Computer Cud    Vatican II asks us to read the Bible every day,   'to have a burning love'   for the Word of God      Resolution

This plan follows the Sunday liturgy:  reading + psalm + reading + gospel       From  www.simplebible.info         Previous R-R-P 

O Holy Spirit, please guide me as I read these passages for today.                     
May these passages give me hope, strength, wisdom, compassion, courage and peace for my daily life     Chinese text

Reading:  Isaiah 41, 42

Stop being anxious and worried.
I am your God. I give you strength and help.

Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom my soul delights.

I have endowed him with my spirit
that he may bring true justice to the nations.

He does not cry out or shout aloud.
He does not extinguish the wavering flame.

I have called him to serve the cause of right,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison".

Reflection: 
One meaning of "the wavering flame" is a person who is "down and out", crushed by the pressures and trials of life.
To such people God gives hope, to help them keep going, to help the flame keep burning

Prayer: Lord, please help me show more compassion to people who are overburdened by the pressures of life.
Help me give them hope by my kindness and material help

My offences truly I know them.
What is evil in your sight I have done.

But in my defence please don't forget that sinfulness is part of the human condition, part of our DNA.

A pure heart create for me, O God.
Put a steadfast spirit within me.

Give me again the joy of your help.
With a spirit of fervor sustain me.

Reflection: 
Most people have a shower every day.
No shower....smell.
We also need a spiritual shower every day....to clean off the day's shortcomings.
Spiritual shower: before sleep at night...an "Our Father" to thank God for the blessings of the day
and to ask pardon for the day's shortcomings/failures/sins

Prayer: Lord, you will not spurn a humbled, contrite heart

Paul left Athens and went to the city of Corinth. 
He met a Jewish couple who had recently left Italy when the Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome

The couple were tentmakers, like Paul himself.
Paul stayed with them and they worked together

Each Sabbath Paul preached in the prayer halls,
trying to convert Jews as well as non-Jewish people

Reflection:
In another book Paul says he supported himself by tent making....and didn't depend on financial support from his Christians.
Not a few pastors/priests/religious/missionaries follow this "tent making" principle. They try to find part-time work to support their church work.
(e.g. my recording work for the HK Ming Pao newspaper....that's my "tent making"!). Likewise many university students in various parts of the world do part-time work to support their studies, so as not to rely 100% on support of parents

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for the example of Paul who worked to support himself and didn't live off others

As  Jesus was leaving Jericho on his way to Jerusalem,
many people followed him along the road.

Sitting by the road were two  men who had become blind.
When they heard that Jesus was going past,
they called out "Son of David, have pity on us."

Some people tried to stop them from calling out,
but they shouted even more loudly " Son of David, have pity on us."

Jesus stopped and said to them "What do you want me to do for you?"  They replied "Lord, let  us see again".

Jesus felt sorry for them.
He touched their eyes and straight away their sight returned.

Reflection: 
As far as I know, the only New Testament stories about blind people being healed are in the Gospels....blind people healed by Jesus himself.
I can't remember any story about Peter or Paul or anyone else healing a blind person. Maybe they did and it's not recorded,
although you think it would be recorded if it had happened.
Only Jesus healed the blind.
Is it crazy or useless to ask Jesus to heal blind people today?
Most people would say yes.
But then when Jesus said "ask and you'll receive"  he didn't make any exception for blindness

Prayer:
Jesus, please heal my blind friend ....(name)