◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (Walk in the way of life); Psalm 1 (Delight in the law); Philemon 1-21 (Paul says Receive Onesimus); Luke 14:25-33 (Give up your possessions) (New Catholic Bible)

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September 5, 1965

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

¹⁵Israel’s Choice. See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil. ¹⁶If you obey the command that I give you today, to love the Lord, your God, and to walk in his ways, and to observe his commandments, statutes, and decrees, then you will live and multiply, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.

¹⁷But if your hearts turn away so that you will not listen, and you are drawn away to worship other gods and to serve them, ¹⁸then, as I swear to you today, you will surely perish. You will not live a long time in the land that you are crossing over the Jordan to enter and to possess.

¹⁹I call upon the heavens and the earth to witness today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life, so that you and your descendants might live ²⁰loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding on to him, for he is life and length of days to you, and so that you might dwell in the land that the Lord promised to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Psalm 1

Prologue—Psalms 1–2^[a]

Psalm 1^[b]

True Happiness

¹Blessed^[c] is the man
    who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the way of sinners,
    nor sit in the company of scoffers.
²Rather, his delight is in the law of the Lord,^[d]
    and on that law he meditates day and night.
³He is like a tree planted near streams of water,
    which bears fruit in its season,
    and whose leaves never wither.^[e]
In the same way,
    everything he does will prosper.
⁴This is not true of the wicked,
    for they are like chaff that the wind blows away.^[f]
⁵Therefore, the wicked will not stand firm at the judgment,^[g]
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
⁶For the Lord watches over^[h] the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

Footnotes

Psalm 1:1 These first two psalms are regarded as a preface to the entire Psalter. Collections of psalms that were originally different were gradually regrouped to comprise the Psalter as we have it; the psalms attributed to David (3–41 and 51–72), the songs of Ascents (120–134), and the chants of the Hallel (105–107, 111–118, 135–150) constitute the most remarkable of these primary collections. But as presently arranged in our Bible, the Book of Psalms is divided like the Pentateuch (the first five Books of the Bible that are called the Law) into five unequal parts, each of which ends with a formula of acclamation.
Psalm 1:1 At the entrance to the collection of the Psalms, we are immediately placed before a life-choice: God or nothingness. This option imposes itself on us throughout all the pages of the Bible. In the historical accounts, law codes, prophecies, prayers, and meditative texts, a line of division is set forth. It distinguishes between righteousness and impiety, self-reliance and faith, good and evil, wickedness and love. The words are varied and the experiences are numerous in order to bear witness to this rupture.
They mark a division between peoples, between individuals, and between the acts and projects of our lives. Appearances may produce change and daily contradict the faithful’s overly naive dreams about prosperity; however, one fact remains: a life of righteousness and truth is a path of happiness, a path to God, whereas those who deaden their conscience for their own ends have no other future but ruin.
Every time a reader prays a psalm, he or she is forced to choose between the “two ways” (see Deut 30:15; Prov 4:18f; Jer 21:8), the difference between which is underscored by Jesus (see Mt 7:13; 25). The righteous are blessed for they are separated from sin, Bible-centered, and prosperous. Unlike them are the wicked who are doomed to judgment.
Psalm 1:1 The Psalter begins by declaring the blessedness of the righteous (v. 1) and concludes by summoning all creation to praise God in heaven and on earth (Ps 150). Human beings are made for happiness, and the revealed moral law is oriented toward that happiness. Blessed: the happy state of life in fellowship with God, revering him and obeying his laws (see Pss 94:12; 112:1; 119:1f; 128:1; Prov 29:18). Scoffers: those who reject God and his law (see Prov 1:10-19).
Psalm 1:2 The law of the Lord: either the first five Books of the Bible, known as the Torah (law), or divine instruction. Meditates: literally, “murmurs,” i.e., assimilates the law of life that incarnates the presence of God and teaches the believer how to attain joyous intimacy with the Lord. Indeed, the law is a judgment of God and a happiness for human beings.
Psalm 1:3 Like a tree . . . never wither: the righteous are able to withstand the rigors of life. Like a tree planted on fertile ground, they are able to enhance their spiritual life.
Psalm 1:4 Like chaff . . . blows away: the wicked are completely powerless spiritually, for they are like chaff that is easily borne away, even by the slightest breeze.
Psalm 1:5 At the judgment—either God’s judgment of the wicked during life (see Pss 76:7f; 130:3; Ezr 9:15) or his judgment of them at the end of time (see Mal 3:2; Mt 25:31-46; Rev 6:17)—the wicked will bear the brunt of their misdeeds. Righteous: a name for the faithful People of God, i.e., those who reverence God and diligently strive to carry out his laws in every phase of their lives.
Psalm 1:6 Watches over: the Lord takes an avid interest in their conduct (see Pss 31:7f; 37:18; Gen 18:19; Am 3:2; Nah 1:7). The way of the wicked will perish: a similar fate is set forth for the wicked in Ps 112:10: “the desires of the wicked will be fruitless.” The theme of the two ways has already been found in Deut 30:15f and Jer 21:8; it will be taken up again in Prov 4:18f and Mt 7:13.

Philemon 1-21

Salutation.^[a] ¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy^[b] our brother, to Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow worker, ²to Apphia our sister, to Archippus^[c] our fellow soldier, and to the Church that meets in your house: ³grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer.^[d] ⁴I always give thanks to my God when I remember you in my prayers, ⁵because I hear of the love and faith that you have for the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.^[e] ⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become even more effective so that you may come to perceive all the blessings we have in Christ. ⁷Your love has given me much joy and encouragement because the hearts^[f] of the saints have been refreshed by you, my brother.

Plea for Onesimus.^[g] ⁸Therefore, although I am confident that in Christ I have the right to command you to do your duty, ⁹I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love. I, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, ¹⁰am appealing to you on behalf of my child,^[h] Onesimus, whom I have fathered during my imprisonment.

¹¹He was formerly useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. ¹²Therefore, I am sending him back to you, that is, I am sending my very own heart.^[i] ¹³I wanted to keep him with me so that he might be of service to me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴but I did not want to do anything without your knowledge, so that your good deed might be voluntary and not compelled.

¹⁵Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,^[j] ¹⁶no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave: as a brother. He is beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, both as a man^[k] and in the Lord.

¹⁷^[l]Therefore, if you consider me to be a friend, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about the fact that you owe me your very self. ²⁰Yes, my brother, grant me some benefit^[m] in the Lord. Set my heart at rest in Christ.

²¹Conclusion.^[n] I have written to you confident of your acceptance, and in fact I am certain that you will do even more than I ask.

Footnotes

Philemon 1:1 The salutation indicates that a group of Christians meets together in Philemon’s house and should aid him to decide Onesimus’ fate. These include Apphia, thought to be his wife, and Archippus, thought to be his son, who is also a pastor like Paul (“fellow soldier [of Christ]”). Under the circumstances, Philemon would have had to be an extremely strong-minded individual to resist the eloquent plea of Paul and his protégé Timothy.
Philemon 1:1 Timothy: see Introduction to First Timothy.
Philemon 1:2 Archippus: the apostolic worker mentioned in Col 4:17. Fellow soldier: the only other use of this phrase in the New Testament is in Phil 2:25 concerning Epaphroditus. It exemplifies Paul’s use of military terms to symbolize the service of a Christian (see Rom 6:13; 13:12; 2 Cor 10:3f; Eph 6:10).
Philemon 1:4 Recalling his friend’s love and faith, Paul prays that Philemon’s active participation in the Christian faith will be increased as a result of the latter’s perception of God’s great goodness to both of them. He is implying what he makes specific elsewhere—that good works are the result of a mature knowledge of the faith (see Col 1:9f). In this case, Philemon’s Christian maturity will lead to the beneficial treatment of Onesimus at his hands.
Philemon 1:5 Saints: all the faithful are “saints” in virtue of their consecration to Christ.
Philemon 1:7 Hearts: literally, “intestines,” the part of the body that was considered to house the emotions of pity and love (see vv. 12, 20).
Philemon 1:8 With a touch of humor, Paul utilizes a double play on words. He plays with the meaning of the name “Onesimus,” which is “useful,” and with the meaning of another Greek word, chrestos, which is part of achrestos, the word for “useless,” and euchrestos, the word for “useful.” In the background is the point that chrestos sounds like Christos, which means “Christ.”
Paul also takes the responsibility to relieve any financial burden that Philemon may have incurred in the affair, but he ends up saying that it is Philemon who is more indebted to the Apostle himself! Indeed, the slave’s flight may turn out to be a grace—it offers Philemon the chance to acknowledge him as a “brother” in Christ.
Philemon 1:10 My child: Paul became a father to Onesimus by converting him (see 1 Cor 4:15; Gal 4:19).
Philemon 1:12 My very own heart: a wonderful description at a time when slaves were regarded as things.
Philemon 1:15 Paul reasons that since he has found Christ, Onesimus is returning to Philemon as a beloved brother in Christ rather than as just a slave. Master and slave are now both brothers in Christ. Hence, for Philemon to treat Onesimus solely as a runaway slave would be entirely unfitting with his Christian witness.
Philemon 1:16 As a man: literally “in the flesh.”
Philemon 1:17 Paul is doing the same thing for Onesimus with Philemon that Christ did for us with God the Father.
Philemon 1:20 Benefit: the Greek for this word is another play on the name Onesimus: what Paul wishes to get out of the master is Onesimus himself; he wants to be able to make use of the Useful One.
Philemon 1:21 The Apostle is confident not only that his request will be more than fully granted but also that he will soon have the joy of being reunited with Philemon. He thus sees hope for a quick release from imprisonment.

Luke 14:25-33

Conditions To Be a Disciple^[a]

²⁵Renunciation of Everything for Jesus.^[b] Great crowds were accompanying Jesus on his journey, and he turned to them and said, ²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,^[c] wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸^[d]“Which one of you, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has sufficient funds for its completion? ²⁹Otherwise, if he has laid the foundation and then finds himself unable to finish the work, all who see it will ridicule him, saying, ³⁰‘There goes the man who started to build but was unable to complete the work.’

³¹“Or what king marching into battle against another king will not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand soldiers he can defeat the enemy coming to oppose him with twenty thousand? ³²If he cannot, then, while the enemy is still a long distance away, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace. ³³In the same way, any one of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be my disciple.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prologue—Psalms 1–2[a]

Psalm 1[b]

True Happiness

Footnotes

Footnotes

Conditions To Be a Disciple[a]

Footnotes

Prologue—Psalms 1–2^[a]

Psalm 1^[b]

Conditions To Be a Disciple^[a]