Daily Catholic Mass Readings for February 10, 2024

First Reading: 1 Kings 12.26-32; 13.33-34

²⁶And Jeroboam said in his heart: "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David²⁷if this people ascend to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. And the heart of this people will be converted to their lord Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and they will put me to death, and return to him.²⁸And devising a plan, he made two golden calves. And he said to them: "No longer choose to ascend to Jerusalem. Behold, these are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt!²⁹And he stationed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan³⁰And this word became an occasion of sin. For the people went to adore the calf, even to Dan³¹And he made shrines on the high places, and he made priests out of the lowest people, who were not of the sons of Levi³²And he appointed a solemn day in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, in imitation of the solemnity that was celebrated in Judah. And ascending to the altar, he acted similarly in Bethel, so that he immolated to the calves, which he had made. And in Bethel, he appointed priests of the high places, which he had made

Chapter 13

³³After these words, Jeroboam did not turn back from his very evil way. Instead, to the contrary, he made priests for the high places out of the least of the people. Whosoever was willing, he filled his hand, and he became a priest of the high places³⁴And for this reason, the house of Jeroboam sinned, and was uprooted, and was wiped from the face of the earth

Psalm 106

Psalms

Chapter 106

¹Alleluia. Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is with every generation²Who will declare the powers of the Lord? Who make a hearing for all his praises³Blessed are those who keep judgment and who do justice at all times⁴Remember us, O Lord, with good will for your people. Visit us with your salvation⁵so that we may see the goodness of your elect, so that we may rejoice in the joy of your nation, so that you may be praised along with your inheritance⁶We have sinned, as have our fathers. We have acted unjustly; we have wrought iniquity⁷Our fathers did not understand your miracles in Egypt. They did not remember the multitude of your mercies. And they provoked you, while going up to the sea, even the Red Sea⁸And he saved them for the sake of his name, so that he might make known his power⁹And he rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. And he led them into the abyss, as if into a desert¹⁰And he saved them from the hand of those who hated them. And he redeemed them from the hand of the enemy¹¹And the water covered those who troubled them. Not one of them remained¹²And they believed his words, and they sang his praises¹³As soon as they had finished, they forgot his works, and they would not endure his counsel¹⁴And they coveted their desire in the desert, and they tempted God in a waterless place¹⁵And he granted to them their request, and he sent abundance into their souls¹⁶And they provoked Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord¹⁷The earth opened and swallowed Dathan, and it covered the congregation of Abiram¹⁸And a fire broke out in their congregation. A flame burned up the sinners¹⁹And they fashioned a calf at Horeb, and they adored a graven image²⁰And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of a calf that eats hay²¹They forgot God, who saved them, who did great things in Egypt²²miracles in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea²³And he said that he would destroy them, yet Moses, his elect, stood firm before him in the breach, in order to avert his wrath, lest he destroy them²⁴And they held the desirable land to be nothing. They did not trust in his word²⁵And they murmured in their tabernacles. They did not heed the voice of the Lord²⁶And he lifted up his hand over them, in order to prostrate them in the desert²⁷and in order to cast their offspring among the nations, and to scatter them among the regions²⁸And they were initiated into Baal of Peor, and they ate the sacrifices of the dead²⁹And they provoked him with their inventions, and ruination was multiplied in them³⁰Then Phinehas stood up and placated him: and so the violent disturbance ceased³¹And it was reputed to him unto justice, from generation to generation, even forever³²And they provoked him at the Waters of Contradiction, and Moses was afflicted because of them³³for they exasperated his spirit. And so he divided them with his lips³⁴They did not destroy the nations, about which the Lord had spoken to them³⁵And they were mixed among the Gentiles. And they learned their works³⁶and they served their graven images, and it became a scandal to them³⁷And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons³⁸And they shed innocent blood: the blood of their sons and of their daughters, which they sacrificed to the graven images of Canaan. And the land was infected with bloodshed³⁹and was contaminated with their works. And they fornicated according to their own inventions⁴⁰And the Lord became furiously angry with his people, and he abhorred his inheritance⁴¹And he delivered them into the hands of the nations. And those who hated them became rulers over them⁴²And their enemies afflicted them, and they were humbled under their hands⁴³Many times, he delivered them. Yet they provoked him with their counsel, and they were brought low by their iniquities⁴⁴And he saw that they were in tribulation, and he heard their prayer⁴⁵And he was mindful of his covenant, and he repented according to the multitude of his mercies⁴⁶And he provided for them with mercies, in the sight of all those who had seized them⁴⁷Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may confess your holy name and glory in your praise⁴⁸Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, from ages past, even to all ages. And let all the people say: Amen. Amen

Gospel: Mark 8.1-10

Mark

Chapter 8

¹In those days, again, when there was a great crowd, and they did not have anything to eat, calling together his disciples, he said to them²"I have compassion for the multitude, because, behold, they have persevered with me now for three days, and they do not have anything to eat³And if I were to send them away fasting to their home, they might faint on the way." For some of them came from far away⁴And his disciples answered him, "From where would anyone be able to obtain enough bread for them in the wilderness?⁵And he questioned them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven.⁶And he instructed the crowd to sit down to eat on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke and gave it to his disciples in order to place before them. And they placed these before the crowd⁷And they had a few small fish. And he blessed them, and he ordered them to be placed before them⁸And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up what had been leftover from the fragments: seven baskets⁹And those who ate were about four thousand. And he dismissed them¹⁰And promptly climbing into a boat with his disciples, he went into the parts of Dalmanutha

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two contrasting narratives that invite us to reflect on the nature of worship, trust, and God’s providence. The first reading from 1 Kings describes Jeroboam’s decision to create golden calves for the Israelites to worship, a misguided attempt to maintain control over his kingdom. By setting up these idols in Bethel and Dan, Jeroboam led the people away from the true worship of God in Jerusalem. His actions were rooted in fear and a desire for power, but they ultimately led to sin and division. This story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of substituting false idols for the one true God. The Gospel, on the other hand, presents a very different picture. In Mark 8, Jesus is moved with compassion for a crowd of four thousand who have been with him for three days without food. Despite the disciples’ doubts about how to feed such a large group, Jesus takes what little they have—seven loaves and a few fish—and multiplies it abundantly, leaving seven baskets of leftovers. This miracle is not just about meeting physical needs; it is a sign of God’s faithfulness and generosity. While Jeroboam sought to manipulate and control, Jesus shows us a God who provides and nourishes, even in times of scarcity. These readings remind us that true worship is not about creating our own idols or relying on our own strength, but about trusting in God’s providence and surrendering to His will. In our daily lives, we often face moments of scarcity—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. Like the disciples, we may doubt whether God can work through what little we have. But the Gospel assures us that when we place our trust in Him, even the smallest offerings can become more than enough. Let us turn away from the false idols of our own making and instead seek to worship God in spirit and truth, trusting in His boundless love and provision.