June 8, 2023
Have a good day!
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Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
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Gospel : Mark 12:28b-34
28b One of the scribes came and asked him, "Which commandment is the greatest of all?"
29 Jesus answered, "The greatest is: 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
31 The second is like this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
32 The scribe said to him, "Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he;
33 and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from God's Kingdom."
No one dared ask him any question after that.
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Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a **
6:10 When they had entered Media and were getting close to Ecbatana,
11 Raphael said to the young man,
"Brother Tobiah!" He answered, "Here I am!" Raphael continued, "Tonight we must stay in the house of Raguel, who is a relative of yours. He has a beautiful daughter named Sarah,
7:1bcde So he did, and they came to the house of Raguel, whom they found seated by his courtyard gate. They greeted him first, and he answered, "Many greetings to you, brothers! Welcome! You have come in peace! Now enter in peace!" And he brought them into his house.
9 Afterward, Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock and gave them a warm reception. When they had washed, bathed, and reclined to eat and drink, Tobiah said to Raphael, "Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to give me my kinswoman Sarah."
10 Raguel overheard the words; so he said to the young man: "Eat and drink and be merry tonight, for no man has a greater right to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother. Besides, not even I have the right to give her to anyone but you, because you are my closest relative. However, son, I must frankly tell you the truth.
11 I have given her in marriage to seven husbands who were kinsmen of ours, and all died on the very night they approached her. But now, son, eat and drink. The Lord will look after you both." Tobiah answered, "I will neither eat nor drink anything here until you settle what concerns me."
Raguel said to him: "I will do it. She is yours as decreed by the Book of Moses. It has been decided in heaven that she be given to you! Take your kinswoman; from now on you are her brother, and she is your sister.* She is given to you today and here ever after. May the Lord of heaven prosper you both tonight, son, and grant you mercy and peace."
12 Then Raguel called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him. He took her by the hand and gave her to Tobiah with these words: "Take her according to the law. According to the decree written in the Book of Moses I give her to be your wife. Take her and bring her safely to your father. And may the God of heaven grant both of you a safe journey in peace!"a
13 He then called her mother and told her to bring writing materials. He wrote out a copy of a marriage contract stating that he gave Sarah to Tobiah as his wife as decreed by the law of Moses. Her mother brought the material, and he drew up the contract, to which he affixed his seal.b
14 Afterward they began to eat and drink.
15 Later Raguel called his wife Edna and said, "My sister, prepare the other bedroom and bring Sarah there."
16 She went, made the bed in the room, as he had told her, and brought Sarah there. After she had cried over her, she wiped away her tears and said,
17 "Take courage, my daughter! May the Lord of heaven grant you joy in place of your grief! Courage, my daughter!" Then she left.
8:4 When Sarah's parents left the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Tobiah rose from bed and said to his wife, "My sister, come, let us pray and beg our Lord to grant us mercy and protection."
5 She got up, and they started to pray and beg that they might be protected. He began with these words:
"Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors;
blessed be your name forever and ever!
Let the heavens and all your creation bless you forever.a
6 You made Adam, and you made his wife Eve
to be his helper and support;
and from these two the human race has come.
You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a helper like himself.'b
7 Now, not with lust,
but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife.
Send down your mercy on me and on her,
and grant that we may grow old together.
Bless us with children."
8 They said together, "Amen, amen!"
9a Then they went to bed for the night.
** https://bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/6
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* The World English Bible
http://ebible.org/web/
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