel, John 8:51-59:
In all truth I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death. The Jews said, ‘Now we know … Read More

Old Testament »

New Testament »

Daily Readings for Thursday, March 21, 2013

Reading 1, Genesis 17:3-9

³ And Abram bowed to the ground. God spoke to him as follows,

⁴ ‘For my part, this is my covenant with you: you will become the father of many nations.

⁵ And you are no longer to be called Abram; your name is to be Abraham, for I am making you father of many nations.

⁶ I shall make you exceedingly fertile. I shall make you into nations, and your issue will be kings.

⁷ And I shall maintain my covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, as a covenant in perpetuity, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

⁸ And to you and to your descendants after you, I shall give the country where you are now immigrants, the entire land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity. And I shall be their God.’

⁹ God further said to Abraham, ‘You for your part must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

⁴ Seek Yahweh and his strength, tirelessly seek his presence!

⁵ Remember the marvels he has done, his wonders, the judgements he has spoken.

⁶ Stock of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob whom he chose!

⁷ He is Yahweh our God, his judgements touch the whole world.

⁸ He remembers his covenant for ever, the promise he laid down for a thousand generations,

⁹ which he concluded with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

Gospel, John 8:51-59

⁵¹ In all truth I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.

⁵² The Jews said, ‘Now we know that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death.”

⁵³ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?’

⁵⁴ Jesus answered: If I were to seek my own glory my glory would be worth nothing; in fact, my glory is conferred by the Father, by the one of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’

⁵⁵ although you do not know him. But I know him, and if I were to say, ‘I do not know him,’ I should be a liar, as you yourselves are. But I do know him, and I keep his word.

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad.

⁵⁷ The Jews then said, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’

⁵⁸ Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I am.

⁵⁹ At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 21st, 2013

Reading 1, Genesis 17:3-9:
And Abram bowed to the ground. God spoke to him as follows, ‘For my part, this is my covenant with … Psalm, Psalms 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9:
Seek Yahweh and his strength, tirelessly seek his presence! Remember the marvels he has done, his … Gospel, John 8:51-59:
In all truth I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death. The Jews said, ‘Now we know … Read More

Old Testament »

New Testament »

A ‘Religious Right’ to Not Counsel Gays?

The band of Tennessee lawmakers infamous for the Don’t Say Gay bill have a new piece of legislation to champion, a Don’t Have to Counsel Gays bill.

The legislation would ban public universities from making psychology students counsel anyone the student deems to conflict with their “deeply held religious beliefs,” and prevents the university taking disciplinary action against said student.

The ban’s sponsor in the House is Democratic — you read that right — Representative John K. Deberry, Jr, a minister at Colemand Avenue Church of Christ. As the New Civil Rights Movement notes, Deberry has been an outspoken advocate of the Don’t Say Gay bill but is most infamous for his 2009 legislation to prohibit gay people from adopting. The counseling measure’s senate sponsor is Senator Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald.

However, neither Deberry or Hohenwald authored the bill. Conservative David Fowler, president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, drafted both versions of the bill with the help of the Alliance Defending Freedom, formally the Alliance Defense Fund, whose anti-gay agenda is well established.

The ADF represented a Michigan student named Julea Ward who was expelled from a master’s degree program at Eastern Michigan University for refusing to counsel gay clients or clients who were sexually involved with someone but weren’t married. Ward received a $75,000 settlement last year.

Another student, self-avowed devoted Christian Jennifer Keeton, did not succeed in her suit against Georgia’s Augusta State University over a similar situation where she refused to counsel gay kids because she couldn’t affirm their “choice of lifestyle.”

Naturally, the Republican legislators who have a longstanding animus toward the LGBT community are behind the bill. The legislation made it out of senate committee last week, despite leading health professionals saying that this could damage the counseling profession.

In fact, even the head of the counseling program at Lipscomb University, a Christian university, said that the bill is a bad idea because student counselors must treat a range of clients.

Reports The Tennessean:

“I want my students to be able to help anyone who walks in their door,” [said Jake Morris, director of the graduate program in counseling]. For example, if a student thinks divorce is sinful, that student still needs to know how to treat clients who have gone through a divorce.”

Students, Morris said, should be exposed to a wide range of clients while in training. That will help them become competent professionals.

“We are health care professionals,” he said. “We need to act like it.”

Senator Stacey Campfield, author of the infamous Don’t Say Gay bill, reportedly managed to turn discussion of the bill even more anti-gay by asking what the rules were surrounding counselors advocating reparative therapy:

“So if someone were to, say, come in and—I’m just going to throw an example out there—say they were a homosexual and a person did not believe that was a natural act and they suggested, say, change therapy? Would that be something you could allow a student to do?”

Other lawmakers appeared aghast that the medical profession didn’t allow for counselors to impose their own morality on those they were counseling, with Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City) reportedly saying, “I would think that you should be up front and truthful and tell them if they are doing wrong and try to counsel them to do what’s right. That really disturbs me.”

The Don’t Have to Counsel Gays bill is not the only anti-gay legislation that Tennessee lawmakers are considering at the moment. The reintroduced Don’t Say Gay bill comes with a shiny new clause saying school counselors can out kids who identify as LGBT, and legislation to make it illegal for universities to hold religious clubs to the standards set out in (LGBT-inclusive) nondiscrimination policies has swiftly advanced.

Related Reading:

TN Puts Off Don’t Say Gay Bill, Favors Abstinence-Only Update

‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Dead (For Now)

George Takei Takes on Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill (VIDEO)

Daily Readings for Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Reading 1, Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have set up?

¹⁵ When you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and every other kind of instrument, are you prepared to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you will be thrown forthwith into the burning fiery furnace; then which of the gods could save you from my power?’

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question needs no answer from us:

¹⁷ if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, Your Majesty, he will save us;

¹⁸ and even if he does not, then you must know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have set up.’

¹⁹ This infuriated King Nebuchadnezzar; his expression was changed now as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. He gave orders for the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual

²⁰ and commanded certain stalwarts from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego and throw them into the burning fiery furnace.

⁹¹ King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty’.

⁹² ‘But’, he went on, ‘I can see four men walking free in the heart of the fire and quite unharmed! And the fourth looks like a child of the gods!’

⁹⁵ ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego: he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their God.

Responsorial Psalm, Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

⁵² May you be blessed, Lord, God of our ancestors, be praised and extolled for ever. Blessed be your glorious and holy name, praised and extolled for ever.

⁵³ May you be blessed in the Temple of your sacred glory, exalted and glorified above all for ever:

⁵⁴ blessed on the throne of your kingdom, exalted above all, glorified for ever:

⁵⁵ blessed are you who fathom the abyss, enthroned on the winged creatures, praised and exalted above all for ever:

⁵⁶ blessed in the expanse of the heavens, exalted and glorified for ever.

Gospel, John 8:31-42

³¹ To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples;

³² you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

³³ They answered, ‘We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, “You will be set free?” ‘

³⁴ Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave.

³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it for ever.

³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.

³⁷ I know that you are descended from Abraham; but you want to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

³⁸ What I speak of is what I have seen at my Father’s side, and you too put into action the lessons you have learnt from your father.

³⁹ They repeated, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them: If you are Abraham’s children, do as Abraham did.

⁴⁰ As it is, you want to kill me, a man who has told you the truth as I have learnt it from God; that is not what Abraham did.

⁴¹ You are doing your father’s work. They replied, ‘We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.’

⁴² Jesus answered: If God were your father, you would love me, since I have my origin in God and have come from him; I did not come of my own accord, but he sent me.

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated “directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic.” The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only “where the text admits to more than one interpretation.” Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. “New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition”, pg. v.

Ten Commandments | Books of the Bible | Buy a Bible

March 20th, 2013

Reading 1, Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95:
Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, is it true that you do not serve … Psalm, Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56:
May you be blessed, Lord, God of our ancestors, be praised and extolled for ever. Blessed be your … Gospel, John 8:31-42:
To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: If you make my word your home you will indeed be my … Read More

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New Testament »

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