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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 24

Psalm 24^[a]

The Lord’s Solemn Entry into Jerusalem

¹^[b]A psalm of David.

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,
    the world and all who live in it.^[c]
²For he founded it on the seas
    and established^[d] it on the rivers.
³Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴One who has clean hands and a pure heart,^[e]
    who does not turn his mind to vanities
    or swear an oath in order to deceive.
⁵He will receive a blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God, his Savior.
⁶This is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
⁷^[f]Lift up your arches, O gates;
    rise up, you ancient portals,^[g]
    so that the King of glory may come in.
⁸Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, valiant in battle.
⁹Lift up your arches, O gates,
    rise up, you ancient portals,
    so that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts:^[h]
    he is the King of glory. Selah

Footnotes

Psalm 24:1 A procession wends its way toward the temple; perhaps it bears the Ark of the Covenant to the holy place. Chants are expressed. They acclaim the Creator and thus recall the conditions for a true participation in worship: “clean hands and a pure heart” (vv. 3-6). At the entrance to the sanctuary, the cortege comes to a halt as the participants take time to meditate wonderingly about the presence of God. They must needs celebrate God the Vanquisher who takes possession of his holy dwelling; the titles given him (vv. 8-10) evoke the time when, represented by the Ark, the Lord would take his place at the head of the armies of Israel and lead them to victory (Num 10:35; Jos 6).
This psalm is well adapted to celebrating feasts of the Lord and to calling for the coming of his kingdom. It is also a psalm that makes demands, since it tells us of the conditions required for receiving the kingdom of God. The Church has always used this psalm in celebrating Christ’s Ascension into the heavenly Jerusalem and into the sanctuary on high.
Psalm 24:1 The Lord is proclaimed as the Creator, Sustainer, and Owner of the entire world. Therefore, he is worthy of the title “King of glory” (vv. 7-10). See Pss 29; 33:6-11; 89:6-19; 95:3-5; 104.
Psalm 24:1 See Ps 89:12; Deut 10:14. This text is cited in 1 Cor 10:26.
Psalm 24:2 Founded . . . established: a metaphor taken from the founding of a city. Extra-biblical records indicate that temples were regarded as microcosms of the created world; hence language applicable to temples was also applicable to the earth.
Psalm 24:4 Clean hands . . . pure heart: those who do no evil and think no evil. Jesus said that the “pure of heart . . . will see God” (Mt 5:8).
Psalm 24:7 These verses speak of the arrival of the Lord, the King of glory, at his sanctuary in Zion after his victorious journey from Egypt. The Lord of hosts (v. 10), the Lord, valiant in battle (v. 8; see Ex 15:1-18), has routed his enemies and now comes in triumph to his own city (see Pss 46; 48; 76; 87).
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your arches, O gates . . . you ancient portals: the gates and doors are personified in accord with extra-biblical parallels.
Psalm 24:10 The Lord of hosts: in Hebrew, Yahweh Sabaoth, sometimes translated as “the Lord of armies.” The expression suggests, first of all, the God who leads the Israelite army, therefore the Almighty who is surrounded by angels and stars and who controls the cosmic forces; then the expression becomes simply a way of emphasizing the greatness and power of God. See also note on Ps 59:6.

Exodus 37:1-16

Chapter 37

The Ark of the Covenant. ¹Bezalel made the Ark out of acacia wood. It was two cubits and a half long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. ²He covered it with pure gold, inside and out, and put a gold molding on it. ³He cast four golden rings for it and attached them to its four legs, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. ⁴He made poles out of acacia wood and covered them with gold. ⁵He put the poles into the rings on the two sides of the Ark so that they might carry the Ark with them.

⁶He made the seat of atonement of pure gold. It was two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. ⁷He made two cherubim out of gold. They were hammered works for the two sides of the seat of atonement, ⁸one cherub on one side and one cherub on the other side. He made the cherubim all of one piece at the two ends of the seat of atonement. ⁹The cherubim had two wings spreading out, covering the seat of atonement. They were facing one another and the faces of the cherubim were turned toward the seat of atonement.

¹⁰The Table of the Bread for the Offering. He made a table out of acacia wood. It was two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high. ¹¹It was covered in pure gold and had a molding of gold. ¹²He made a frame a handswidth wide and placed a molding of gold around it. ¹³He made four golden rings and placed them at the four corners that are its four legs. ¹⁴The rings were alongside the borders and held the poles used to carry the table. ¹⁵He made poles out of acacia wood and covered them in gold. ¹⁶He also made the accessories for the table: dishes and plates and flagons and jars to pour out libations. He made them out of pure gold.

Colossians 4:2-18

Assiduous Prayer.^[a] ²Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. ³At the same time, pray for us too, so that God may open a door to us to proclaim the word, the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I should.

Christian Behavior.^[b] ⁵Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. ⁶Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all.

Conclusion

Tychicus and Onesimus.^[c] ⁷Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. ⁸I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you will know how we are and that he may cheer your hearts. ⁹He will be accompanied by Onesimus, our trustworthy and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything that has happened here.

¹⁰Paul’s Coworkers. Aristarchus,^[d] my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, make him welcome.) ¹¹And Jesus who is called Justus also greets you. Of all those who are of the circumcision, these are the only ones who are working with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a great comfort to me.

¹²Epaphras sends you greetings. He is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, and he is always pleading earnestly in his prayers on your behalf so that you may seek perfection and fulfill the will of God. ¹³I can testify for him that he has worked tirelessly for you and those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.^[e] ¹⁴Luke,^[f] the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

¹⁵Notes for the Laodiceans. Give my greetings to the brethren in Laodicea, and to Nymphas^[g] and the Church in her house. ¹⁶Then when this letter has been read to you, see to it that it is also read to the Church at Laodicea; and I ask you in turn to read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. ¹⁷Also tell Archippus:^[h] “See that you carry out fully the ministry that you received in the Lord.”

¹⁸Paul’s Signature.^[i] I, Paul, write this farewell in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Footnotes

Colossians 4:2 Prayer keeps the conscience watchful and revives the concern for the apostolate.
Colossians 4:5 The behavior of Christians must serve as a sign to those who do not share their faith. The present period is the time of the Church, which must be regarded as a final time of grace, both short (see 1 Cor 7:29) and perilous (see Eph 5:16), in which human beings can open themselves to salvation while waiting for Christ’s Second Coming (see Gal 6:10).
Colossians 4:7 Tychicus is assigned to carry the Letter to the Colossians. Onesimus, his companion, is the slave whom Paul has converted and is now sending back to Colossae, while recommending him to his former owner (Letter to Philemon). Also named are Mark, who was for a short time Paul’s associate in the apostolate and is generally regarded as the author of the Second Gospel; then Luke, to whom we owe the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts; and finally Epaphras, founder of the Church of Colossae. The Letter to the Laodiceans (v. 16) may be the Letter to the Ephesians, which probably circulated in the communities of the region.
Colossians 4:10 Aristarchus: a native of Thessalonica and companion of Paul at Ephesus and on the journey to Macedonia (see Acts 19:29; 20:4).
Colossians 4:13 Hierapolis: a town six miles from Laodicea and 14 miles from Colossae. Its Church may have been founded during Paul’s stay at Ephesus (Acts 19) but probably not by Paul himself (see Col 2:1).
Colossians 4:14 Luke: this is the only place where the author of the Third Gospel is described as a medical doctor; see Philem 24 and 2 Tim 4:11. Demas: a Christian who later deserted Paul (2 Tim 4:10).
Colossians 4:15 Nymphas: probably a Laodicean in whose house Christians met for church services. The early Church had no buildings of its own and so Christians were accustomed to meeting at the homes of individuals for instruction and services, e.g., Prisca and Aquila (Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19), Philemon (Philem 2), and Mary the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12).
Colossians 4:17 Archippus: perhaps the son of Philemon (Philem 2); he was to take care of the Church of Colossae in the absence of Epaphras.
Colossians 4:18 Paul ordinarily dictated his Letters, but added to them a few words in his own hand (1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; 2 Thes 3:17).

New Catholic Bible (NCB)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 24[a]

The Lord’s Solemn Entry into Jerusalem

Footnotes

Chapter 37

Conclusion

Footnotes

Psalm 24^[a]