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Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read for week 18: Sunday, October 13 to Saturday, October 19.
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October 11, 2024
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Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week. Note that 2 Maccabees appears in Catholic versions of the Bible.
2 Maccabees Chapters 12-13
Read 2 Maccabees 12:36-37 again.
Is the seemingly unending violence in this book, along with its associated cruelty and deception, affecting your determination to keep reading the Bible? Our spiritual ancestors needed to engage in battles for a large part of their history, yet the Lord blessed them with perseverance and determination.
Ask God to give us all the gift of fortitude.
How do you react to long periods of trials at school, work or in family life? Are you thinking of giving up on something or someone? Should you consider following the example of Judas in the Book of Maccabees by giving a “battle cry” and keeping on going?
2 Maccabees Chapters 14-15
Study the words of Alcimus and of the King’s Friends in 2 Maccabees 14:6-11.
Read Matthew 18:15, and then ask God to give us opportunities to be messengers of peace.
Are you ever present in a group of people when someone is inciting hatred of some other group of people? Do you think it would be more effective to challenge such a person in public or to have a private conversation with him or her?
Job Chapters 1-6
Read Job 1:9-11 again. In some translations of these verses, Satan asked God if Job would be as faithful to God, if Job “got nothing out of it.”
Ask God to help us be faithful in doing good things whether we see benefits in doing so or not.
How do you react when you or a loved one is experiencing overwhelming pain and loss? Are you able to see past your own pain and help someone else who is struggling?
Job Chapters 7-12
Read Job Chapter 7 again.
The psychological torment that Job described is common to people suffering from depression or from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
If you, yourself, have experienced trauma, can you relate to Job’s words in this reading?
Ask God to bring healing to those currently suffering from mental health disorders and to give us the strength to listen and to respond lovingly to people who have been traumatized.
Do you know any people who have been deeply wounded by some life event? Is their pain so great that you find it uncomfortable to be around them?
Job Chapters 13-18
Read Job 13:5 and 13:13 again.
Ask God to give us the compassion and patience necessary to overlook, where appropriate, the words and actions of distraught people.
How well do you think that Job dealt with the comments of his friends? When people are in a great deal of pain, what changes take place in how they communicate with others?
Job Chapters 19-24
Read Job 19:13-19 again.
Job’s illness and great misfortune drove his family and friends away from him.
Although we may feel alone in the world, at times, there’s always someone else who has experienced something similar to what we have experienced. Many support groups have been put together so that people who feel alone can find strength in sharing their experiences with others.
Through prayer, God is always available. God can sustain us through long periods of pain and isolation.
Ask God to give strength to all people who feel alone in the world and to guide them all to find, and give, love and understanding.
Do you know any people who feel alone in the world? Are you one of those people? Are there any support groups available to help?
Job Chapters 25-30
Compare Bildad’s words in Job 25:1-6 to Job’s words in Job 26:7-14.
In this discussion, both Bildad and Job regarded God with awe.
Did either Bildad or Job do a very good job of building on what they agreed on to bring harmony to their relationship?
Ask God to help us to look for what we have in common with others so that we can draw closer to each other and not farther apart.
Do you know anyone who has the skill of building common ground in their discussions with coworkers, family members, friends and people in their communities? Is there any lesson you can apply from their example?
A version of this story appeared in the October 13, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "God is always available through prayer".
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