The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.’ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. From Numbers…
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Refrain from strife, and your sins will be fewer; for the hot-tempered kindle strife,and the sinner disrupts friendships and sows discord among those who are at peace. From Ecclesiasticus 27: 33 – 28:9 NRSV) The Reading today labours the point about forgiveness and avoiding enmity with those around us – over and over again! As…
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The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. From 1 Corinthians…
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For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some.…
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Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him. From 1 Corinthians 8: 1-7, 11-13 (NRSV) Paul continues his response to the questions and concerns of the Christian community at Corinth. The issue today concerns…
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I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those…
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But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5: 1-4 (NRSV) Mary’s birthday has been celebrated since the sixth century, nine months to the day of…
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For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:1-8 NRSV) At the beginning of this reading, Paul has the difficult task of confronting the recently established Christian…
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If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. From Ezechiel 33:7-9 (NRSV) God makes it clear to the prophet Ezechiel…
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We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, and we grow weary from the work of…
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