◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Sirach 10:12-18 (Judgment upon the proud); or Proverbs 25:6-7 (Do not put yourself forward); Psalm 112 (The righteous are merciful); Hebrews 13:1-8 15-16 (God is with us); Luke 14:1 7-14 (Invite the poor to your banquet) (New Catholic Bible)

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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

Wisdom of Ben Sira 10:12-18

¹²The beginning of human pride is the forsaking of the Lord,
    the withdrawal of one’s heart from its Maker.
¹³For pride is the beginning of sin,
    and those who cling to it pour forth filth.
For this reason God afflicts them with unheard-of calamities
    and destroys them completely.
¹⁴The Lord overthrows the throne of rulers
    and seats the humble in their place.
¹⁵The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations^[a]
    and plants the lowly in their place.
¹⁶The Lord lays waste the territory of the nations
    and destroys them to the very foundations of the earth.
¹⁷He sweeps away every trace of some of the nations
    and blots out the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁸Pride was not created for men,
    nor violent anger for one born of woman.

Proverbs 25:6-7

⁶    ^[a]Do not push yourself forward in the king’s presence
    or take a place where the great assemble.
⁷For it is better to be told, “Come up closer,”
    than to be humiliated in the presence of the prince.

Psalm 112

Psalm 112^[a]

The Blessings of the Righteous

¹Alleluia.

Blessed^[b] is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his precepts.
²His descendants will be powerful upon the earth;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.^[c]
³His house will be filled with wealth and riches,^[d]
    and his righteousness will endure forever.
⁴He shines as a light for the upright in the darkness;
    kindness, mercy, and justice are his hallmarks.^[e]
⁵The future bodes well^[f] for him
    who is generous in helping those in need
    and who conducts his affairs with justice.
⁶^[g]He will never be swayed;
    the righteous man will be remembered forever.
⁷He has no fear of bad news,
    for his heart remains steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
⁸Since his heart is tranquil, he will not be afraid,
    and he will witness the downfall of his enemies.
⁹He bestows gifts lavishly on the poor;
    his righteousness will endure forever,
    and his horn^[h] will be exalted in glory.
¹⁰The wicked will be furious when he sees this,
    gnashing his teeth and pining away;
    the desires of the wicked will be fruitless.^[i]

Footnotes

Psalm 112:1 This psalm provides the same literary characteristics as the preceding one and most likely stems from the same unknown author. By their theme the two chants complete one another. The first celebrates the divine perfections and works, while the second sings of the virtues and deeds of the true righteous person and the happiness he attains.
The ancients believed that the man who faithfully observed the law and was solicitous of his neighbor was assured prosperity, posterity, and renown. In this psalm a sage once again praises the righteous in these terms, but he adds another more mystical religious sentiment. In effect, applying to the righteous the qualities that the preceding psalm attributed to the Lord, he wishes to show that by dint of placing his delight in the will of the Lord, the righteous man ends up resembling him. Hence, the law is not a burden imposed from without, but a power that transforms the heart. To obey is to let oneself be invaded by the sentiments of God: mercy, tenderness, and righteousness. Is there any other source of happiness?
This psalm is also very suitable for describing the Christian ideal, the perfection we must achieve in the steps of the Master and the happiness we will find therein.
Psalm 112:1 Blessed is the man who follows unswervingly God’s will and call. Blessed: see note on Ps 1:1. Fears the Lord: see note on Ps 15:2-5.
Psalm 112:2 The upright man is blessed in his children and brings blessings on them (see Pss 37:26; 127:3-5; 128:3).
Psalm 112:3 Wealth and riches: see Pss 1:3; 128:2. His righteousness: i.e., his happiness, his successes, and his well-being. There is a tacit comparison of the upright person’s righteousness to God’s (they both endure forever: see Ps 111:3b). Some scholars translate the word “righteousness” as “generosity,” claiming that the original meaning of the Hebrew word in a later period of the language also acquired the meaning of “liberality, almsgiving” (see Sir 3:30; 7:10; Mt 6:1f).
Psalm 112:4 The goodness of the righteous man overflows to others. He acts in the same way as God does (see Ps 111:4b). This is brought out more clearly by the older Catholic rendition: “He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright; / he is gracious and compassionate and righteous.”
Psalm 112:5 Future bodes well: i.e., well-being and prosperity await him (see Ps 34:9-15). Good is also the quality of the righteous man. He is good in that he is generous (see Pss 34:9-11; 37:21). Just as all the Lord’s works are “faithful and right” (see Ps 111:7), so the upright man conducts his affairs with justice.
Psalm 112:6 The righteous man observes the commandments of God that are “established forever and ever” (Ps 111:8); hence “he will never be swayed” (Ps 112:6) and has no fear (v. 7), for his heart is tranquil (v. 8). His trust is in the Lord in spite of bad news, reasons to be afraid, or problems with others (vv. 7-8).
Psalm 112:9 As God’s name is held in holy awe (see Ps 111:9), so the righteous will be held in honor. Paul uses this verse to support the principle that “if you sow generously, you will reap generously as well” (2 Cor 9:6, 9). Horn: here symbolizes dignity.
Psalm 112:10 The only alternative way of life to that of the righteous is bitter, transient, and futile.

Hebrews 13:1-8

Conclusion

Chapter 13

Aspects of the Christian Life.^[a] ¹Let mutual love continue, ²and do not forget to offer hospitality to strangers, for by doing this some have entertained angels without knowing it.^[b] ³Be mindful of those who are in prison, as though you were imprisoned with them, and of those who are being maltreated, since you too are in the body.

⁴Let marriage be held in honor by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for those who are immoral and adulterers will have to face God’s judgment. ⁵Do not succumb to the love of money, but be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.” ⁶Therefore, we can say with confidence:

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”

Let Us Seek the City That Is To Come.^[c] ⁷Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Keep in mind the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:15-16

¹⁵Through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,^[a] that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.

¹⁶^[b]Do not neglect to do good works and to share with others what you have, for these are the kind of sacrifices that please God.

Luke 14:1

A Dinner Given by a Pharisee^[a]

Chapter 14

Jesus Heals a Man with Dropsy on the Sabbath.^[b] ¹On one Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of a prominent Pharisee, and the people were watching him closely.

Luke 14:7-14

The Parable of the Ambitious Guest.^[a] ⁷When he noticed how the guests were securing places of honor, he told them a parable: ⁸“When you have been invited by someone to attend a wedding banquet, do not sit down in the place of honor in case someone who is more distinguished than you may have been invited, ⁹and then the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then you will be embarrassed as you proceed to sit in the lowest place.

¹⁰“Rather, when you are invited, proceed to sit in the lowest place, so that when your host arrives, he will say to you, ‘My friend, move up to a higher place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. ¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹²Invite the Needy.^[b] Then he said to the one who had invited him, “When you host a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, lest they invite you back and thus repay you. ¹³Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴Then indeed will you be blessed because they have no way to repay you. But you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 112[a]

The Blessings of the Righteous

Footnotes

Conclusion

Chapter 13

Footnotes

Footnotes

A Dinner Given by a Pharisee[a]

Chapter 14

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 112^[a]

A Dinner Given by a Pharisee^[a]