Day 288: Battling Against Gossip (2026)

Fr. Mike Schmitz (0:04)

Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to The Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 288 If you're following the Ascension Press Bible in a Year reading plan, you know that today is the third day on the second to last page. If that means anything to you. We are reading today 1 Maccabees, Chapter 7, Sirach 19, 20, and 21, as well as Proverbs 22, Verse 22-25. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and updates for the next 80 days or so. 80, 81 days? I don't do good at math. Don't do well at math. Here we're going back to Day 288 today. We're reading the First Book of Maccabees, Chapter 7, Sirach 19, 20 and 21, Proverbs 22, Verses 22 through 25

The First Book of Maccabees, Chapter 7, Expedition of Bacchides and Alchimun. In the 151st year, Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, set forth from Rome, sailed with a few men to a city by the sea, and there began to rain. As he was entering the royal palace of his fathers, the army seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him. But when this act became known to him, he said, Do not let me see their faces. So the army killed them, and Demetrius took his seat upon the throne of his kingdom. Then there came to him all the lawless and ungodly men of Israel. They were led by Alchemus, who wanted to be high priest. And they brought to the king this accusation against the people, Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and have driven us out of our land. Now then, send a man whom you trust, let him go and see all the ruin which Judas has brought upon us and upon the land of the king, and let him punish them and all who helped them. So the king chose Bacchides, one of the king's friends, governor of the province beyond the river. He was a great man in the kingdom and was faithful to the king. And he sent him, and with him the ungodly Alchemus, whom he made high priest, and he commanded him to take vengeance on the sons of Israel. So they marched away and came with a large force into the land of Judah, and he sent messengers to Judas and his brothers with peaceable but treacherous words. But they paid no attention to their words, for they saw that they had come with a large force. Then a group of scribes appeared in a body before Alchemus and Bacchides to ask for just terms. The Hasidians were first among the sons of Israel to seek peace from them, for they said, A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not harm us. And he spoke peaceable words to them and swore this oath to them, We will not seek to injure you or your friends. So they trusted him. But he seized sixty of them and killed them in one day, in accordance with the word which was written, The flesh of your saints and their blood they poured out round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them. Then the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, for they said, There is no truth or justice in them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath which they swore. Then Bacchides departed from Jerusalem and encamped in Bethsaith. And he sent and seized many of the men who had deserted to him and some of the people, and killed them and threw them into the great pit. He placed Alchemist in charge of the country and left with him a force to help him. Then Bacchides went back to the king. Alchemist strove for the high priesthood, and all who were troubling their people joined him. They gained control of the land of Judah and did great damage in Israel. And Judas saw all the evil that Alchemist and those with him had done among the sons of Israel. It was more than the Gentiles had done. So Judas went out into all the surrounding parts of Judea and took vengeance on the men who had deserted, and he prevented those in the city from going out into the country. When Alchemist saw that Judas and those with him had grown strong and realized that he could not withstand them, he returned to the king and brought wicked charges against them.