Judges 6-8

Selected Lectio Reading:
Judges 6-8

Meditatio/Reflection:

In Judges 6, God allows the Israelites to be conquered by the Midianites for the people had forgotten about God. But yet again, the Israelites cry out to God for Him to save them from their suffering. God hears them and calls a man named Gideon to be the Israelites leader. One of his tasks is to destroy the Altar of Baal, which his townspeople worship heavily. Gideon follows God's orders and destroys the altar. The townspeople become so enraged that they wish to kill Gideon. But Gideon proves their god is fake and the people follow him. Then, Gideon and his army save the Israelites from the Midianites. They follow God and are loyal to him until Gideon dies. It seems like once they lost their leader, they crumble and fall back into sin.

It seems like we can do that sometimes as well. We see a person that we like or love and we follow them. But when that person leaves, we crumble and fall into sin.

Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for God'd faith in me, as well as others putting their faith in me.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

Oh God, please lead me on the right path so that I may love and worship you and do what you intend me to.



Quote of the Day:

“It’s strange how your childhood sort of feels like forever. Then suddenly you’re sixteen and the world becomes an hourglass and you’re watching the sand pile up at the wrong end. And you’re thinking of how when you were just a kid, your heartbeat was like a kick drum at a rock show, and now it’s just a time bomb ticking out. And it’s sad. And you want to forget about dying. But mostly you just want to forget about saying goodbye.” -Beau Taplin

Joshua 1-6

Selected Lectio Reading:
Joshua 1-6

Meditatio/Reflection:

People, like prostitutes, these days are usually never looked at as if they could be forgiven for their actions. We look at them and see dirt or filth. Others rarely care for them or "forgive" them. In Joshua 2, a prostitute, named Rahab, hides two of Joshua's men. The men are being hunted down for spying on the land. However, Rahab hid them on top of their roof and gave them instructions to escape. In return, she asked or her and her family to be spared when the Israelites came to attack the city. The men agreed and told her to hang the crimson rope they used to escape outside her window. When the Israelites go to attack, Joshua keeps the promise and tells the people, "'Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers we sent.'" (Joshua 6:17) Rahab and her family lives in Israel still.

Here it is shown that God and his people can forgive anyone's actions and never stop loving them. Though Rahab may have done some terrible thing with her life, it did not matter to the Israelites when she saved two of their people. She was kind and received kindness in return. Those are true people to keep in ones life, for they will not judge you for your past actions but take you as you are now.

Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for good friends who can love me no matter what I do or say to them. I am thankful for isle who have stood beside me for the longest time.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

Oh Lord, I ask that you may look over one of my friends. Please help her struggle to become less stressful and give her the strength to always keep fighting.



Quote of the Day:

"Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food… If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Exodus 21-24, 32-34

Selected Lectio Reading:
Exodus 21-24, 32-34

Meditatio/Reflection:

In Exodus 33, there is a side of God we don't think about too often. God loves us so much that no words, nor actions, nor thoughts can describe it. Where the Israelites are, there is a tent that Moses should use to talk to God with. God would come down in the form of a cloud and talk to Moses. "This the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." (Exodus 33:11) Usually, when we think of God, we see Him as a kind ruler who only intervenes when he has to. Though God may not talk to all of us, he can speak through others. He also speaks through the Bible. And the reason that He may not interact with us is because He wants us to find our own way. He gave us the gift of free will and he doesn't intend to mess with that.

Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my sister and her boyfriend, for their healthy relationship has shown every much.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

God, I ask that you lead us in the right direction and that you carefully look after all those who do not feel 100% and can't even get out of bed.



Quote of the Day:

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which had been your delight." -Kahlil Gibran

Exodus 15-20

Selected Lectio Reading:
Exodus 15-20

Meditatio/Reflection:

Humanity's faith in God has always dwindled. We never truly trusted God, or even ourselves for that matter. Even Moses was wary in the beginning. However, Moses learned to trust God and completely put his faith in Him. In Exodus 17, after all that God has given to the people, the Israelites don't trust God or even Moses. An Israelite said, "'Why did you bring using of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?'" (Exodus 17:3) Miracle after Miracle, God works to show us how mighty He really is. Now some people start to see this and fully put themselves into their faith, but the majority do not.

Today, there are many people, including Catholics, that do not trust in God. We put our money or something other than God first. Most of this is caused by our society that weighs on us heavily. However we must put out faith in Him, that he will provide for us like He always does.

Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for the gift of music, which will calm my soul until I die.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

Lord, please look after us in the kind way you do. Especially look after all the people who are disabled in some way, that they may be touched by your pure love.



Quote of the Day:

"I don't believe in pop quizzes. They're mythical like ponies and joy." -Mr. Crane

Exodus 1-14

Selected Lectio Reading:
Exodus 1-14

Meditatio/Reflection:

In Exodus, Chapter 7, the First Plague of water turning into blood is performed. God made the water blood so that the Egyptians couldn't drink the water or eat of the dead fish. However, the victory didn't last long. The pharaoh had magicians who could recreate what God had done. "But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts..." (Exodus 7:22) The only way that someone could recreate the power of God was if they had some sort of power themselves. It is here that demons are introduced. Technically they are not called demons, but instead magicians. However, there is no man or woman who has such power against God. These demons are relentless when it comes to trying to show pharaoh that God is myth. They come back again and again after every plague and do their best to recreate the miracles. Yet after all the demons did to prove that God was not real, they gave up their façade and told pharaoh that God was truly behind this.

Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for kind people in the world who understand the difficulties of homework combined with daily life.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

Dear Lord, please protect us from all evil and carry our heavy souls to heaven.



Quote of the Day:

"Maybe the wolf is in love with the moon, and each month it cries for a love it will never touch." -Unknown

Genesis 43-50

Selected Lectio Reading:
Genesis 43-50

Meditatio/Reflection:

Genesis illustrated for me that tears and crying are a very human things. There are many examples where the males cry at the sight of something emotional. They are free to show their feelings and not hold them in as it might be seen as a weakness. They did not feel judged and were not judged in anyway. Joseph, Benjamin, and the rest of the twelve cried with one another when they found Jospeh.

In modern day films and entertainment, to show any signs of emotion is to be seen as a weakness. Society tells us that for males to cry is stupid and they are to be called terrible names. It also portray women as weak for showing so much emotion in our daily lives. As humans, we are taught to hold in their feelings and opinions. We are judged by those who do not own that right. This is completely wrong and painful to see. As we all can see, there is many things to learn from Genesis.

Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for support and love from those around me, as well as the ability to smile at the simplest things.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

Jesus, I wish that you look over the bullied and the abused. Please guide them along the path to safety and happiness. Amen.



Quote of the Day:

"Mosaics are made from broken pieces, but they're still works of art and so are you." -Anonymous

Genesis 37-42

Selected Lectio Reading:
Genesis 37-42

Meditatio/Reflection:

Joseph was very connected with all kinds of dreams. He could interpret others dreams as well as his own. I see this as a very important gift. Not many people today can actually understand what our dreams mean. This is especially troublesome since God talks to us a lot in dreams. In this instance, God explained the future through different dreams. He told Joseph that one day his brothers would bow to him which was true as well as the 7 good years of food surplus and the 7 years of famine which was also true.

However, modern day people usually think of their dreams as weird hallucinations that our brains just mash together. While some of that may be true, there are also instances where they may seem stupid but are very meaningful. I remember when my grandmother had passed away and I was missing her. A few months later I had this dream where I saw her eyes and she told me that she loved me. It definitely helped me carry on.

Thanksgiving:

I am very thankful for healthy families and for all the cures to all the sicknesses we have.

Oratio/Prayer Intention:

Oh Lord, please watch over those with any type of cancer and heal them as quickly as possible so they may live their lives to the fullest. Please look over those with fatal sicknesses and make them as comfortable as possible.



Quote of the Day:

"Our fingerprints cannot be erased from the lives of those we have touched." -Unknown