Cristy Li

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life…I am the living Bread that came down from Heaven. Whoever eats of this Bread will live forever and the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
John 6:48;51 (NRSVCE)

Jesus said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
(Mark 16:15-16)

Universal Call To Worship

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol Him, all you peoples!

Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
(Mark 16:15-16)

For great is His steadfast love toward us
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord! –Psalm 117:1-2

Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
(Mark 16:15-16)

Jesus said — “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty but I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me and anyone who comes to Me I will never drive away; For I have come down from Heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent Me and this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of the Father, that all who see the Son and believe in Him may have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day.”

“No one can come to Me unless drawn by the Father who sent Me and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets ‘and they shall be taught by God.’ (Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the Bread that comes down from Heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. Whoever eats of this Bread will live forever and the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My Flesh.”

The Jews then disputed among themselves saying, ‘How can this man give us flesh to eat?’

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink My blood have eternal life and I will raise them up on the last day; For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink My blood abide in Me and I in them. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats Me will live because of Me. This is the Bread that came down from Heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate and they died but the one who eats this Bread will live forever.” –John 6:35-58

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While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now He commands all people everywhere to repent because He has fixed a day on which He will have the world judged in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and of this He has given all assurance to all by raising Him from the dead. –Acts 17:30-31 (NRSVCE)

Righteousness Through Faith

Now, apart from The Law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law of the Prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; They are now justified by His Grace as a Gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by His blood, effective through faith. He did this to show His righteousness because in His divine forbearance He had passed over the sins previously committed. –Romans 3:21-25

Jesus The (Only) Way To The Father

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself so that where I am, there you may be also and you know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” –John 14:1-6

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness
but will have the Light of Life.” –John 8:12 (NRSVCE)
Image Courtesy: Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word

Prayer – Trust In God

Save me in Your steadfast love. (Psalm 31:16B)

In You, O Lord, I seek refuge;

Do not let me ever be put to shame;

In Your righteousness deliver me.

Incline Your ear to me; Rescue me speedily.

Be a Rock of Refuge for me. a strong fortress to save me.

You are indeed My Rock and My Fortress;

For Your Name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me,

for You are My Refuge.

Into Your Hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, Faithful God!

Save me in Your steadfast love. (Psalm 31:16B)

You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols but I trust in the Lord!

I will exult and rejoice in Your steadfast love because You have seen my affliction;

You have taken heed of my adversities and have not delivered me into the hand of my enemy;

You have set my feet in a broad place.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; My eye wastes away from grief, my soul and

body also. For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing;

My strength fails because of my misery and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my

acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one

who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many — terror all

around! — As they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

Save me in Your steadfast love. (Psalm 31:16B)

I Trust in You, O Lord!

I say, “You are My God.”

My times are in Your Hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.

Save me in Your steadfast love. (Psalm 31:16B)

Let Your Face shine upon Your servant;

Save me in Your steadfast love.

Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on You; Let the wicked be put to shame;

Let them go dumbfounded to Sheol (Hell).

Let the lying lips be stilled, that speak insolently against the righteous with pride and contempt.

O how abundant is Your Goodness that You have laid up for those who fear You

and accomplished for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of everyone!

In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from human plots;

You hold them safe under Your shelter from contentious tongues.

Blessed Be The Lord, for He has wondrously shown His steadfast love to me when I was beset

as a city under siege. I had said in my alarm, “I am driven far from Your sight”

but you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help.

Love the Lord, all you His saints.

The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.

Be strong and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for The Lord! –Psalm 31:1-24

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Jesus said, “One does not live by bread alone
but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.” –Matthew 4:4 (NRSVCE)

The Temptation of Jesus

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil, He fasted forty days

and forty nights and afterwards he was famished. The tempter (Satan) came and said to Jesus,

‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loves of bread.’ Jesus answered

Satan, It is written, (See: Deuteronomy 8:3)

“One does not live by bread alone
but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Then Satan took Jesus to the Holy City and placed Him on the pinnacle of the Temple saying to

Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written,

“He will command His angels concerning you’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up so that

you may not dash your foot against a stone.”‘ (Psalm 91:11-12)

Jesus said to Satan,

“Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord Your God to the test.'” (Deuteronomy 6:16)

Then Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world

and their splendor and he said to Jesus, ‘All these I will give You if You will fall down and

worship me.’

Jesus said to Satan,

“Worship the Lord and serve only Him!” (See also: Deuteronomy 6:13-15)

Then Satan left Jesus and suddenly angels came and waited on Him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee

Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew to Galilee, He left Nazareth and made

His home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had

been spoken through the Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the

Gentiles — the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and for those who sat in the

region and shadow of death light has dawned.” (See: Isaiah 9:1-2)

From that time Jesus began to proclaim,

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” –Matthew 4:1-17

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As I live says the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man
but rather in his conversion, that he may live. Cf. Ezekiel 33:11 (NRSVCE)

A Prayer of David

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in Your truth. (Psalm 86:11A)

Incline your ear, O Lord and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am

devoted to You; Save Your servant who trusts in You.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in Your truth. (Psalm 86:11A)

You are My God, be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. Gladden the soul of

Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in Your truth. (Psalm 86:11A)

For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on You.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; Listen to my supplication.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in Your truth. (Psalm 86:11A)

In the day of my trouble I call on You, for You will answer me. There is none like You among

the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. All the nations You have made shall come

and bow down before You, O Lord and shall glorify Your Name. For You are great and do

wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your

truth; Give me an undivided heart to revere Your name. I give thanks to You, O Lord My God,

with my whole heart and I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your steadfast love

toward me; You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, the insolent rise up

against me, a band of ruffians seek my life and they do not set You before them but You, O

Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and

faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me; Give Your strength to Your servant; Save the

child of Your serving girl. Show me a sign of Your favor, so that those who hate me may see it

and be put to shame because You Lord, have helped me and comforted me. –Psalm 86:1-17

Related: For Today’s Holy Scripture Readings and More, Visit: -USCCB

If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually. –Isaiah 58:10-11A (NRSVCE)

False and True Worship

Shout out and do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to My people their

rebellion, to the House of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek Me and delight to know

My ways as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the

Ordinances of their God; They ask of Me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.

“Why do we fast but you do not see?

Why humble ourselves but You do not notice?”

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers. Look you fast

only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not

make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose a day to humble oneself? Is it to

bow down the head like a bulrush and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a

day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the fast I choose: To loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to

let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house;

When you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up quickly, Your

Vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall

call and the Lord will answer; You shall cry for help and He will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you

offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in

the darkness and your gloom be like noon day. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy

your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt, you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on My Holy Day;

If you call the Sabbath a delight and the Holy Day of the Lord honorable; If you honor it, not

going your own ways, serving your own interests or pursing your own affairs, then you shall

take delight in the Lord and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you

with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. –Isaiah 58:1-14

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Our Savior Christ Jesus, abolished death, brought life
and immortality to light through the Gospel. –2 Timothy 1:10 (NRSVCE)

God’s Glory in Creation and The Law

The Precepts of the Lord are right
rejoicing the heart. (Psalm 19:8A)

The heavens are telling the glory of God and the firmament proclaim His handiwork. Day to

day pours forth speech and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are

there words, their voice is not heard, yet their voice goes out through all the earth and their

words to the end of the world. In the heavens He has set a tent for the sun, which comes out

like a bridegroom from the wedding canopy and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its

rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them and nothing is hid from

its heat.

The Law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;

The Decrees of the Lord are sure
making wise the simple;

The Precepts of the Lord are right
rejoicing the heart. (Psalm 19:8A)

The Commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes.

The Precepts of the Lord are right
rejoicing the heart. (Psalm 19:8A)

The fear of the Lord is pure
enduring forever!

The Ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

The Precepts of the Lord are right
rejoicing the heart. (Psalm 19:8A)

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold,
sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is Your servant warned, in keeping them there is great reward but who can

detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back Your servant also from the

insolent, do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless and innocent of

great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer! –Psalm 19:1-14

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Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from Him. –Psalm 127:3

Do you not know that you are God’s Temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If anyone

destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy that person.

For God’s Temple is Holy and you are that Temple.

Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so

that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

For it is written,

‘He catches the wise in their craftiness,’ (Job 5:13) 

and again,

‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ (Psalm 94:11)

So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or

Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future — all belong to you and you

belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. –1 Corinthians 3:16-23

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