Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Meme: Birthday Verses

I have not been tagged with this meme. I saw it at Happy Catholic, who got it from another 'blogger, and thought I would beat somebody to the punch.

The original idea is to find the verse in the Gospel of St. John which corresponds to your birth date. It is expanded to include all four evangelists.

So, here are mine. The Bible I use is the NAB--St. Joseph Edition, 1970.

Matthew 7:5--You hypocrite! Remove the plank from your own eye first; then you will see clearly to take the speck from your brother's eye.

Mark 7:5--So the Pharisees and the scribes questioned him: "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of our ancestors, but instead take food without purifying their hands?"

Luke 7:5--"He deserves this favor from you," they said, "because he loves our people, and even built our synagogue for us."

John 7:5--(As a matter of fact, not even his brothers had much confidence in him.)

Now these are when you list the month first. What if you use military-style dating (the day first)?

Matthew 5:7--Blest are they who show mercy; mercy shall be theirs.

Mark 5:7--...shrieking in a loud voice, "Why meddle with me, Jesus, Son of God Most High? I implore you in God's name, do not torture me!"

Luke 5:7--They signaled to their mates in the other boat to come and help them. These came, and together they filled the two boats until they nearly sank.

John 5:7--"Sir," the sick man answered, "I do not have anyone to plunge me into the pool once the water has been stirred up. By the time I get there, someone else has gone in ahead of me."

While the two verses from Matthew can stand on their own, here is more proof of not taking Bible verses out of context from the whole. Based on the whole section, though, this becomes a good exercise for reflection and meditation.

And now, for something completely different, I will tag Jeff Miller, Rick and Rhonda Lugari (Rhonda, if you can't beat them, join them), Anastasia Crosswell, Krush, and the Holy Fool. All others are welcome to play along in the comment box.

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