Listen To the Bible! | King James Audio Bible | KJV | King James Version
We learn in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus’ friends are concerned about Jesus, thinking that he is beside himself, and intending to restrain him (Mark 3: 21). Shortly afterwards, in Mark’s Gospel, Mary and others of Jesus’ family make the journey recounted in today’s Gospel verses to try to see Jesus [ … ]
Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days toward the start of his ministry. This was a time of preparation, while Jesus was tempted by Satan. Matthew’s Gospel account most fully expresses the time of fasting as one in which Jesus declares his assumed humanity to be in accord with his Father’s will, oriented toward God’s saving purpose. Fasting is an aspect of many historical religions. We are asked to fast at particular times, and as we do, in our physical hunger, we may discover a closer relationship with God, even when our fasting can be mentally challenging [ … ]
God is everywhere. He is immeasurably vast and yet everywhere he is close at hand, as he himself bears witness: I am a God close at hand, and not a God who is distant. It is not a God who is far away that we are seeking, since (if we deserve it) he is within us. For he lives in us as the soul lives in the body – if only we are healthy limbs of his, if we are dead to sin. Then indeed he lives within us, he who has said: And I will live in them and walk among them. If we are worthy for him to be in us then in truth he gives us life, makes us his living limbs. As Saint Paul says, In him we live and move and have our being [ … ]
In this deeply moving catechesis, St. John Chrysostom leads us into the mystery of Christ’s Passion, focusing our attention on the extraordinary power and significance of his blood. For Chrysostom, this blood is not just a historical detail or a symbol of suffering—it is life itself. It is protection, healing, rebirth, and nourishment. It is the very source from which the Church is born [ … ]
In this reading, Saint Proclus reflects on the feast of the Epiphany as a revelation that completes and deepens the mystery of Christmas. At Christmas, Jesus Christ is revealed in weakness, as an infant sharing fully in human vulnerability. At Epiphany, and especially in the baptism in the Jordan, Jesus Christ is revealed in his public mission and divine authority. The same Lord who lay in a manger now stands in the waters, sanctifying creation itself [ … ]
The Archangel Gabriel is prominently featured in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Gabriel’s first appearance is in the Gospel of Luke, where he appears to Zechariah to announce the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Zechariah questions the angel, and Gabriel responds with the famous words, ‘And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.’ (Luke 1:19) [ … ]
Origen of Alexandria, also known as Origen Adamantius, lived during a formative period of Christian thought in the Roman East. His life was shaped by early Christian devotion, intense scriptural study, pastoral work, ecclesiastical conflict, and the intellectual currents of Alexandria and Caesarea. Origen’s writings occupy an important place in the history of biblical interpretation and early Christian theology. At the same time, doctrines associated with his name became sources of dispute long after his death, influencing the Catholic Church’s decision that he be not a saint [ … ]
In this rich Eastertide reflection, Saint Fulgentius presents the Eucharist as both the source and summit of Christian unity, drawing the Church together into one spiritual body through the bond of love. His meditation resonates profoundly with the paschal season, in which the Church celebrates the risen life of Christ not merely as a past event, but as a present, living reality—embodied in the Eucharist and shared through the Spirit [ … ]
This, in Matthew’s Gospel, is the second miracle of the loaves and the fishes. Jesus is preaching and working his healing miracles in the border country, where Jews and pagans live side by side. The landscape seems symbolic, archetypal; as Jesus nears the Sea of Galilee, he goes up into a mountain. It is here that Jesus’ miracles lead both Jews and pagans to glorify the God of Israel [ … ]
Psalm 46 is a testament to God’s unwavering protection, strength, and sovereignty in the midst of life’s challenges. It is a source of solace, reminding readers of the enduring refuge found in God’s presence. This psalm is an enduring declaration of trust in God’s ultimate control over the world’s affairs, even in times of turmoil and uncertainty [ … ]
Psalm 3 reads like a personal entry in a diary. The psalmist opens up about the challenges he’s facing and how he discovers resilience through his faith in God. The psalmist finds himself surrounded by difficulties and doubters. Yet, amidst it all, he senses a protective presence from the divine [ … ]
The paralyzed man would not have been able to come to Jesus without the help of his friends. It is his friends’ faith, and their initiative and bravery, as well as his own that work together to find a way to come to Jesus. Jesus is touched by their faith and their friendship. We may think now as well about the help we give others and the help which we receive from others, in matters of faith and as we confess our sins and seek spiritual healing. Our sins can be like a form of spiritual paralysis, in which condition we may rely a great deal on our friends to bring us back to Jesus [ … ]
Jesus has fed the multitude, the multiplication of loaves and fish prefiguring the Eucharist, through which all share, in community, the body and blood of Christ, becoming one. Now Jesus sends his disciples ahead of him, to cross the Sea of Galilee to the pagan regions on the other side, where the evangelizing mission will continue. There is symbolism here, as the early Christians are called upon by Matthew’s Gospel to make transition from the old observances to the new Law of Jesus’ love. Jesus meanwhile takes time alone to pray [ … ]
On the Sabbath, the day of rest and prayer, the Jews would gather in synagogues to recite the Shema and the eighteen blessings, which would be followed by readings from the Book of the Law, the Pentateuch, and from the Prophets. In today’s Gospel verses, Jesus has returned home to Nazareth, where, in the synagogue, he volunteers to read [ … ]
Jesus’ public ministry begins as John the Baptist’s concludes, John being imprisoned by Herod for speaking out against the immorality of Herod’s sexual relationship with his brother’s wife. Mission comes with danger, and John the Baptist was not afraid. Nor now is Jesus. Indeed, Jesus begins to preach with the very same words with which John had warned the people to beware of their sins: Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand [ … ]
Jesus teaches us to be bold and to have faith and confidence in the light of persecutions. His listeners are told that, when they are accused, the Spirit will be with them, guiding their words such that they become a living testimony to Jesus. The Christians’ accusers will be unable to answer their words then – the force of their witness will be irresistible [ … ]
In the Garden of Gethsemane, the presence of the angel becomes a symbol of divine comfort and support during Jesus’ moment of utmost agony. As Jesus withdrew a stone’s cast away from his disciples and fell on the ground to pray, sweating blood, the world’s sins and crucifixion-horror pressed heavily upon him [ … ]
Jesus’ disciples have opened their hearts to Jesus. They have responded to Jesus by being receptive to the Christian truth he brings, and therefore they may be given to understand the parables. The disciples’ understanding of the presence of the Kingdom in their lives, of which the parables speak, follows upon their faith in Jesus [ … ]
Jesus speaks in parables when he has something important to communicate. The meaning of a parable may seem obscure or in need of explanation. Jesus does give interpretations of the parables to his disciples. We are encouraged through the parables to see our world in new and perhaps unexpected ways. The parables encourage us to think more deeply about Jesus’ teaching. They are, above all, a challenge – even an anarchic challenge – to everything we think we know [ … ]
In the Old Testament, the chosen people of Israel have been compared to a vine. We may think, for example, of Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7 – Audio Bible Verses Spoken Word), in which God complains that, despite the care he has lavished upon it, his vineyard has only produced wild grapes [ … ]
Our prayer must be true to God. It is natural to petition God for what we need. It would indeed be arrogant to ‘go it alone’ and not humbly to share with God our needs and to ask Him for help, as if He were not our Father and we His children and creation. We are called by Jesus to acknowledge that all we have, we have through God. And we are called to develop our conversation with God through a life of prayer [ … ]
Jesus has come to break Satan’s hold – on the people of Jesus’ time and for all time. Accused by some of being a servant to Beelzebub, Jesus exposes the error and absurdity of what his accusers are saying. If Satan casts out Satan, then Satan is divided against himself and his house falls – he self-destructs [ … ]
Saint Basil the Great’s Treatise on the Holy Spirit was written during a time of doctrinal instability when the Church faced serious challenges regarding the nature and divinity of the Holy Spirit. Basil’s work is both an affirmation of the Spirit’s divine identity and a profound meditation on the Spirit’s activity in creation, revelation and sanctification [ … ]
Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter Sunday. It is considered the birth of the Church and marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, and they were able to speak in multiple languages, allowing them to spread the message of Jesus to a wider audience [ … ]
Like and share this collection of videos on YouTube. Each video features a young King David in the Temple, proclaiming the Gospel. Each is a striking reminder of deep connection between Jewish history, King David, and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The boy king is clothed as an initiate, recalling the Gospel account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane [ … ]
This is the third day of Holy Week. Through these verses of John’s Gospel, Jesus experiences great emotion, great sorrow, as he prepares for his betrayal and passion. He has given everything to Judas. He has washed his feet along with those of the other disciples. He shares an intimate and important meal with him. Judas has been one of the closest with Jesus for three years. Even now he shows compassion and does not name his betrayer to the other disciples. Instead he says: ‘One of you shall betray me.’ [ … ]
In this deeply moving catechesis, St. John Chrysostom leads us into the mystery of Christ’s Passion, focusing our attention on the extraordinary power and significance of his blood. For Chrysostom, this blood is not just a historical detail or a symbol of suffering—it is life itself. It is protection, healing, rebirth, and nourishment. It is the very source from which the Church is born [ … ]
Mark’s Gospel, thought by many to be the earliest written, does not present an account of the birth of Christ. He begins with the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, leading into his baptism by John. Toward the end of the Gospel, when the crucified Christ dies, the centurion standing by him will affirm this, saying: ‘Truly this was the Son of God.’ Throughout this most fast paced of gospels, this is Mark’s message, to give his readers the knowledge that Christ is the Son of God [ … ]
Throughout the psalm, the psalmist’s emotions are evident. He’s troubled and tired, wondering how long his suffering will continue. There is, crucially, an entire emotional as intellectual self-revelation in prayer and openness to God. There is honesty – honesty in prayer absolute [ … ]
Traditionally ascribed to King David, upon the discovery of his adultery, this psalm represents and enacts a perfect act of contrition, from the awareness and acknowledgement of sin, through acknowledgement of God, to celebration and renewal in faith with God [ … ]
Psalm 67 expresses faith, supplication and universal adoration [ … ]
Tomàs is in trouble. If truth is love and love is truth, then the Church is wrong. A time in seminary…
At the beginning of the first century CE, Alexandria occupied a distinctive position within the Mediterranean world. It was at once a Greek city, an Egyptian city, a Jewish city, and a Roman city. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE and governed successively by the Ptolemies and the Romans, Alexandria became one of the principal centres of commerce, administration, and intellectual life in antiquity. Yet its historical importance rests not merely upon its size or wealth, but upon the kinds of thought that emerged within it [ … ]
Acts 2 records the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter’s address to the people gathered in Jerusalem, and the emergence of the Church as a visible community. The chapter continues themes established in the Gospel of Saint Luke: fulfilment of Scripture, the action of the Holy Spirit, witness concerning Jesus Christ, repentance, and the gathering of God’s people [ … ]
Acts chapter 20 records the latter stages of Paul’s missionary journeys and contains his farewell address to the elders of the church at Ephesus. The chapter combines travel narrative, ecclesial instruction, pastoral exhortation, and preparation for suffering. Luke presents Paul as a missionary, teacher, pastor, and witness whose ministry is shaped by service, endurance, and obedience to the calling of God [ … ]
Acts 7 is among the most profound and dramatic passages in the New Testament. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, stands before the council and offers not merely a defence of himself, but a sweeping interpretation of the whole history of Israel. His speech traces the movement of God’s covenantal action through Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the tabernacle, and the prophets, culminating in a fierce indictment of those who resisted the Holy Spirit and betrayed Jesus [ … ]
The Priestly Prayer of Jesus concludes the discourse of the Last Supper. Immediately afterwards, Jesus will be arrested, betrayed. Jesus prays to his Father in a very moving way. He offers to the Father the imminent sacrifice of himself, praying that his sacrifice may be acceptable to the Father, that his holy human nature may be glorified. Jesus’ prayer is spoken aloud, so that his disciples and we also may receive his last testament, as Jesus intercedes on our behalf with the Father [ … ]
