Quotes and Readings of the Day

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Leviticus 8-13, 30-36

The Rites of Ordination

(Ex 29.1—37)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Take Aaron and his sons with him, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull of sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”
Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward, and washed them with water. He put the tunic on him, fastened the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He then put the decorated band of the ephod around him, tying the ephod to him with it. He placed the breast piece on him, and in the breast piece he put the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden ornament, the holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its base, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to consecrate him. And Moses brought forward Aaron's sons, and clothed them with tunics, and fastened sashes around them, and tied headdresses on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.


Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his vestments, and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he consecrated Aaron and his vestments, and also his sons and their vestments.


And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it’; and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire. You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day when your period of ordination is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you; as has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the LORD's charge so that you do not die; for so I am commanded.” Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD commanded through Moses.


Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his vestments, and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he consecrated Aaron and his vestments, and also his sons and their vestments.


And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it’; and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire. You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day when your period of ordination is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you; as has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the LORD's charge so that you do not die; for so I am commanded.” Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD commanded through Moses.

Note: Today's Gospel reading is Luke 4:16-30.

From the New Revised Standard Version. Reprinted with permission from HarperBibles.

TAGS: Bible, Bible Reading, Leviticus, Christianity

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Leviticus 25:1-25:18

The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:

When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a sabbath of the Lord. Six years you may sow your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untrimmed vines; it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. But you may eat whatever the land during its sabbath will produce--you, your male and female slaves, the hired and bound laborers who live with you, and your cattle and the beasts in your land may eat all its yield.

You shall count off seven weeks of years--seven times seven years--so that the period of seven weeks of years gives you a total of forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the horn loud; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month--the Day of Atonement--you shall have the horn sounded throughout your land and you shall hallow the fiftieth year. You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: each of you shall return to his holding and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you: you shall not sow, neither shall you reap the aftergrowth or harvest the untrimmed vines, for it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you: you may only eat the growth direct from the field.

In this year of jubilee, each of you shall return to his holding. When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy any from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. In buying from your neighbor, you shall deduct only for the number of years since the jubilee; and in selling to you, he shall charge you only for the remaining crop years: the more such years, the higher the price you pay; the fewer such years, the lower the price; for what he is selling you is a number of harvests. Do not wrong one another, but fear your God; for I the Lord am your God.

You shall observe My laws and faithfully keep My rules, that you may live upon the land in security.

From Parshat Behar-Bekhukotai. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

TAGS: Torah, Torah Reading, Judaism, Leviticus

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God has created every angel necessary, and they all continue to be, to this day.

-Marilynn Carlson Webber and William D. Webber,
"A Rustle of Angels"

TAGS: Angel Quote, Angels, Angel, Marilynn Carlson Webber and William D WebberbrA Rustle of Angels

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A buddha is one who does not seek. In seeking this, you turn away from it. The principle is the principle of nonseeking; when you seek it, you lose it.

-Pai-chang

From "Teachings of Zen", edited by Thomas Cleary, © 1998. By arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, www.shambhala.com.

TAGS: Buddhism, Buddhist Quote, Seeking, Principle, Buddha, Nonseeking

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Women can and have and will continue to find their own place within traditional religions. But I think [our place is] in our political systems as well as our spiritual ones.

-Ani DiFranco

TAGS: Traditional Religions, Entertainment Quote, Celebrities, Political, Place, Music, Religion, Persistence, Spiritual, Women, Celebrity Spirituality, Systems, Entertainment, Political Systems

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One rare and exceptional deed is worth far more than a thousand commonplace ones.

-St. Ignatius of Loyola

TAGS: Bible, Christian Quote, Christianity

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Did you know that Americans toss over 25 billion Styrofoam cups every year? Stop being one of the contributors. In fact, do your best to institute a mug policy at your school or workplace.

TAGS: Eco Tips

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Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.

-C.S. Lewis

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, Faith, Gratitude

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I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure, benevolent and sublime which have ever been preached to man…

-Thomas Jefferson

TAGS: Evangelical, Evangelical Quote, Christianity

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Chronic illness may cause you to miss out on things you love, but it doesn’t change who you are at heart.

-Rest Ministries

TAGS: Health Quote

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Meditate on the Self. One without two, Exalted awareness. Give up the illusion Of the separate self. Give up the feeling, Within or without, That you are this or that.

Ashtavakra Gita 1:13

From "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita," by Thomas Byrom, 1990. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston. www.shambhala.com.

TAGS: Ashtavakra Gita, Hindu Quote, Hinduism

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"You are accepted!"...accepted by that which is greater than you and the name of which you do not know. Do not ask the name now, perhaps you will know it later. Do not try to do anything, perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything, do not perform anything, do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.

-Paul Tillich

TAGS: Glow, Holistic Living Quote, Spirituality, Holistic Living

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The birth of that marvelous wish in your soul—the dawning of that secret dream—was the Voice of God himself telling you to arise and come up higher because he had need of you.

-Emmet Fox

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, Birth, Marvelous Wish, Wish, Marvelous, Dawning, Grace, Challenge, Emmet Fox

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I am a Jew because for Israel man is not yet created; men are creating him.

-Edmond Fleg, "Why I Am a Jew"

Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.

TAGS: Judaism, Jewish Quote

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A religious leader came to visit Rabi'a, and was shocked to see that her clothes were in tatters. He said: 'There are many people who would provide you with decent clothes, if you would only allow them.' Rabi'a replied: 'Everything in this world is on loan to us from God. I am ashamed to accept the loan of a loan.' The man went away, and said to others: 'It is astonishing that a mere woman has reached such spiritual heights. She refuses to spend any time on material matters.'

-Attar, "Rabi'a"

From "366 Readings From Islam," translated by Robert Van der Weyer. Copyright 2000. All rights reserved. Used with permission of John Hunt Publishing, United Kingdom.

TAGS: Islam, Muslim Quote, Muslim

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Where there is love there is life.

-Mohandas Gandhi

TAGS: Relationships, Relationship Quotes