Bible Reading January 8
Enjoy this week’s Bible Reading January 8, 2012 is brought to you by Catholic Fundamentalism.
Reading 1 Is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears His glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.
Justice shall flower in His days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May He rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay Him homage,
all nations shall serve Him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor He shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore You.
Reading 2 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel Mt 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
The Loving Programmer has downloaded His Program, Jesus Christ, and made Him visible to the human programs who have been downloaded on the Earth Program.
This Light is now visible, it has broken through the clouds to shine on those who choose to believe in Him and the prophets who predicted Him.
You, chosen ones, will use this light to lead nations and kings. Raise your eyes, and look about (see the light!) they (who seek the truth?) gather and come to you to download what you have accessed. Your children shall come from far distances (in space and time), your daughters carried in the arms of those who nurture them.
You will absorb and reflect this light, this truth. Your heart shall throb and overflow for you will be able to access the riches of the sea (today, with deep-water drilling rigs?) and you shall turn your access to truth into ventures of such success that it will take camels in our time, later, trucks and trains, from adjoining and far-away lands, bringing you gold and perfumes, and all will be praising The Loving Programmer Who gave you such gifts.
R. Loving Programmer, every large group of people will adore You.
O Loving Programmer, download your wisdom to leaders and future leaders. Let him (them) rule your people with justice.
R. Loving Programmer, every large group of people will adore You.
Justice will be evident while He rules, along with deep peace, until the lunar program is erased. May His anointed rule the earth.
R. Loving Programmer, every large group of people will adore You.
The kinds of foreign nations will offer gifts to You, the sons of Ishmael will bring You tribute. All earthly rulers will bow before Him, and all nations shall serve Him.
Loving Programmer, every large group of people will adore You.
The Program will rescue the poor when they ask for help. Those with no one to help will be helped. He has pity for the unfortunate, and the human programs of the poor will be restored.
Fellow Believers:
You’ve learned that I am here as a steward of The Loving Programmer’s grace. That stewardship was given to me so that I could help you. You realize that truth was revealed to me, truth that was not accessible to earlier human programs.
Now, The Program has been made accessible to His
holy apostles and prophets by The Holy Wireless Connector;
(Now, we know) the Gentiles have as much right to inherit The Father’s estate as the Jews. All (who are led to choose to be) are equal partners in the promise that Scripture foretold.
When The Program came to earth in the predicted place by the birth of Jesus Christ, Herod was King.
Wise men, acquainted with the particulars of The Program, came to worship Him.
They asked, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We learned from Scripture, or had it revealed to us, that His star was rising, and we saw it.”
When King Herod heard this, he was worried about the stability of his family’s future rule, and so was the Jerusalem establishment.
He brought all the religious and legal leaders and asked them where The Christ was to be born.
They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for that’s what the prophet predicted when saying ‘And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you will come a ruler to guide and guard the chosen people.'”
Then Herod called the Wise Men to him, very privately, and found out when the star appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem, telling them “Work hard to find the child, and let me know when you’ve found Him so that I, too, may worship Him.”
Then, they left, following the star they’d seen when The Creation Program would receive The Program within it, in the Person of Jesus Christ. The star stopped when it got to where The Child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star and Christ, the most important person who’d ever been born.
When they went into the house, they saw Him and Mary. They fell on the ground and worshipped Him.
Then, they gave Him their treasures, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
They were warned in a dream, either by an anger or The Holy Wireless Connector, not to go back to Herod, so they went home another way.
