Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Matthew, chapter 6 and 7. Chapter 6 Take heed
that you do not do your charitable deeds before
men to be seen by them, otherwise you have no
reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore,
when you do a charitable deed, do not sound the
trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues. and in the streets, that they may
have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you,
they have the reward. But when you do a charitable
deed, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, that your charitable deed
may be in secret, and your father who sees in
secret will himself reward you openly. And when
you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites,
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and on the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you,
they have the reward. But you, when you pray,
go into your room, and when you have shut your
door, pray to your Father who is in the secret
place. And your Father who sees in secret will
reward you openly. And when you pray, do not
use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they
think that they will be heard for their many
words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your
Father knows the things you have need of before
you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is
the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But
if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover,
when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites,
with a sad countenance, for they disfigure their
faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and
wash your face, so that you do not appear to
men to be fasting, but to your Father who is
in a secret place. and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you openly. Do not lay up
for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye.
If therefore your eye is good, your whole body
will be full of light. But if your eye is bad,
your whole body will be full of darkness. If
therefore the light that is in you is darkness,
how great is that darkness! No one can serve
two masters, for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he will be loyal
to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you,
do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or what you will drink. nor about your body,
what you will put on. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing? Look at the
birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap,
nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit
to your stature? So why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow,
they neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to
you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes
the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow
is thrown into the oven, will he not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore
do not worry, saying, What shall we eat, or what
shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after
all these things the Gentiles seek. For your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. But seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these things shall
be added to you. Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own
things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Chapter 7 Judge not that you be not judged. For
with what judgment you judge, you will be judged.
And with the measure you use, it will be measured
back to you. And why do you look at the speck
in your brother's eye, but do not consider the
plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to
your brother, Let me remove the speck from your
eye, and look a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite!
First remove the plank from your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother's eye. Do not give what is
holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them under their feet
and turn and tear you in pieces. Ask, and it
will be given to you. Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone
who asks, receives. And he who seeks, finds.
And to him who knocks, it will be opened. Or
what man is there among you, who if his son asks
for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks
for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father,
who is in heaven, Give good things to those who
ask him. Therefore, whatever you want men to
do to you, do also to them. For this is the law
and the prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads
to destruction. And there are many who go in
by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult
is the way which leads to life. And there are
few who find it. Beware of false prophets. who
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves. You will know them
by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn
bushes, or figs from thistles? Even so, every
good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears
bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits
you will know them. Not everyone who says to
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in your name, cast out
demons in your name, and done many wonders in
your name? And then I will declare to them, I
never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice
lawlessness. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings
of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a
wise man who built his house on a rock, and the
rain descended, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall,
for it was founded on a rock. But everyone who
hears these sayings of mine, and does not do
them, will be like a foolish man who built his
house on the sand, and the rain descended, the
floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that
house. And it fell, and great was its fall. And
so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings
that the people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and
not as the scribes. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did, and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.