Today's Bible story ☆

　February 12, 2026

Have a good day!

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Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Mark 7:24-30

And he went away from there to the country of Tyre and Sidon. And he went into a house, desiring that no man might have knowledge of it: and he was not able to keep it secret.

But a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having had news of him, came straight away and went down at his feet.

Now the woman was a Greek, a Syro-phoenician by birth: and she made a request to him that he would send the evil spirit out of her daughter.

And he said to her, Let the children first have their food: for it is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs.

But she said to him in answer, Yes, Lord: even the dogs under the table take the bits dropped by the children.

And he said to her, For this saying go your way; the evil spirit has gone out of your daughter.

And she went away to her house, and saw the child on the bed, and the evil spirit gone out.

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☆ 1 Kings 11:4-13

For it came about that when Solomon was old, his heart was turned away to other gods by his wives; and his heart was no longer true to the Lord his God as the heart of his father David had been.

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the disgusting god of the Ammonites.

And Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord, not walking in the Lord's ways with all his heart as David his father did.

Then Solomon put up a high place for Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, in the mountain before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the disgusting god worshipped by the children of Ammon.

And so he did for all his strange wives, who made offerings with burning of perfumes to their gods.

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had twice come to him in a vision;

And had given him orders about this very thing, that he was not to go after other gods; but he did not keep the orders of the Lord.

So the Lord said to Solomon, Because you have done this, and have not kept my agreement and my laws, which I gave you, I will take the kingdom away from you by force and will give it to your servant.

I will not do it in your life-time, because of your father David, but I will take it from your son.

Still I will not take all the kingdom from him; but I will give one tribe to your son, because of my servant David, and because of Jerusalem, the town of my selection.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 11, 2026

Have a good day!

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Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Mark 7:14-23

And turning to the people again, he said to them, Give ear to me all of you, and let my words be clear to you:

There is nothing outside the man which, going into him, is able to make him unclean: but the things which come out of the man are those which make the man unclean.
[]

And when he had gone into the house away from all the people, his disciples put questions to him about the saying.

And he said to them, Have even you so little wisdom? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside is not able to make him unclean,

Because it goes not into the heart but into the stomach, and goes out with the waste? He said this, making all food clean.

And he said, That which comes out of the man, that makes the man unclean.

Because from inside, from the heart of men, come evil thoughts and unclean pleasures,

The taking of goods and of life, broken faith between husband and wife, the desire of wealth, wrongdoing, deceit, sins of the flesh, an evil eye, angry words, pride, foolish acts:

All these evil things come from inside, and make the man unclean.

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☆ 1 Kings 10:1-10

Now the queen of Sheba, hearing great things of Solomon, came to put his wisdom to the test with hard questions.

And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels weighted down with spices, and stores of gold and jewels: and when she came to Solomon she had talk with him of everything in her mind.

And Solomon gave her answers to all her questions; there was no secret which the king did not make clear to her.

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house which he had made,

And the food at his table, and all his servants seated there, and those who were waiting on him in their places, and their robes, and his wine-servants, and the burned offerings which he made in the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.

And she said to the king, The account which was given to me in my country of your acts and your wisdom was true.

But I had no faith in what was said about you, till I came and saw for myself; and now I see that it was not half the story; your wisdom and your wealth are much greater than they said.

Happy are your wives, happy are these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom.

May the Lord your God be praised, whose pleasure it was to put you on the seat of the kingdom of Israel; because the Lord's love for Israel is eternal, he has made you king, to be their judge in righteousness.

And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great store of spices and jewels: never again was such a wealth of spices seen as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 9, 2026

Have a good day!

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Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Mark 6:53-56

And when they had gone across, they came to Gennesaret, and got their boat to land.

And when they had got out of the boat, the people quickly had news of him,

And went running through all the country round about, and took on their beds those who were ill, to where it was said that he was.

And wherever he went, into small towns, or great towns, or into the country, they took those who were ill into the market-places, requesting him that they might put their hands even on the edge of his robe: and all those who did so were made well.

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☆ 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13

Then Solomon sent for all the responsible men of Israel, and all the chiefs of the tribes, and the heads of families of the children of Israel, to come to him in Jerusalem to take the ark of the Lord's agreement up out of the town of David, which is Zion.

And all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast, in the month Ethanim, the seventh month.

And all the responsible men of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

They took up the ark of the Lord, and the Tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels which were in the Tent; all these the priests and the Levites took up.

And King Solomon and all the men of Israel who had come together there, were with him before the ark, making offerings of sheep and oxen more than might be numbered.

And the priests took the ark of the agreement of the Lord and put it in its place in the inner room of the house, in the most holy place, under the wings of the winged ones.

For their wings were outstretched over the place where the ark was, covering the ark and its rods.

There was nothing in the ark but the two flat stones which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made an agreement with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt.

Now when the priests had come out of the holy place, the house of the Lord was full of the cloud,

So that the priests were not able to keep their places to do their work because of the cloud, for the house of the Lord was full of the glory of the Lord.

Then Solomon said, O Lord, to the sun you have given the heaven for a living-place, but your living-place was not seen by men;

So I have made for you a living-place, a house in which you may be for ever present.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 8, 2026

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Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Matthew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the earth; but if its taste goes from the salt, how will you make it salt again? it is then good for nothing but to be put out and crushed under foot by men.

You are the light of the world. A town put on a hill may be seen by all.

And a burning light is not put under a vessel, but on its table; so that its rays may be shining on all who are in the house.

Even so let your light be shining before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

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☆ Isaiah 58:7-10

Is it not to give your bread to those in need, and to let the poor who have no resting-place come into your house? to put a robe on the unclothed one when you see him, and not to keep your eyes shut for fear of seeing his flesh?

Then will light be shining on you like the morning, and your wounds will quickly be well: and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will come after you.

Then at the sound of your voice, the Lord will give an answer; at your cry he will say, Here am I. If you take away from among you the yoke, the putting out of the finger of shame, and the evil word;

And if you give your bread to those in need of it, so that the troubled one may have his desire; then you will have light in the dark, and your night will be as the full light of the sun:

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☆ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

And when I came to you, my brothers, I did not come with wise words of knowledge, putting before you the secret of God.

For I had made the decision to have knowledge of nothing among you but only of Jesus Christ on the cross.

And I was with you without strength, in fear and in doubt.

And in my preaching there were no honeyed words of wisdom, but I was dependent on the power of the Spirit to make it clear to you:

So that your faith might be based not on man's wisdom but on the power of God.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 7, 2026

Have a good day!

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Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Mark 6:30-34

And the twelve came together to Jesus; and they gave him an account of all the things they had done, and all they had been teaching.

And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a quiet place, and take a rest for a time. Because there were a great number coming and going, and they had no time even for food.

And they went away in the boat to a waste place by themselves.

And the people saw them going, and a number of them, having knowledge who they were, went running there together on foot from all the towns, and got there before them.

And he got out, and saw a great mass of people, and he had pity on them, because they were like sheep without a keeper: and he gave them teaching about a number of things.

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☆ 1 Kings 3:4-13

And the king went to Gibeon to make an offering there, because that was the chief high place: it was Solomon's way to make a thousand burned offerings on that altar.

In Gibeon, Solomon had a vision of the Lord in a dream by night; and God said to him, Say what I am to give you.

And Solomon said, Great was your mercy to David my father, as his life before you was true and upright and his heart was true to you; and you have kept for him this greatest mercy, a son to take his place this day.

And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; and I am only a young boy, with no knowledge of how to go out or come in.

And your servant has round him the people of your selection, a people so great that they may not be numbered, and no account of them may be given.

Give your servant, then, a wise heart for judging your people, able to see what is good and what evil; for who is able to be the judge of this great people?

Now these words and Solomon's request were pleasing to the Lord.

And God said to him, Because your request is for this thing, and not for long life for yourself or for wealth or for the destruction of your haters, but for wisdom to be a judge of causes;

I have done as you said: I have given you a wise and far-seeing heart, so that there has never been your equal in the past, and never will there be any like you in the future.

And with this I have given you what you made no request for: wealth and honour, so that no king was ever your equal.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 6, 2026

Have a good day!

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Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

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☆ Gospel:Mark 6:14-29

And king Herod had news of him, because his name was on the lips of all; and he said, John the Baptist has come back from the dead, and for this reason these powers are working in him.

But others said, It is Elijah. And others said, It is a prophet, even like one of the prophets.

But Herod, when he had news of it, said, John, whom I put to death, has come back from the dead.

For Herod himself had sent men out to take John and put him in prison, because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had taken for himself.

For John said to Herod, It is wrong for you to have your brother's wife.

And Herodias was bitter against him, desiring to put him to death; but she was not able;

For Herod was in fear of John, being conscious that he was an upright and holy man, and kept him safe. And hearing him, he was much troubled; and he gave ear to him gladly.

And the chance came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast to his lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Galilee;

And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and did a dance, Herod and those who were at table with him were pleased with her; and the king said to the girl, Make a request for anything and I will give it you.

And he took an oath, saying to her, Whatever is your desire I will give it to you, even half of my kingdom.

And she went out and said to her mother, What is my request to be? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

And she came in quickly to the king, and said, My desire is that you give me straight away on a plate the head of John the Baptist.

And the king was very sad; but because of his oaths, and those who were with him at table, he would not say 'No' to her.

And straight away the king sent out one of his armed men, and gave him an order to come back with the head: and he went and took off John's head in prison,

And came back with the head on a plate, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

And when his disciples had news of it, they came and took up his body, and put it in its last resting-place.

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☆ Sirach 47:2-11 **

2
Like the choice fat of sacred offerings,
so was DAVID in Israel.

3
He played with lions as though they were young goats,
and with bears, like lambs of the flock.

4
As a youth he struck down the giant
and wiped out the people's disgrace;
His hand let fly the slingstone
that shattered the pride of Goliath.

5
For he had called upon the Most High God,
who gave strength to his right arm
To defeat the skilled warrior
and establish the might of his people.

6
Therefore the women sang his praises
and honored him for "the tens of thousands."
When he received the royal crown, he battlede

7
and subdued the enemy on every side.
He campaigned against the hostile Philistines
and shattered their power till our own day.

8
With his every deed he offered thanks
to God Most High, in words of praise.
With his whole heart he loved his Maker

9
and daily had his praises sung;

10
He added beauty to the feasts
and solemnized the seasons of each year

9b
With string music before the altar,
providing sweet melody for the psalms

10b
So that when the Holy Name was praised,
before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.

11
The LORD forgave him his sins
and exalted his strength forever;
He conferred on him the rights of royalty
and established his throne in Israel.


** Sirach 47
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/47?2

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 5, 2026

Have a good day!

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Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

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☆ Gospel:Mark 6:7-13

And he gave orders to the twelve, and sent them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits;

And he said that they were to take nothing for their journey, but a stick only; no bread, no bag, no money in their pockets;

They were to go with common shoes on their feet, and not to take two coats.

And he said to them, Wherever you go into a house, make that your resting-place till you go away.

And whatever place will not take you in and will not give ear to you, when you go away, put off the dust from your feet as a witness against them.

And they went out, preaching the need for a change of heart in men.

And they sent out a number of evil spirits, and put oil on a great number who were ill, and made them well.

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☆ 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12

Now the time of David's death came near; and he gave orders to Solomon his son, saying,

I am going the way of all the earth: so be strong and be a man;

And keep the orders of the Lord your God, walking in his ways, keeping his laws and his orders and his rules and his words, as they are recorded in the law of Moses; so that you may do well in all you do and wherever you go,

So that the Lord may give effect to what he said of me, If your children give attention to their ways, living uprightly before me with all their heart and their soul, you will never be without a man to be king in Israel.

Then David went to rest with his fathers, and his body was put into the earth in the town of David.

David was king over Israel for forty years: for seven years he was king in Hebron and for thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

And Solomon took his place on the seat of David his father, and his kingdom was made safe and strong.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 4, 2026

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Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Mark 6:1-6

Mark 6

And he went away from there, and came into his country; and his disciples went with him.

And when the Sabbath day had come, he was teaching in the Synagogue; and a number of people hearing him were surprised, saying, From where did this man get these things? and, What is the wisdom given to this man, and what are these works of power done by his hands?

Is not this the woodworker, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were bitter against him.

And Jesus said to them, A prophet is nowhere without honour, but in his country, and among his relations, and in his family.

And he was unable to do any work of power there, but only to put his hands on one or two persons who were ill, and make them well.

And he was greatly surprised because they had no faith. And he went about the country places teaching.

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☆ 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17

And the king said to Joab and the captains of the army, who were with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan as far as Beer-sheba, and have all the people numbered, so that I may be certain of the number of the people.

And Joab gave the king the number of all the people: there were in Israel eight hundred thousand fighting men able to take up arms; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.

And after the people had been numbered, David's heart was troubled. And David said to the Lord, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, O Lord, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly

And David got up in the morning; now the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

Go and say to David, The Lord says, Three things are offered to you: say which of them you will have, and I will do it to you.

So Gad came to David, and gave him word of this and said to him, Are there to be three years when there is not enough food in your land? or will you go in flight from your haters for three months, while they go after you? or will you have three days of violent disease in your land? take thought and say what answer I am to give to him who sent me.

And David said to Gad, This is a hard decision for me to make: let us come into the hands of the Lord, for great are his mercies: let me not come into the hands of men.

So David made selection of the disease; and the time was the days of the grain-cutting, when the disease came among the people, causing the death of seventy thousand men from Dan as far as Beer-sheba.

And when the hand of the angel was stretched out in the direction of Jerusalem, for its destruction, the Lord had regret for the evil, and said to the angel who was sending destruction on the people, It is enough; do no more. And the angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

And when David saw the angel who was causing the destruction of the people, he said to the Lord, Truly, the sin is mine; I have done wrong: but these are only sheep; what have they done? let your hand be against me and against my family.

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 3, 2026

Have a good day!

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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☆ Gospel:Mark 5:21-43

And when Jesus had gone over again in the boat to the other side, a great number of people came to him: and he was by the sea.

And one of the rulers of the Synagogue, Jairus by name, came, and seeing him, went down at his feet,

And made strong prayers to him, saying, My little daughter is near to death: it is my prayer that you will come and put your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and have life.

And he went with him; and a great number of people went after him, and came round him.

And a woman, who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,

And had undergone much at the hands of a number of medical men, and had given all she had, and was no better, but even worse,

When she had news of the things which Jesus did, went among the people coming after him, and put her hand on his robe.

For she said, If I may only put my hand on his robe, I will be made well.

And straight away the fountain of her blood was stopped, and she had a feeling in her body that her disease had gone and she was well.

And straight away Jesus was conscious that power had gone out of him; and, turning to the people, he said, Who was touching my robe?

And his disciples said to him, You see the people round you on every side, and you say, Who was touching me?

And on his looking round to see her who had done this thing,

The woman, shaking with fear, conscious of what had been done to her, came and, falling on her face before him, gave him a true account of everything.

And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be free from your disease.

And while he was still talking, they came from the ruler of the Synagogue's house, saying, Your daughter is dead: why are you still troubling the Master?

But Jesus, giving no attention to their words, said to the ruler of the Synagogue, Have no fear, only have faith.

And he did not let anyone come with him, but Peter and James and John, the brother of James.

And they came to the house of the ruler of the Synagogue; and he saw people running this way and that, and weeping and crying loudly.

And when he had gone in, he said to them, Why are you making such a noise and weeping? The child is not dead, but sleeping.

And they were laughing at him. But he, having sent them all out, took the father of the child and her mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.

And taking her by the hand, he said to her, Talitha cumi, which is, My child, I say to you, Get up.

And the young girl got up straight away, and was walking about; she being twelve years old. And they were overcome with wonder.

And he gave them special orders that they were not to say anything of this; and he said that some food was to be given to her.

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☆ 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3

And Absalom came across some of David's men. And Absalom was seated on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great tree, and his head became fixed in the tree and he was lifted up between earth and heaven, and the beast under him went on.

And a certain man saw it and said to Joab, I saw Absalom hanging in a tree.

And he took three spears in his hand, and put them through Absalom's heart, while he was still living, in the branches of the tree.

Now David was seated between the two town doors; and the watchman went up to the roof of the doorways, on the wall, and, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running by himself.

And the watchman gave news of it to the king. And the king said, If he is coming by himself, then he has news.

And the king said, Get back and take your place here. So turning to one side, he took his place there.

And then the Cushite came and said, I have news for my lord the king: today the Lord has done right in your cause against all those who took up arms against you.

And the king said to the Cushite, Is the young man Absalom safe? And the Cushite said in answer, May all the king's haters and those who do evil against the king, be as that young man is!

Then the king was much moved, and went up into the room over the door, weeping, and saying, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! if only my life might have been given for yours, O Absalom, my son, my son!

19:1-3
And word was given to Joab that the king was weeping and sorrowing for Absalom.

And the salvation of that day was changed to sorrow for all the people: for it was said to the people, The king is in bitter grief for his son.

And the people made their way back to the town quietly and secretly, as those who are shamed go secretly when they go in flight from the war.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　February 2, 2026

Have a good day!

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Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

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☆ Gospel:Luke 2:22-40

And when the necessary days for making them clean by the law of Moses had come to an end, they took him to Jerusalem to give him to the Lord

(As it says in the law of the Lord, Every mother's first male child is to be holy to the Lord),

And to make an offering, as it is ordered in the law of the Lord, of two doves or other young birds.

And there was then in Jerusalem a man whose name was Simeon; and he was an upright man, fearing God and waiting for the comfort of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was on him.

And he had knowledge, through the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ.

And full of the Spirit he came into the Temple; and when the father and mother came in with the child Jesus, to do with him what was ordered by the law,

Then he took him in his arms and gave praise to God and said,

Now you are letting your servant go in peace, O Lord, as you have said;

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

Which you have made ready before the face of all nations;
A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

And his father and mother were full of wonder at the things which were said about him.

And Simeon gave them his blessing and said to Mary, his mother, See, this child will be the cause of the downfall and the lifting up of great numbers of people in Israel, and he will be a sign against which hard words will be said;
(And a sword will go through your heart;) so that the secret thoughts of men may come to light.

And there was one, Anna, a woman prophet, the daughter of Phanuel, of the family of Asher (she was very old, and after seven years of married life

She had been a widow for eighty-four years); she was in the Temple at all times, worshipping with prayers and going without food, night and day.

And coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, talking of him to all those who were waiting for the freeing of Jerusalem.

And when they had done all the things which were ordered by the law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to Nazareth, the town where they were living.

And the child became tall and strong and full of wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

-----

☆ Malachi 3:1-4

See, I am sending my servant, and he will make ready the way before me; and the Lord, whom you are looking for, will suddenly come to his Temple; and the angel of the agreement, in whom you have delight, see, he is coming, says the Lord of armies.

But by whom may the day of his coming be faced? and who may keep his place when he is seen? for he is like the metal-tester's fire and the cleaner's soap.

He will take his seat, testing and cleaning the sons of Levi, burning away the evil from them as from gold and silver; so that they may make offerings to the Lord in righteousness.

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in days gone by, and as in past years.

-----

☆ Hebrews 2:14-18

And because the children are flesh and blood, he took a body himself and became like them; so that by his death he might put an end to him who had the power of death, that is to say, the Evil One;

And let those who all their lives were in chains because of their fear of death, go free.

For, truly, he does not take on the life of angels, but that of the seed of Abraham.

Because of this it was necessary for him to be made like his brothers in every way, so that he might be a high priest full of mercy and keeping faith in everything to do with God, making offerings for the sins of the people.

For having been put to the test himself, he is able to give help to others when they are tested.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　February 1, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Matthew 5:1-12a

And seeing great masses of people he went up into the mountain; and when he was seated his disciples came to him.

And with these words he gave them teaching, saying,

Happy are the poor in spirit: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Happy are those who are sad: for they will be comforted.

Happy are the gentle: for the earth will be their heritage.

Happy are those whose heart's desire is for righteousness: for they will have their desire.

Happy are those who have mercy: for they will be given mercy.

Happy are the clean in heart: for they will see God.

Happy are the peacemakers: for they will be named sons of God.

Happy are those who are attacked on account of righteousness: for the kingdom of heaven will be theirs.

Happy are you when men give you a bad name, and are cruel to you, and say all evil things against you falsely, because of me.

Be glad and full of joy; for great is your reward in heaven:

-----

☆ Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13

Make search for the Lord, all you quiet ones of the earth, who have done what is right in his eyes; make search for righteousness and a quiet heart: it may be that you will be safely covered in the day of the Lord's wrath.

But I will still have among you a quiet and poor people, and they will put their faith in the name of the Lord.

The rest of Israel will do no evil and say no false words; the tongue of deceit will not be seen in their mouth: for they will take their food and their rest, and no one will be a cause of fear to them.

-----

☆ 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

For you see God's design for you, my brothers, that he has not taken a great number of the wise after the flesh, not the strong, not the noble:

But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong;

And the low things of the world, and the things without honour, did God make selection of, yes, even the things which are not, so that he might make as nothing the things which are:

So that no flesh might have glory before God.

But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy:

So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 31, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 4:35-41

35
And on that day, when the evening had come, he said to them, Let us go over to the other side.

36
And going away from the people, they took him with them, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him.

37
And a great storm of wind came up, and the waves came into the boat, so that the boat was now becoming full.

38
And he himself was in the back of the boat, sleeping on the cushion: and they, awaking him, said, Master, is it nothing to you that we are in danger of destruction?

39
And he came out of his sleep, and gave strong orders to the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be at rest. And the wind went down, and there was a great calm.

40
And he said to them, Why are you full of fear? have you still no faith?

41
And their fear was great, and they said one to another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea do his orders?

-----

☆ 2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17

1
And the Lord sent Nathan to David. And Nathan came to him and said, There were two men in the same town: one a man of great wealth, and the other a poor man.

2
The man of wealth had great numbers of flocks and herds;

3
But the poor man had only one little she-lamb, which he had got and taken care of: from its birth it had been with him like one of his children; his meat was its food, and from his cup it took its drink, resting in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.

4
Now a traveller came to the house of the man of wealth, but he would not take anything from his flock or his herd to make a meal for the traveller who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and made it ready for the man who had come.

5
And David was full of wrath against that man; and he said to Nathan, By the living Lord, death is the right punishment for the man who has done this:

6
And he will have to give back four times the value of the lamb, because he has done this and because he had no pity.

7a
And Nathan said to David, You are that man. The Lord God of Israel says,

10 So now the sword will never be turned away from your family; because you have had no respect for me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

11
The Lord says, From those of your family I will send evil against you, and before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he will take your wives to his bed by the light of this sun.

12
You did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel and in the light of the sun.

13
And David said to Nathan, Great is my sin against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord has put away your sin; death will not come on you.

14
But still, because you have had no respect for the Lord, death will certainly overtake the child who has newly come to birth.

15
Then Nathan went back to his house. And the hand of the Lord was on David's son, the child of Uriah's wife, and it became very ill.

16
So David made prayer to God for the child; and he took no food day after day, and went in and, stretching himself out on the earth, was there all night.

17
And the chief men of his house got up and went to his side to make him get up from the earth, but he would not; and he would not take food with them.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 30, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 4:26-34

26
And he said, Such is the kingdom of God, as if a man put seed in the earth,

27
And went to sleep and got up, night and day, and the seed came to growth, though he had no idea how.

28
The earth gives fruit by herself; first the leaf, then the head, then the full grain.

29
But when the grain is ready, he quickly sends men to get it cut, because the time for cutting has come.

30
And he said, What picture may we give of the kingdom of God, or with what story may we make it clear?

31
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is put in the earth, is smaller than all the seeds on the earth,

32
But when it is planted, it comes up, and becomes taller than all the plants, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of heaven are able to take rest in its shade.

33
And with a number of such stories he gave them his teaching, as they were able to take it:

34
And without a story he said nothing to them: but privately to his disciples he made all things clear.

-----

☆ 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 4c-10a, 13-17

1
Now in the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent Joab and his servants and all Israel with him; and they made waste the land of the children of Ammon, and took up their position before Rabbah, shutting it in. But David was still at Jerusalem.

2
Now one evening, David got up from his bed, and while he was walking on the roof of the king's house, he saw from there a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

3
And David sent to get knowledge who the woman was. And one said, Is this not Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4a,c
And David sent and took her; then she went back to her house.

5
And the woman became with child; and she sent word to David that she was with child.

6
And David sent to Joab saying, Send Uriah the Hittite to me. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7
And when Uriah came to him, David put questions to him about how Joab and the people were, and how the war was going.

8
And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and let your feet be washed. And Uriah went away from the king's house, and an offering from the king was sent after him.

9
But Uriah took his rest at the door of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

10a
And when word was given to David that Uriah had not gone down to his house,

13
And when David sent for him, he took meat and drink with him, and David made him the worse for drink: and when evening came, he went to rest on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14
Now in the morning, David gave Uriah a letter to take to Joab.

15
And in the letter he said, Take care to put Uriah in the very front of the line, where the fighting is most violent, and go back from him, so that he may be overcome and put to death.

16
So while Joab was watching the town, he put Uriah in the place where it was clear to him the best fighters were.

17
And the men of the town went out and had a fight with Joab: and a number of David's men came to their death in the fight, and with them Uriah the Hittite.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 29, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 4:21-25

21
And he said to them, When the light comes in, do people put it under a vessel, or under the bed, and not on its table?

22
There is nothing covered which will not be seen openly, and nothing has been made secret which will not come to light.

23
If any man has ears, let him give ear.

24
And he said to them, Take care what you give ear to: in the same measure as you give you will get, and more will be given to you.

25
He who has, to him will be given: and he who has not, from him will be taken even that which he has.

-----

☆ 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29

18
Then David the king went in and took his seat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have been my guide till now?

19
And this was only a small thing to you, O Lord God; but your words have even been about the far-off future of your servant's family, O Lord God!

24
But you took and made strong for yourself your people Israel, to be your people for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.

25
And now, O Lord God, may the word which you have said about your servant and about his family, be made certain for ever, and may you do as you have said!

26
And let your name be made great for ever, and let men say, The Lord of armies is God over Israel: and let the family of David your servant be made strong before you!

27
For you, O Lord of armies, the God of Israel, have clearly said to your servant, I will make you the head of a family of kings: and so it has come into your servant's heart to make this prayer to you.

28
And now, O Lord God, you are God and your words are true and you have said you will give your servant this good thing;

29
So may it be your pleasure to give your blessing to the family of your servant, so that it may go on for ever before you: (for you, O Lord God, have said it,) and may your blessing be on your servant's family line for ever!

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 28, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 4:1-20

1
And again he was teaching by the seaside. And a very great number of people had come to him, so that he got into a boat on the sea and took his seat; and all the people were on the land by the seaside.

2
And he gave them teaching about a number of things in the form of stories, and said to them in his teaching, Give ear:

3
A man went out to put seed in the earth:

4
And while he was doing it, some was dropped by the wayside, and the birds came and took it for food.

5
And some went on the stones, where it had not much earth; and it came up straight away, because the earth was not deep:

6
And when the sun was high, it was burned; and because it had no root, it became dry and dead.

7
And some went among the thorns, and the thorns came up, and it had no room for growth and gave no fruit.

8
And some, falling on good earth, gave fruit, coming up and increasing, and giving thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.

9
And he said to them, Whoever has ears, let him give ear.

10
And when he was by himself, those who were round him with the twelve put questions to him about the purpose of the stories.

11
And he said to them, To you is given the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are given in the form of stories;

12
So that seeing they may see, and it will not be clear to them; and hearing it, they will not get the sense; for fear that they may be turned again to me and have forgiveness.

13
And he said to them, If you are not clear about this story, how will you be clear about the others?

14
The seed is the word.

15
And these are they by the wayside, where the word is planted; and when they have given ear, the Evil One comes straight away and takes away the word which has been planted in them.

16
And in the same way, these are they who are planted on the stones, who, when the word has come to their ears, straight away take it with joy;

17
And they have no root in themselves, but go on for a time; then, when trouble comes or pain, because of the word, they quickly become full of doubts.

18
And others are those planted among the thorns; these are they who have given ear to the word,

19
And the cares of this life, and the deceits of wealth, and the desire for other things coming in, put a stop to the growth of the word, and it gives no fruit.

20
And these are they who were planted on the good earth; such as give ear to the word, and take it into their hearts, and give fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundred times as much.

-----

☆ 2 Samuel 7:4-17

4
Now that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

5
Go and say to my servant David, The Lord says, Are you to be the builder of a house, a living-place for me?

6
For from the day when I took the children of Israel up out of Egypt till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from place to place in a tent.

7
In all the places where I went with all the children of Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, to whom I gave the care of my people Israel, Why have you not made me a house of cedar?

8
Then say these words to my servant David, The Lord of armies says, I took you from the fields, from keeping the sheep, so that you might be a ruler over my people, over my people Israel:

9
And I have been with you wherever you went, cutting off before you all those who were against you; and I will make your name great, like the name of the greatest ones of the earth.

10
And I will make a resting-place for my people Israel, planting them there, so that they may be living in the place which is theirs, and never again be moved; and never again will they be troubled by evil men as they were at the first,

11
From the time when I put judges over my people Israel; and I will give you peace from all who are against you. And the Lord says to you that he will make you the head of a line of kings.

12
And when the time comes for you to go to rest with your fathers, I will put in your place your seed after you, the offspring of your body, and I will make his kingdom strong.

13
He will be the builder of a house for my name, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.

14
I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son: if he does wrong, I will give him punishment with the rod of men and with the blows of the children of men;

15
But my mercy will not be taken away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.

16
And your family and your kingdom will keep their place before me for ever: the seat of your authority will never be overturned.

17
So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 27, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 3:31-35

31
And his mother and brothers came and were outside, and sent for him, requesting to see him.

32
And a great number were seated round him; and they said to him, See, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.

33
And he said in answer, Who are my mother and my brothers?

34
And looking round at those who were seated about him, he said, See, my mother and my brothers!

35
Whoever does God's pleasure, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

-----

☆ 2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19

12b
And David went and took the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the town of David with joy.

13
And when those who were lifting the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he made an offering of an ox and a fat young beast.

14
And David, clothed in a linen ephod, was dancing before the Lord with all his strength.

15
So David and all the men of Israel took up the ark of the Lord with cries of joy and sounding of horns.

17
And they took in the ark of the Lord, and put it in its place inside the tent which David had put up for it: and David made burned offerings and peace-offerings to the Lord.

18
And after David had made the burned offerings and the peace-offerings, he gave the people a blessing in the name of the Lord of armies.

19
And he gave to every man and woman among all the people, among all the masses of Israel, a cake of bread and a measure of wine and a cake of dry grapes. Then all the people went away, every man to his house.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 26, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 3:22-30

22
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the ruler of evil spirits he sends evil spirits out of men.

23
And turning to them, he said to them in the form of a story, How is it possible for Satan to put out Satan?

24
If there is division in a kingdom, that kingdom will come to destruction;

25
And if there is division in a house, that house will come to destruction;

26
And if Satan is at war with himself, and there is division in him, he will not keep his place but will come to an end.

27
But no one is able to go into the house of the strong man and take his goods, without first putting cords round the strong man, and then he will take his goods.

28
Truly, I say to you, The sons of men will have forgiveness for all their sins and for all the evil words they say:

29
But whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but the evil he has done will be with him for ever:

30
Because they said, He has an unclean spirit.

-----

☆ 2 Timothy 1:1-8

1
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, in the hope of the life which is in Christ Jesus,

2
To Timothy, my well-loved child: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3
I give praise to God, whose servant I have been, with a heart free from sin, from the time of my fathers, because in my prayers at all times the thought of you is with me, night and day

4
Desiring to see you, keeping in my memory your weeping, so that I may be full of joy;

5
Having in mind your true faith, which first was in your mother's mother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and, I am certain, is now in you.

6
For this reason I say to you, Let that grace of God which is in you, given to you by my hands, have living power.

7
For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.

8
Have no feeling of shame, then, for the witness of our Lord or for me, his prisoner: but undergo all things for the good news in the measure of the power of God;

-----

Or
☆ Titus 1:1-5

1
Paul, a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, in agreement with the faith of the saints of God and the full knowledge of what is true in harmony with religion,

2
In the hope of eternal life, which was made certain before eternal time, by the word of God who is ever true;

3
Who, in his time, made clear his word in the good news, of which, by the order of God our Saviour, I became a preacher;

4
To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

5
I did not take you with me when I went away from Crete, so that you might do what was necessary to put things in order there, placing men in authority over the churches in every town, as I said to you;

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 25, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Matthew 4:12-23

12
Now when it came to his ears that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee;

13
And going away from Nazareth, he came and made his living-place in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali:

14
So that the word of the prophet Isaiah might come true,

15
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

16
The people who were in the dark saw a great light, and to those in the land of the shade of death did the dawn come up.

17
From that time Jesus went about preaching and saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

18
And when he was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, whose other name was Peter, and Andrew, his brother, who were putting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

19
And he said to them, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20
And straight away they let go the nets and went after him.

21
And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with their father, stitching up their nets; and he said, Come.

22
And they went straight from the boat and their father and came after him.

23
And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom, and making well those who were ill with any disease among the people.

-----

☆ Isaiah 9:1--9:4
(Isaiah 8:23--9:3)**

1
In earlier times he made the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali of small value, but after that he gave it glory, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

2
The people who went in the dark have seen a great light, and for those who were living in the land of the deepest night, the light is shining.

3
You have made them very glad, increasing their joy. They are glad before you as men are glad in the time of getting in the grain, or when they make division of the goods taken in war.

4
For by your hand the yoke on his neck and the rod on his back, even the rod of his cruel master, have been broken, as in the day of Midian.


** Isaiah 8:23b--9:3
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/8?23

-----

☆ 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

10
Now I make request to you, my brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will all say the same thing, and that there may be no divisions among you, so that you may be in complete agreement, in the same mind and in the same opinion.

11
Because it has come to my knowledge, through those of the house of Chloe, that there are divisions among you, my brothers.

12
That is, that some of you say, I am of Paul; some say, I am of Apollos; some say, I am of Cephas; and some say, I am Christ's.

13
Is there a division in Christ? was Paul nailed to the cross for you? or were you given baptism in the name of Paul?

17
For Christ sent me, not to give baptism, but to be a preacher of the good news : not with wise words, for fear that the cross of Christ might be made of no value.

-----

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-----

Today's Bible story ☆

　January 24, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 3:20-21

20
And he went into a house. And the people came together again, so that they were not even able to take bread.

21
And when his friends had news of it, they went out to get him, saying, He is off his head.

-----

☆ 2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27

1
Now after the death of Saul, when David, having come back from the destruction of the Amalekites, had been in Ziklag for two days;

2
On the third day a man came from Saul's tents, with his clothing out of order and earth on his head: and when he came to David, he went down on the earth and gave him honour.

3
And David said to him, Where have you come from? And he said, I have come in flight from the tents of Israel.

4
And David said to him, How did things go? Give me the news. And in answer he said, The people have gone in flight from the fight, and a great number of them are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.

11
Then David gave way to bitter grief, and so did all the men who were with him:

12
And till evening they gave themselves to sorrow and weeping, and took no food, weeping for Saul and for Jonathan, his son, and for the people of the Lord and for the men of Israel; because they had come to their end by the sword.

19
The glory, O Israel, is dead on your high places! How have the great ones been made low!

23
Saul and Jonathan were loved and pleasing; in their lives and in their death they were not parted; they went more quickly than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24
O daughters of Israel, have sorrow for Saul, by whom you were delicately clothed in robes of red, with ornaments of gold on your dresses.

25
How have the great ones been made low in the fight! Jonathan is dead on your high places.

26
I am full of grief for you, my brother Jonathan: very dear have you been to me: your love for me was a wonder, greater than the love of women.

27
How have the great ones been made low, and the arms of war broken!

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 1235, 2026

Have a good day!

-----

Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 3:13-19

13
And he went up into the mountain, and sent for those whom it was his pleasure to have with him: and they went to him.

14
And he took twelve to be with him, so that he might send them out as preachers,

15
And give them the power of driving out evil spirits:

16
To Simon he gave the second name of Peter;

17
And to James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, he gave the second name of Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder:

18
And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot;

19
And Judas Iscariot, who was false to him.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 24:2-20
(1 Samuel 24:3-21)**

2
Then Saul took three thousand of the best men out of all Israel, and went in search of David and his men on the rocks of the mountain goats.

3
And on the way he came to a place where sheep were kept, where there was a hollow in the rock; and Saul went in for a private purpose. Now David and his men were in the deepest part of the hollow.

4
And David's men said to him, Now is the time when the Lord says to you, I will give up your hater into your hands to do with him whatever seems good to you. Then David, getting up, took the skirt of Saul's robe in his hand, cutting off the end of it without his knowledge.

5
And later, David was full of regret for cutting off Saul's skirt.

6
And David said to his men, Before the Lord, never let it be said that my hand was lifted up against my lord, the man of the Lord's selection, for the Lord's holy oil has been put on him.

7
So with these words David kept his servants back, and did not let them make an attack on Saul. And Saul got up and went on his way.

8
And after that David came out of the hollow rock, and crying after Saul said, My lord the king. And when Saul gave a look back, David went down on his face and gave him honour.

9
And David said to Saul, Why do you give any attention to those who say that it is my desire to do you wrong?

10
Look! you have seen today how the Lord gave you up into my hands even now in the hollow of the rocks: and some would have had me put you to death, but I had pity on you: for I said, Never will my hand be lifted up against my lord, who has been marked with the holy oil.

11
And see, my father, see the skirt of your robe in my hand: for the fact that I took off the skirt of your robe and did not put you to death is witness that I have no evil purpose, and I have done you no wrong, though you are waiting for my life to take it.

12
May the Lord be judge between me and you, and may the Lord give me my rights against you, but my hand will never be lifted up against you.

13
There is an old saying, From the evil-doer comes evil: but my hand will never be lifted up against you.

14
After whom has the king of Israel come out? for whom are you searching? for a dead dog, an insect.

15
So let the Lord be judge, and give a decision between me and you, and see and give support to my cause, and keep me from falling into your hands.

16
Now when David had said these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, David, my son? And Saul was overcome with weeping.

17
And he said to David, You are right and I am wrong: for you have given me back good, but I have given you evil.

18
And you have made clear to me how good you have been to me today: because, when the Lord gave me up into your hands, you did not put me to death.

19
If a man comes across his hater, will he let him get away safe? so may you be rewarded by the Lord for what you have done for me today.

20
And now I am certain that you will be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be made strong under your authority.


**(1 Samuel 24:3-21)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/24?3

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 22, 2026

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-----

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 3:7-12

7
And Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea, and a great number from Galilee came after him: and from Judaea,

8
And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and the other side of Jordan, and the country about Tyre and Sidon, a great number, hearing what great things he did, came to him.

9
And he made a request to his disciples to have a little boat ready for him, so that he might not be crushed by the people;

10
For he had made such a great number well that all those who were diseased were falling down before him for the purpose of touching him.

11
And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, went down before him, crying out, and saying, You are the Son of God.

12
And he gave them special orders not to say who he was.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7

18:6
Now on their way, when David came back after the destruction of the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, with songs and dances, meeting David with melody and joy and instruments of music.

7
And the women, answering one another in their song, said, Saul has put to death his thousands and David his tens of thousands.

8
And Saul was very angry and this saying was unpleasing to him; and he said, They have given David credit for tens of thousands, and to me for only thousands: what more is there for him but the kingdom?

9
And from that day Saul was looking with envy on David.

19:1
And Saul gave orders to his son Jonathan and to all his servants to put David to death. But Saul's son Jonathan had great delight in David.

2
And Jonathan said to David, Saul, my father, is purposing your death: so now, take care in the morning, and keep yourself safe in a secret place:

3
And I will go out and take my place by my father's side in the field near where you are; and I will get into talk with my father about you, and when I see how things are, I will give you word.

4
And Jonathan gave his father Saul a good account of David, and said to him, Let not the king do wrong against his servant, against David; because he has done you no wrong, and all his acts have had a good outcome for you:

5
For he put his life in danger and overcame the Philistine, and the Lord gave all Israel salvation: you saw it and were glad: why then are you sinning against him who has done no wrong, desiring the death of David without cause?

6
And Saul gave ear to the voice of Jonathan, and said with an oath, By the living Lord, he is not to be put to death.

7
Then Jonathan sent for David and gave him word of all these things. And Jonathan took David to Saul, who kept him by his side as in the past.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 21, 2026

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-----

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 3:1-6

1
And he went again into the Synagogue; and there was a man there whose hand was dead.

2
And they were watching him to see if he would make him well on the Sabbath day, so that they might have something against him.

3
And he said to the man, Get up and come forward.

4
And he said to them, Is it right to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil? to give life or to put to death? But they said nothing.

5
And looking round on them he was angry, being sad because of their hard hearts; and he said to the man, Put out your hand. And he put it out, and his hand was made well.

6
And the Pharisees went out, and straight away made designs with the Herodians about how they might put him to death.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51

32
And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart become feeble because of him; I, your servant, will go out and have a fight with this Philistine.

33
And Saul said to David, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and have a fight with him: for you are only a boy, and he has been a man of war from his earliest days.

37
And David said, The Lord, who kept me safe from the grip of the lion and the bear, will be my saviour from the hands of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go! and may the Lord be with you.

40
Then he took his stick in his hand, and got five smooth stones from the bed of the stream and put them in a bag such as is used by sheep-keepers; and in his hand was a leather band used for sending stones: and so he went in the direction of the Philistine.

41
And the Philistine came nearer to David; and the man who had his body-cover went before him.

42
And when the Philistine, taking note, saw David, he had a poor opinion of him: for he was only a boy, red-haired and good-looking.

43
And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come out to me with sticks? And the Philistine put curses on David by all his gods.

44
And the Philistine said to David, Come here to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.

45
Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel on which you have put shame.

46
This day the Lord will give you up into my hands, and I will overcome you, and take your head off you; and I will give the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth today, so that all the earth may see that Israel has a God;

47
And all these people who are here today may see that the Lord does not give salvation by sword and spear: for the fight is the Lord's, and he will give you up into our hands.

48
Now when the Philistine made a move and came near to David, David quickly went at a run in the direction of the army, meeting the Philistine face to face.

49
And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and sent it from his leather band straight at the Philistine, and the stone went deep into his brow, and he went down to the earth, falling on his face.

50
So David overcame the Philistine with his leather band and a stone, wounding the Philistine and causing his death: but David had no sword in his hand.

51
So running up to the Philistine and putting his foot on him, David took his sword out of its cover, and put him to death, cutting off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their fighter was dead, they went in flight.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 20, 2026

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-----

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 2:23-28

23
And it came about that on the Sabbath day he was going through the grain-fields; and while they were walking, his disciples took the heads of grain.

24
And the Pharisees said to him, Why are they doing what it is not right to do on the Sabbath?

25
And he said to them, Have you no knowledge of what David did, when he had need and was without food, he, and those who were with him?

26
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and took for food the holy bread, which only the priests may take, and gave it to those who were with him?

27
And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;

28
So that the Son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1
And the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you go on sorrowing for Saul, seeing that I have put him from his place as king over Israel? Take oil in your vessel and go; I will send you to Jesse, the Beth-lehemite: for I have got a king for myself among his sons.

2
And Samuel said, How is it possible for me to go? If Saul gets news of it he will put me to death. And the Lord said, Take a young cow with you and say, I have come to make an offering to the Lord.

3
And send for Jesse to be present at the offering, and I will make clear to you what you are to do: and you are to put the holy oil on him whose name I give you.

4
And Samuel did as the Lord said and came to Beth-lehem. And the responsible men of the town came out to him in fear and said, Do you come in peace?

5
And he said, In peace: I have come to make an offering to the Lord: make yourselves clean and come with me to make the offering. And he made Jesse and his sons clean, and sent for them to be present at the offering.

6
Now when they came, looking at Eliab, he said, Clearly the man of the Lord's selection is before him.

7
But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not take note of his face or how tall he is, because I will not have him: for the Lord's view is not man's; man takes note of the outer form, but the Lord sees the heart.

8
Then Jesse sent for Abinadab and made him come before Samuel. And he said, The Lord has not taken this one.

9
Then Jesse made Shammah come before him. And he said, The Lord has not taken this one.

10
And Jesse made his seven sons come before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not taken any of these.

11
Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your children here? And he said, There is still the youngest, and he is looking after the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and make him come here: for we will not take our seats till he is here.

12
So he sent and made him come in. Now he had red hair and beautiful eyes and pleasing looks. And the Lord said, Come, put the oil on him, for this is he.

13
Then Samuel took the bottle of oil, and put the oil on him there among his brothers: and from that day the spirit of the Lord came on David with power. So Samuel went back to Ramah.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 19, 2026

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-----

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 2:18-22

18
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were taking no food: and they came and said to him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees go without food, but your disciples do not?

19
And Jesus said to them, Will the friends of a newly-married man go without food while he is with them? as long as they have him with them they will not go without food.

20
But the days will come when the husband will be taken away from them, and then they will go without food.

21
No man puts a bit of new cloth on an old coat: or the new, by pulling away from the old, makes a worse hole.

22
And no man puts new wine into old wine-skins: or the skins will be burst by the wine, and the wine and the skins will be wasted: but new wine has to be put into new wine-skins.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 15:16-23

16
Then Samuel said to Saul, Say no more! Let me give you word of what the Lord has said to me this night. And he said to him, Say on.

17
And Samuel said, Though you may seem little to yourself, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord with the holy oil made you king over Israel,

18
And the Lord sent you on a journey and said, Go and put to the curse those sinners, the Amalekites, fighting against them till every one is dead.

19
Why then did you not do the orders of the Lord, but by violently taking their goods did evil in the eyes of the Lord?

20
And Saul said, Truly, I have done the orders of the Lord and have gone the way the Lord sent me; I have taken Agag, the king of Amalek, and have given the Amalekites up to destruction.

21
But the people took some of their goods, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which were put to the curse, to make an offering of them to the Lord your God in Gilgal.

22
And Samuel said, Has the Lord as much delight in offerings and burned offerings as in the doing of his orders? Truly, to do his pleasure is better than to make offerings, and to give ear to him than the fat of sheep.

23
For to go against his orders is like the sin of those who make use of secret arts, and pride is like giving worship to images. Because you have put away from you the word of the Lord, he has put you from your place as king.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 18, 2026

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-----

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:John 1:29-34

29
The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

30
This is he of whom I said, One is coming after me who is put over me because he was in existence before me.

31
I myself had no knowledge of him, but I came giving baptism with water so that he might be seen openly by Israel.

32
And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him.

33
I had no knowledge who he was, but he who sent me to give baptism with water said to me, The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting, it is he who gives baptism with the Holy Spirit.

34
This I saw myself and my witness is that he is the Son of God.

-----

☆ Isaiah 49:3, 5-6

3
And he said to me, You are my servant, Israel, in whom my glory will be seen;

5
And now, says the Lord, who made me his servant when I was still in my mother's body, so that I might make Jacob come back to him, and so that Israel might come together to him: and I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord, and my God became my strength.

6
It is not enough for one who is my servant to put the tribes of Jacob again in their place, and to get back those of Israel who have been sent away: my purpose is to give you as a light to the nations, so that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.

-----

☆ 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

1
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother,

2
To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give honour to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

3
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 17, 2026

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-----

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 2:13-17

13
And he went out again by the seaside; and all the people came to him, and he gave them teaching.

14
And when he went by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and he said to him, Come with me. And he got up, and went with him.

15
And it came about that he was seated at meat in his house, and a number of tax-farmers and sinners were at table with Jesus and his disciples: for there were a great number of them, and they came after him.

16
And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was taking food with the tax-farmers and sinners, said to his disciples, Why does he take food and drink with such men?

17
And Jesus, hearing it, said to them, Those who are well have no need of a medical man, but those who are ill: I have come not to get the upright but sinners.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

9:1
Now there was a man of Benjamin named Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a man of wealth.

2
He had a son named Saul, a specially good-looking young man; there was no one better-looking among the children of Israel: he was taller by a head than any other of the people.

3
Now the asses of Saul's father Kish had gone wandering away. And Kish said to his son Saul, Take one of the servants with you, and get up and go in search of the asses.

4
So they went through the hill-country of Ephraim and through the land of Shalishah, but they saw no sign of them: then they went through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there: and they went through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not come across them.

17
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, This is the man of whom I gave you word! he it is who is to have authority over my people.

18
Then Saul came up to Samuel in the doorway of the town and said, Give me directions, if you will be so good, to the house of the seer.

19
Then Samuel said to Saul, I am the seer; go up before me to the high place and take food with me today: and in the morning I will let you go, after opening to you all the secrets of your heart.

10:1
Then Samuel took the bottle of oil, and put the oil on his head and gave him a kiss and said, Is not the Lord with the holy oil making you ruler over Israel, his people? and you will have authority over the people of the Lord, and you will make them safe from the hands of their attackers round about them, and this will be the sign for you:

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 16, 2026

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-----

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 2:1-12

1
And when he came into Capernaum again after some days, the news went about that he was in the house.

2
And a great number had come together, so that there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door: and he gave them teaching.

3
And four men came to him with one on a bed who had no power of moving.

4
And when they were unable to get near him because of all the people, they got the roof uncovered where he was: and when it was broken up, they let down the bed on which the man was.

5
And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to him, Son, you have forgiveness for your sins.

6
But there were certain of the scribes seated there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7
Why does this man say such things? he has no respect for God: from whom does forgiveness come but from God only?

8
And Jesus, having knowledge in his spirit of their thoughts, said to them, Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

9
Which is the simpler, to say to a man who is ill, You have forgiveness for your sins, or, Get up, take up your bed, and go?

10
But so that you may see that the Son of man has authority for the forgiveness of sins on earth, (he said to the man,)

11
I say to you, Get up, take up your bed, and go to your house.

12
And he got up, and straight away took up the bed and went out before them all, so that they were all full of wonder, and gave glory to God, saying, We have never seen anything like this.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a

4
Then all the responsible men of Israel got together and went to Samuel at Ramah,

5
And said to him, See now, you are old, and your sons do not go in your ways: give us a king now to be our judge, so that we may be like the other nations.

6
But Samuel was not pleased when they said to him, Give us a king to be our judge. And Samuel made prayer to the Lord.

7
And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to the voice of the people and what they say to you: they have not been turned away from you, but they have been turned away from me, not desiring me to be king over them.

10
And Samuel said all these words of the Lord to the people who were desiring a king.

11
And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages;

12
And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages.

13
Your daughters he will take to be makers of perfumes and cooks and bread-makers.

14
He will take your fields and your vine-gardens and your olive-gardens, all the best of them, and give them to his servants.

15
He will take a tenth of your seed and of the fruit of your vines and give it to his servants.

16
He will take your men-servants and your servant-girls, and the best of your oxen and your asses and put them to his work.

17
He will take a tenth of your sheep: and you will be his servants.

18
Then you will be crying out because of your king whom you have taken for yourselves; but the Lord will not give you an answer in that day.

19
But the people gave no attention to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but we will have a king over us,

20
So that we may be like the other nations, and so that our king may be our judge and go out before us to war.

21
Then Samuel, after hearing all the people had to say, went and gave an account of it to the Lord.

22a
And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to their voice and make a king for them.

-----

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Today's Bible story ☆

　January 15, 2026

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-----

Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

-----

☆ Gospel:Mark 1:40-45

40
And a leper came to him and, going down on his knees before him, made a request, saying, If it is your pleasure, you have the power to make me clean.

41
And being moved with pity, he put out his hand, and touching him said to him, It is my pleasure; be made clean.

42
And straight away the disease went from him, and he was made clean.

43
And he sent him away, saying to him very sharply,

44
See that you say nothing to any man: but go and let the priest see you, and make yourself clean by an offering of the things ordered by Moses, for a witness to them.

45
But he went out, and made it public, giving an account of it everywhere, so that Jesus was no longer able to go openly into a town, but was outside in the waste land; and they came to him from every part.

-----

☆ 1 Samuel 4:1-11

1
Now at that time the Philistines came together to make war against Israel, and the men of Israel went out to war against the Philistines and took up their position at the side of Eben-ezer: and the Philistines put their forces in position in Aphek.

2
And the Philistines put their forces in order against Israel, and the fighting was hard, and Israel was overcome by the Philistines, who put to the sword about four thousand of their army in the field.

3
And when the people came back to their tents, the responsible men of Israel said, Why has the Lord let the Philistines overcome us today? Let us get the ark of the Lord's agreement here from Shiloh, so that it may be with us and give us salvation from the hands of those who are against us.

4
So the people sent to Shiloh and got the ark of the agreement of the Lord of armies whose resting-place is between the winged ones; and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were there with the ark of God's agreement.

5
And when the ark of the Lord's agreement came into the tent-circle, all Israel gave a great cry, so that the earth was sounding with it.

6
And the Philistines, hearing the noise of their cry, said, What is this great cry among the tents of the Hebrews? Then it became clear to them that the ark of the Lord had come to the tent-circle.

7
And the Philistines, full of fear, said, God has come into their tents. And they said, Trouble is ours! for never before has such a thing been seen.

8
Trouble is ours! Who will give us salvation from the hands of these great gods? These are the gods who sent all sorts of blows on the Egyptians in the waste land.

9
Be strong, O Philistines, be men! Do not be servants to the Hebrews as they have been to you: go forward to the fight without fear.

10
So the Philistines went to the fight, and Israel was overcome, and every man went in flight to his tent: and great was the destruction, for thirty thousand footmen of Israel were put to the sword.

11
And the ark of God was taken; and Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were put to the sword.

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