Daily Catholic Mass Readings for February 3, 2019
First Reading: Jeremiah 1.4-5, 17-19
4And the word of the Lord came to me, saying5"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you went forth from the womb, I sanctified you. And I made you a prophet to the nations.17Therefore, you should gird your waist, and rise up, and speak to them everything that I instruct you. You should not have dread before their face. For I will cause you to be unafraid of their countenance18For certainly, this day, I have made you like a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and a brass wall, over all the land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, and to the priests, and to the people of the land19And they will make war against you, but they will not prevail. For I am with you, says the Lord, so that I may free you.
Psalm 71
1A Psalm of David. Of the sons of Jonadab and the former captives. In you, O Lord, I have hoped; do not let me be brought to ruin forever2Free me by your justice, and rescue me. Incline your ear to me, and save me3Be a God of protection and a place of strength for me, so that you may accomplish my salvation. For you are my firmament and my refuge4Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the sinner, and from the hand of the unjust and those who act against the law5For you, O Lord, are my patience: my hope from my youth, O Lord6In you, I have been confirmed from conception. From my mother’s womb, you are my protector. In you, I will sing forever7I have become to many as if I were a portent, but you are a strong helper8Let my mouth be filled with praise, so that I may sing your glory, your greatness all day long9Do not cast me off in the time of old age. Do not abandon me when my strength will fail10For my enemies have spoken against me. And those who watched for my soul have taken counsel as one11saying: "God has abandoned him. Pursue and overtake him. For there is no one to rescue him.12O God, do not be far from me. O my God, provide for my assistance13May they be confounded, and may they fail, who drag down my soul. Let them be covered with confusion and shame, who seek evils for me14But I will always have hope. And I will add more to all your praise15My mouth will announce your justice, your salvation all day long. For I have not known letters16I will enter into the powers of the Lord. I will be mindful of your justice alone, O Lord17You have taught me from my youth, O God. And so I will declare your wonders continuously18even in old age and with grey hairs. Do not abandon me, O God, while I announce your arm to every future generation: your powe19and your justice, O God, even to the highest great things that you have done. O God, who is like you20How great is the tribulation that you have revealed to me: very great and evil. And so, turning back, you have brought me to life, and you have led me back again from the abyss of the earth21You have multiplied your magnificence. And so, turning back to me, you have consoled me22Therefore, I will confess your truth to you, with the instruments of the Psalter. O God, I will sing psalms to you with stringed instruments, O Holy One of Israel23My lips will exult, when I sing to you, and also my soul, which you have redeemed24And even my tongue will meditate on your justice all day long, when those who seek evils for me have been confounded and set in awe
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 13.4-13
4Charity is patient, is kind. Charity does not envy, does not act wrongly, is not inflated5Charity is not ambitious, does not seek for itself, is not provoked to anger, devises no evil6Charity does not rejoice over iniquity, but rejoices in truth7Charity suffers all, believes all, hopes all, endures all8Charity is never torn away, even if prophecies pass away, or languages cease, or knowledge is destroyed9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part10But when the perfect arrives, the imperfect passes away11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood like a child, I thought like a child. But when I became a man, I put aside the things of a child12Now we see through a glass darkly. But then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as I am known13But for now, these three continue: faith, hope, and charity. And the greatest of these is charity
Gospel: Luke 4.21-30
21Then he began to say to them, "On this day, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.22And everyone gave testimony to him. And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth. And they said, "Is this not the son of Joseph?23And he said to them: "Certainly, you will recite to me this saying, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ The many great things that we have heard were done in Capernaum, do here also in your own country.24Then he said: "Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country25In truth, I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months, when a great famine had occurred throughout the entire land26And to none of these was Elijah sent, except to Zarephath of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow27And there were many lepers in Israel under the prophet Elisha. And none of these was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.28And all those in the synagogue, upon hearing these things, were filled with anger29And they rose up and drove him beyond the city. And they brought him all the way to the edge of the mount, upon which their city had been built, so that they might thrown him down violently30But passing through their midst, he went away
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the call to serve God and others, the nature of love, and the challenges of living out our faith. In the first reading, Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet, even before he was born. Despite his initial hesitation, God assures him of His presence and strengthens him for the mission ahead. This passage reminds us that God’s call is not limited by our perceived weaknesses or doubts; He equips us for the task. In the second reading, St. Paul’s beautiful hymn to love reminds us that love is patient, kind, and enduring. Love is not self-seeking or envious; it rejoices in truth and bears all things. This passage challenges us to examine how we love and whether our actions reflect the selfless love of God. In the Gospel, Jesus is rejected by His own people in Nazareth because they cannot see beyond His humble origins. He reminds them that prophets are often rejected at home and that God’s grace is not confined to one people or place. This rejection leads to anger, but Jesus calmly walks away, showing us how to respond to hostility with peace and trust in God.
These readings are connected by the theme of trust in God’s plan and the call to live out that trust in love and humility. Jeremiah’s call and Jesus’ rejection both emphasize that following God’s will often requires courage and perseverance in the face of opposition. St. Paul’s teaching on love reminds us that our actions must be rooted in selfless love, which is the foundation of all Christian life. Together, the readings call us to trust God’s plan, remain humble, and love without condition, even when it is difficult.
In our daily lives, we are called to live out this love and trust. When we face challenges or rejection, we can draw strength from God’s promise to be with us, just as He was with Jeremiah and Jesus. Let us examine how we love those around us—do we love patiently and kindly, or do we allow envy or selfishness to creep in? Let us also reflect on how we respond to rejection or criticism. Do we react with anger, or do we trust in God’s plan and walk away with peace? Today’s readings remind us that our faith is not just about belief but about living out that belief in love and humility. May we strive to be instruments of God’s love, even when it is hard, and may we trust in His presence to guide and strengthen us.