Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 12, 2024

First Reading: 1 Samuel 8.4-7, 10-22a

⁴Therefore, all those greater by birth of Israel, having gathered together, went to Samuel at Ramah⁵And they said to him: "Behold, you are elderly, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Appoint for us a king, so that he may judge us, just as all the nations have.⁶And the word was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, for they had said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord⁷Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they are saying to you. For they have not rejected you, but me, lest I reign over them¹⁰And so, Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people, who had petitioned a king from him¹¹And he said: "This will be the right of the king who will have authority over you: He will take your sons, and place them in his chariots. And he will make them his horsemen and his runners before his four-horse chariots¹²And he will appoint them to be his tribunes and centurions, and the plowmen of his fields, and the harvesters of the grain, and the makers of his weapons and chariots¹³Likewise, your daughters he will take for himself as makers of ointments, and as cooks and bakers¹⁴Also, he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best olive groves, and he will give them to his servants¹⁵Moreover, he will take one tenth of your grain and of the results of your vineyards, so that he may give these to his eunuchs and servants¹⁶Then, too, he will take your servants, and handmaids, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and he will set them to his work¹⁷Also, he will take a tenth of your flocks. And you will be his servants¹⁸And you will cry out, in that day, from the face of the king, whom you have chosen for yourselves. And the Lord will not heed you, in that day. For you requested a king for yourselves.¹⁹But the people were not willing to listen to the voice of Samuel. Instead, they said: "By no means! For there shall be a king over us²⁰and we shall be just like all the Gentiles. And our king will judge us, and he will go out before us, and he will fight our wars for us.²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them to the ears of the Lord²²Then the Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and appoint a king over them." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Let each one go to his own city.

Psalm 89

Psalms

Chapter 89

¹The understanding of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing the mercies of the Lord in eternity. I will announce your truth with my mouth, from generation to generation²For you have said: Mercy will be built in the heavens, unto eternity. Your truth will be prepared there³I have set up a covenant with my elect. I have sworn to David my servant⁴I will prepare your offspring, even in eternity. And I will build up your throne, from generation to generation⁵The heavens will confess your miracles, Lord, and also your truth, in the Church of the saints⁶For who among the clouds is equal to the Lord? Who among the sons of God is like God⁷God is glorified by the counsel of the saints. He is great and terrible above all those who are around him⁸O Lord, God of hosts, who is like you? You are powerful, Lord, and your truth is all around you⁹You rule over the power of the sea, and you even mitigate the movement of its waves¹⁰You have humbled the arrogant one, like one who has been wounded. You have scattered your enemies with the arm of your strength¹¹Yours are the heavens, and yours is the earth. You founded the whole world in all its fullness¹²You created the north and the sea. Tabor and Hermon will exult in your name¹³Your arm acts with power. Let your hand be strengthened, and let your right hand be exalted¹⁴Justice and judgment are the preparation of your throne. Mercy and truth will precede your face¹⁵Blessed is the people that knows jubilation. They will walk in the light of your countenance, O Lord¹⁶and they will exult in your name all day long, and they will be exalted in your justice¹⁷For you are the glory of their virtue, and in your goodness, our horn will be exalted¹⁸For our assumption is of the Lord, and it is of our king, the holy one of Israel¹⁹Then you spoke in a vision to your holy ones, and you said: I have stationed help with the powerful one, and I have exalted the elect one from my people²⁰I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with my holy oil²¹For my hand will assist him, and my arm will fortify him²²The enemy will have no advantage over him, nor will the son of iniquity be positioned to harm him²³And I will cut down his enemies before his face. And those who hate him, I will turn to flight²⁴And my truth and my mercy will be with him. And his horn will be exalted in my name²⁵And I will place his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers²⁶He will invoke me: "You are my father, my God, and the support of my salvation.²⁷And I will make him the first-born, preeminent before the kings of the earth²⁸I will preserve my mercy for him eternally, and my covenant for him faithfully²⁹And I will set his offspring from generation to generation, and his throne like the days of heaven³⁰But if his sons abandon my law, and if they do not walk in my judgments³¹if they profane my justices, and if they do not keep my commandments³²I will visit their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with a beating³³But I will not scatter my mercy from him, and I will not do harm to my truth³⁴And I will not profane my covenant, and I will not make void that which proceeds from my lips³⁵I have sworn by my holiness one time: I will not lie to David³⁶his offspring will remain for eternity. And his throne will be like the sun in my sight³⁷and, like the moon, it is perfected in eternity, and it is a faithful witness in heaven³⁸Yet, truly, you have rejected and despised, you have pushed away, my Christ³⁹You have overthrown the covenant of your servant. You have profaned his sanctuary on earth⁴⁰You have destroyed all his fences. You have made his territory dreadful⁴¹All who pass by the way have plundered him. He has become a disgrace to his neighbors⁴²You have exalted the right hand of those who oppress him. You have brought joy to all his enemies⁴³You have diverted the help of his sword, and you have not assisted him in battle⁴⁴You have torn him away from cleansing, and you have smashed his throne down to the ground⁴⁵You have reduced the days of his time. You have flooded him with confusion⁴⁶How long, O Lord? Will you turn away unto the end? Will your wrath flare up like a fire⁴⁷Remember what my substance is. For could you really have appointed all the sons of men in vain⁴⁸Who is the man that will live, and yet not see death? Who will rescue his own soul from the hand of the underworld⁴⁹O Lord, where are your mercies of antiquity, just as you swore to David in your truth⁵⁰Be mindful, O Lord, of the disgrace of your servants (which I have sustained in my sinews) among many nations⁵¹With these, your enemies have reproached you, O Lord; with these, they have reproached the commutation of your Christ⁵²Blessed is the Lord for all eternity. Amen. Amen

Gospel: Mark 2.1-12

Mark

Chapter 2

¹And after some days, he again entered into Capernaum²And it was heard that he was in the house. And so many gathered that there was no room left, not even at the door. And he spoke the word to them³And they came to him, bringing a paralytic, who was being carried by four men⁴And when they were not able to present him to him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. And opening it, they lowered down the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying⁵Then, when Jesus had seen their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you.⁶But some of the scribes were sitting in that place and thinking in their hearts⁷"Why is this man speaking in this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins, but God alone?⁸At once, Jesus, realizing in his spirit that they were thinking this within themselves, said to them: "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up, take up your stretcher, and walk?¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the paralytic¹¹"I say to you: Rise up, take up your stretcher, and go into your house.¹²And immediately he got up, and lifting up his stretcher, he went away in the sight of them all, so that they all wondered. And they honored God, by saying, "We have never seen anything like this.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two distinct narratives that invite us to reflect on trust, authority, and the divine plan. The first reading from 1 Samuel recounts the Israelites' demand for a king, despite Samuel's warnings about the consequences. This story highlights a pivotal moment in Israel's history, marking a shift from theocratic rule to monarchy. The Israelites, influenced by surrounding nations, seek a king to lead them, reflecting a desire for human governance over divine leadership. Samuel, though displeased, relays God's message, warning of the burdens a king will bring, yet the people persist, choosing earthly rule over God's sovereignty. In the Gospel of Mark, we witness Jesus' encounter with a paralytic. The man's friends demonstrate unwavering faith by breaking through the roof to bring him to Jesus. Jesus, perceiving their faith, forgives the man's sins and heals him, countering the scribes' skepticism about His authority. This miracle underscores Jesus' divine power to forgive sins and heal, challenging the religious leaders' understanding of God's authority. These readings intersect by illustrating the tension between human desire and divine will. The Israelites choose a king over God's direct rule, while the scribes question Jesus' authority. Both stories emphasize the importance of trusting God's plan and recognizing His sovereignty. The paralytic's healing, facilitated by his friends' faith, contrasts with the Israelites' lack of trust, highlighting the transformative power of faith in God's authority. In our daily lives, these readings remind us to trust in God's plan rather than rely solely on human solutions. They encourage us to recognize that true freedom and fulfillment come from following God, not from earthly systems or desires. The moral lesson is clear: place your trust in God, for His ways are higher than our own. Just as the paralytic found healing through faith, we too can experience liberation by trusting in Jesus' authority and divine plan.