Hi, friends. I am Annie F. Downs. Let's read the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These are the stories of Jesus Christ's life on earth, the friendships, the parables, the sacrifices, the meals, and the miracles.

We say often around here, one of the things we love is that you don't have to be in the Gospels every day to be changed, but every day you're in the Gospels will change you.

We've been experiencing that all year long. Each month we read all four books, so make sure you're subscribed and join us as we read the Gospels together and invite your friends to join us as well.

Here's how this works. I'm going to read three chapters to you today. You can listen or read along in your own Bible, and then I'll write, and that's it.

So today is October 4th, and I'll be reading Mark chapters 10 through 12, and this month I'm reading from the NRSV Catholic Edition.

Mark 10. He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan and crowds again gathered around him, and as was his custom, he again taught them.

Some Pharisees came and to test him, they asked, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? He answered them, what did Moses command you?

They said, Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her, but Jesus said to them, because of your hardness of heart, he wrote this commandment for you.

But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.

Then in the house, the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them.

But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, let the little children come to me. Do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.

Truly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.

And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them and blessed them.

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but God alone. You know the commandment. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,

you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother. He said to him, teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, you lack one thing. Go sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me. When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how hard it will be for those who have a wealth to enter the kingdom of God.

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