Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 15, 2018
First Reading: 1 Samuel 15.16-23
16Then Samuel said to Saul, "Permit me, and I will reveal to you what the Lord has said to me this night." And he said to him, "Speak.17And Samuel said: "Was it not when you were little in your own eyes that you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you as king over Israel18And the Lord sent you on the way, and he said: ‘Go and put to death the sinners of Amalek. And you shall fight against them, even unto utter annihilation.19Why then, did you not listen to the voice of the Lord? Instead, you turned to the spoils, and you did evil in the eyes of the Lord.20And Saul said to Samuel: "On the contrary, I did listen to the voice of the Lord, and I walked in the way along which the Lord sent me, and I led back Agag, the king of Amalek, and I put to death Amalek21But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, as the first-fruits of those things that were slain, to immolate to the Lord their God at Gilgal.22And Samuel said: "Does the Lord want holocausts and victims, and not instead that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifice. And to heed is greater than to offer the fat of rams23Therefore, it is like the sin of paganism to rebel. And it is like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey. For this reason, therefore, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has also rejected you from being king.
Psalm 50
1A Psalm of Asaph. The God of gods, the Lord has spoken, and he has called the earth, from the rising of the sun even to its setting2from Zion, the brilliance of his beauty3God will arrive manifestly. Our God also will not keep silence. A fire will flare up in his sight, and a mighty tempest will surround him4He will call to heaven from above, and to the earth, to discern his people5Gather his holy ones to him, you who order his covenant above sacrifices6And the heavens will announce his justice. For God is the judge7Listen, my people, and I will speak. Listen, Israel, and I will testify for you. I am God, your God8I will not reprove you for your sacrifices. Moreover, your holocausts are ever in my sight9I will not accept calves from your house, nor he-goats from your flocks10For all the wild beasts of the forest are mine: the cattle on the hills and the oxen11I know all the flying things of the air, and the beauty of the field is with me12If I should be hungry, I would not tell you: for the whole world is mine, and all its plentitude13Shall I gnaw on the flesh of bulls? Or would I drink the blood of goats14Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High15And call upon me in the day of tribulation. I will rescue you, and you will honor me16But to the sinner, God has said: Why do you discourse on my justices, and take up my covenant through your mouth17Truly, you have hated discipline, and you have cast my sermons behind you18If you saw a thief, you ran with him, and you have placed your portion with adulterers19Your mouth has abounded with malice, and your tongue has concocted deceits20Sitting, you spoke against your brother, and you set up a scandal against your mother’s son21These things you have done, and I was silent. You thought, unjustly, that I ought to be like you. But I will reprove you, and I will set myself against your face22Understand these things, you who forget God; lest at any time, he might quickly take you away, and there would be no one to rescue you23The sacrifice of praise will honor me. And in that place is the journey by which I will reveal to him the salvation of God
Gospel: Mark 2.18-22
18And the disciples of John, and the Pharisees, were fasting. And they arrived and said to him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?19And Jesus said to them: "How can the sons of the wedding fast while the groom is still with them? During whatever time they have the groom with them, they are not able to fast20But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they shall fast, in those days21No one sews a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. Otherwise, the new addition pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine will pour out, and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful lessons about obedience and renewal. The first reading from 1 Samuel tells the story of Saul, the first king of Israel, who fails to obey God's command to destroy the Amalekites. Despite his excuses, Samuel makes it clear that obedience to God is more important than any sacrifice or offering. This story serves as a reminder that our actions must align with God's will, and disobedience can lead to serious consequences.
The Gospel reading from Mark presents Jesus addressing questions about fasting. He uses the parable of the groom and the wineskins to illustrate that His teachings bring a new era, requiring new approaches. Just as old wineskins cannot hold new wine, old traditions may not be suitable for the new covenant He is introducing. This teaches us about the importance of being open to change and renewal in our spiritual lives.
These readings connect through themes of obedience and adaptability. Saul's story emphasizes the gravity of disobeying God, while Jesus' parables highlight the need for openness to new spiritual directions. In our daily lives, we are called to listen to God's voice and remain flexible, embracing the Holy Spirit's guidance. The moral lesson here is clear: prioritize obedience and be open to change, allowing God to lead us in new and transformative ways.