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Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week. Note that the readings are based on the New American Bible.
Exodus Chapters 5-8
All people, like Moses, have fears. (See Exodus 3:11-12 and 4:10-13.)
All people are tested. (See Exodus 4:24.)
All people encounter anger, lack of support, and discouragement from people in their lives at some point in time. (See Exodus 5:19-21.)
However, God is faithful. When Moses turned to God with his problems, God gave Moses, and his brother Aaron, the courage to stand before Pharaoh, as well as the opportunity to see God work miracles through them. (See Exodus 5:22 - 6:1 and 7:8-12.)
Ask God to strengthen and encourage us as we encounter situations that seem overwhelming.
Have you recently had any problems like Moses had? What lessons can you learn from studying the challenges that Moses faced?
Exodus Chapters 9-12
In today’s reading, we see a series of plagues that came upon Egypt. Finally, the Lord sent the 10th plague, the killing of each firstborn male in the land, as the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt. The Lord then commanded all generations of Israelites to observe a memorial feast of this deliverance called “Passover.”
Read Exodus 12:24-28 again.
Ask God to help us persevere in our own trials, and to share what has helped us with others.
What do these verses tell you about how to pass along the faith within your family and within your faith community? What does the story of the 10 plagues tell you about the need for perseverance, when you encounter a long-lasting series of troubling events?
Exodus Chapters 13-16
As the Israelites escaped from Egypt, they went through many trials. Read the following verses again to see how the Lord instructed them to prepare themselves, and how the Lord’s presence would be with them night and day:
Exodus 13:9, 13:16, and 13:21-22.
Now read the following verses again to see how the Israelites reacted to each trial:
Exodus 14:11-12, 15:22-24, and 16:1-3.
Did the Israelites do a good job of remembering how the Lord delivered them out of previous trials, or of recognizing the Lord’s presence with them in the fire and the cloud? Did the failures and lack of faithfulness of the Israelites stop God from keeping God’s promise to deliver them from the Egyptians?
Ask God to show you how to focus on God’s promises, presence and previous blessings when you go through trials.
Where do you find God’s presence?
Exodus Chapters 17-19
As we see in the readings from yesterday and today, God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt and provided for them in miraculous ways. Yet, the people grew afraid and grumbled each time that a new test came their way.
In Exodus 17:14, we read that God told Moses to write down what God had done for the Israelites.
Ask God to give us opportunities to share our faith stories.
Do you keep a prayer journal, or other written record of the good things that God has done for you? Such a journal can help encourage you when future tests come your way. Have you ever shared stories of God’s goodness towards you with others?
Exodus Chapters 20-24
Today’s reading outlines the Ten Commandments and various laws that the Lord gave to the people of Israel.
What is your experience with law, lawmakers and law enforcers? What is your experience with other people who have authority over you (parents, teachers, Church leaders)?
Read Exodus 20:18-21 again. In these verses, we see that Moses trusted God, but the others were afraid of God.
Ask God to help all people to trust God’s authority, and to protect them from any abuses of human authority.
In today’s world, why do some people run away from God and from the Church, and others make God and the Church the centre of their lives?
Exodus Chapters 25-28
In today’s reading, God gave Moses very specific details about how to make a tent in which God was to be worshipped.
Think about the amount of time, money and energy that was put into constructing tall office buildings, space shuttles, airplanes, bridges and other complex structures.
Then, think about how complex your body is — how your lungs, heart, brain and other organs work together. You are an incredibly intricate and magnificent creature!
Ask God to help us to appreciate how wonderfully created we are.
How can you treat your body, mind and heart with the love and care that these works of the Master Artist deserve?
Exodus Chapters 29-31
In today’s reading, God gave Moses many instructions so that the Israelites would conduct themselves in a disciplined and orderly fashion. In Exodus 32:25, we’ll read that the enemies of Israel looked down on the Israelites because of their wild behaviour.
In that case, the wild behaviour was a result of the Israelites’ poor choices. For some people alive today, acting badly has its roots in having been abused by others. It’s easy to look down on deeply damaged individuals, whose behaviour doesn’t match the polished sophistication of people who have had many advantages in life.
Ask God to help us to look with compassion and care on others, even when their behaviour is offensive to us.
How can you look at disruptive people in your life through the eyes of God today?
A version of this story appeared in the June 23, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "The Lord’s presence is with us".
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