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The Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week, Sunday, January 19 to Saturday, January 25, 2025.
A homeless man sits on the street with his belongings.
OSV News photo/Bob Roller
January 17, 2025
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OSV News photo/Sam Lucero
Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week. Note that the Book of Baruch appears in Catholic versions of the Bible.
Jeremiah Chapters 43-45
Read Jeremiah 43:8-13 again.
God told Jeremiah to bring large stones with him and to set them in the ground in front of the people for whom he had a divine message. Do you think that the message would have been as effective if he hadn’t brought the stones?
Ask God to help us to make wise choices in communicating information persuasively.
When pitching ideas for a new project at your workplace, parish, school or mission, how effective have you been in convincing your audience of their importance? Would it help you to add visual aids or some other component to your presentation to move hearts and minds toward supporting your ideas?
Jeremiah Chapters 46-49
Read Jeremiah 49:30 again.
In this reading, people had to flee their homes because of war.
Ask God to show us what we can do to provide for the needs of those who are homeless.
Who are the people in your community who are homeless? Are some of them children and adults who have run away from violent homes? Are some refugees? Do you have a skill or resources to help support outreach programs for the homeless or have the ability to work with government leaders to develop policies that will provide for their needs?
Jeremiah Chapters 50-52
In Jeremiah Chapters 50 and 51, we see a very dramatic proclamation about the outpouring of God’s power and authority.
Read Matthew 18:20.
Ask God to help us all become more aware of God’s presence in our faith communities.
How do you think that God’s presence is made known to those who gather together in Jesus’ name? Have you ever felt His presence among a group of pilgrims or among other faith groups to which you belong?
Lamentations Chapters 1-3
Compare Lamentations 3:1-20 to 3:21-36. Then, read verse 3:40.
How do you think that the writer moved from despair to hope? Verse 40 suggests that he did some moral self-examination, such as Catholics do before taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or people in 12-Step programs do in their “searching and fearless moral inventory.”
Ask God to help us to get out of any emotional pits that we find ourselves in by stirring us to think of how we got into them and how to avoid getting in such pits again in the future.
If you were to draw a timeline of your entire life and map the high and low periods in it, would you see any problems that keep coming up? Are there any skills that you need to develop or are there past wounds that need healing to avoid running into them again?
Lamentations Chapters 4-5
Today’s reading reminds us that all that we have in the world could be taken in an instant, as a result of war, terrorist attack or other disaster.
Ask God to make the foundation of our faith strong so that we can deal with any challenge, in God’s strength.
Think for a moment about what you value the most. Can you ever lose God? Can God ever lose you or someone you love?
Baruch Chapters 1-3
Read Baruch 1:5-12 and 2:18 again.
The deeper that we let God into our hearts, the greater, and the more generous, our response will be.
Ask God to deepen our love for Him and our generosity towards others.
Read Malachi 3:10. What does this verse tell us about an important benefit that comes in giving to others?
Baruch Chapters 4-6
Read Baruch 4:28-29 again. Sometimes disasters in our lives can shock us almost into a state of paralysis. What do these verses tell us about the good that can follow disaster? What do these verses tell us about our part in bringing joy into our lives?
Ask God to give us the strength never to lose hope.
Is there anything you can do in your current life circumstances to find hope?
A version of this story appeared in the January 19, 2025, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "May God give us strength not to lose hope".
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