Daily Reading for Sunday, August 26th, 2012

Reading 1, Joshua 24:1-2, 15-17, 18

¹ Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; he then summoned all the elders of Israel, its leaders, judges and officials, and they presented themselves in God's presence.

² Joshua then said to all the people: 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this, "From time immemorial, your ancestors, Terah, father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River, and served other gods.

¹⁵ But if serving Yahweh seems a bad thing to you, today you must make up your minds whom you do mean to serve, whether the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now living. As regards my family and me, we shall serve Yahweh.'

¹⁶ The people replied, 'Far be it from us to desert Yahweh and to serve other gods!

¹⁷ Yahweh our God was the one who brought us and our ancestors here from Egypt, from the place of slave-labour, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and who kept us safe all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we passed.

¹⁸ And Yahweh has driven all the nations out for us, including the Amorites who used to live in the country. We too shall serve Yahweh, for he is our God.'

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23

² I will praise Yahweh from my heart; let the humble hear and rejoice.

³ Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh, let us acclaim his name together.

¹⁶ But Yahweh's face is set against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

¹⁷ They cry in anguish and Yahweh hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.

¹⁸ Yahweh is near to the broken-hearted, he helps those whose spirit is crushed.

¹⁹ Though hardships without number beset the upright, Yahweh brings rescue from them all.

²⁰ Yahweh takes care of all their bones, not one of them will be broken.

²¹ But to the wicked evil brings death, those who hate the upright will pay the penalty.

²² Yahweh ransoms the lives of those who serve him, and there will be no penalty for those who take refuge in him.

Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle For a Loved One this Christmas

Gospel, John 6:60-69

⁶⁰ After hearing it, many of his followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?'

⁶¹ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you?

⁶² What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where he was before?

⁶³ 'It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

⁶⁴ 'But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him.

⁶⁵ He went on, 'This is why I told you that no one could come to me except by the gift of the Father.'

⁶⁶ After this, many of his disciples went away and accompanied him no more.

⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about you, do you want to go away too?'

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life,

⁶⁹ and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.'

Reading 2, Ephesians 5:21-32

²¹ Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² Wives should be subject to their husbands as to the Lord,

²³ since, as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife;

²⁴ and as the Church is subject to Christ, so should wives be to their husbands, in everything.

²⁵ Husbands should love their wives, just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her

²⁶ to make her holy by washing her in cleansing water with a form of words,

²⁷ so that when he took the Church to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.

²⁸ In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself.

²⁹ A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church,

³⁰ because we are parts of his Body.

³¹ This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife, and the two become one flesh.

³² This mystery has great significance, but I am applying it to Christ and the Church.

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