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The Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) for week 16: Sunday, Sept. 22, to Saturday, Sept 28.
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September 20, 2024
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Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week. Note that the Books of Tobit and Judith appear in Catholic versions of the Bible.
Tobit Chapters 5-9
Read Tobit 8:9-12 again. Raguel put his energies into planning for the worst-case scenario. He assumed that his new son-in-law would die, as all the other ones had.
Read Matthew 25:1-13 and then ask God to inspire a spirit of joyful preparedness in our lives.
Do you expect the worst case to occur in your life goals? Do you plan for defeat? If you have prayed for a blessing from God, have you made any plans for how to receive this blessing, should God choose to give it to you?
Tobit Chapters 10-14
In today’s reading, we see stress in the marriage of Tobit and Anna.
Read Tobit 10:1-7 again. The way that Tobit and Anna spoke to each other during this stressful time added to the anxiety of the situation.
Ask God to help us to keep our cool in heated situations.
How do you react in times of stress? Is there room for improvement in how you speak to those you love at such times?
Judith Chapters 1-5
In Judith 4:6-8, the high priest Joakim told the Israelites to maintain tight control of the mountain passes that gave their enemies access to their vulnerable areas.
St. Ignatius of Loyola recommended doing a daily examination of consciousness to see which activities bring us closer to God and which ones create a distance between God and us.
Ask God to help us to develop a habit of examining our thoughts, words and actions on a regular basis so that we’ll leave no room for enemy invasion.
What are the weak areas in your life through which temptation comes to you? Do you take time to review your day to see what you did well and what you might have done better?
Judith Chapters 6-10
In Judith 6:2, Holofernes asked what “god” there was other than King Nebuchadnezzar.
Do you think Holofernes actually believed that King Nebuchadnezzar was a god? Is it possible that he was telling a falsehood intentionally about King Nebuchadnezzar just so that he could share in the king’s power?
Ask God to help us make ethical decisions about the people with whom we make alliances in our careers, political lives and other activities.
Who are the people with whom you are making alliances?
Judith Chapters 11-15
In today’s reading, we see that Judith was very highly regarded by both the Israelites and Assyrians. She was a very beautiful woman, but it was her wisdom, courage and leadership skills that earned for her a prominent place in sacred Scripture.
It is sometimes difficult for us to see the gifts and talents of others when we are distracted by their physical appearance.
Ask God to open our eyes to the total picture of the gifts and talents in all of our brothers and sisters.
Which people in your life stand out because of how they look? When people talk to them, are they able to listen to what they are saying or are they distracted because of what they see?
Judith Chapter 16 and Esther Additions/Chapters A, 1, 2, 3
In Esther 1:16, Memucan said that Queen Vashti not only dishonoured her husband by refusing to appear in front of his guests, but also harmed the society in which they lived by her poor example.
Do you think that there may be some truth in Memucan’s statement? Doesn’t the way that we treat spouses, members of our family and others in public have an effect on the entire community?
Ask God to help us to have mature, respectful and loving communication in all our relationships.
How do you treat your loved ones, and what do you say about them in front of others?
Esther Additions/Chapters B, (3), 4, C, D, 5
In Esther 4:15-16, Esther asked her entire community to fast for one particular prayer intention.
Fasting is a spiritual discipline practised by various faith communities to help us focus on God.
Ask God to guide us to use the discipline of fasting in healthy and effective ways.
Outside of the times the Church calls us to fast, would it be helpful for you to fast to focus on God when you need to make an important decision?
A version of this story appeared in the September 22, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Be open to all the gifts, talents others bring".
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