Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 7, 2025
First Reading: 1 John 4.7-10
7Most beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God8Whoever does not love, does not know God. For God is love9The love of God was made apparent to us in this way: that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through him10In this is love: not as if we had loved God, but that he first loved us, and so he sent his Son as a propitiation for our sins
Psalm 72
1A Psalm according to Solomon2Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment3Let the mountains take up peace for the people, and the hills, justice4He will judge the poor of the people, and he will bring salvation to the sons of the poor. And he will humble the false accuser5And he will remain, with the sun and before the moon, from generation to generation6He will descend like rain upon fleece, and like showers showering upon the earth7In his days, justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away8And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the limits of the whole world9In his sight, the Ethiopians will fall prostrate, and his enemies will lick the ground10The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts. The kings of Arabia and of Seba will bring gifts11And all the kings of the earth shall adore him. All nations will serve him12For he will free the poor from the powerful, and the poor one who has no helper13He will spare the poor and the indigent, and he will bring salvation to the souls of the poor14He will redeem their souls from usuries and from iniquity, and their names shall be honorable in his sight15And he will live, and to him will be given from the gold of Arabia, and by him they will always adore. They will bless him all day long16And there will be a firmament on earth, at the summits of mountains: its fruits will be extolled above Lebanon, and those of the city will flourish like the grass of the earth17May his name be blessed forever; may his name remain before the sun. And all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him. All nations will magnify him18Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things19And blessed is the name of his majesty in eternity. And all the earth will be filled with his majesty. Amen. Amen20The praises of David, the son of Jesse, have reached an end
Gospel: Mark 6.34-44
34And Jesus, going out, saw a great multitude. And he took pity on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things35And when many hours had now passed, his disciples drew near to him, saying: "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late36Send them away, so that by going out to nearby villages and towns, they might buy provisions for themselves to eat.37And responding, he said to them, "Give them something to eat yourselves." And they said to him, "Let us go out and buy bread for two hundred denarii, and then we will give them something to eat.38And he said to them: "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish.39And he instructed them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass40And they sat down in divisions by hundreds and by fifties41And having received the five loaves and the two fish, gazing up to heaven, he blessed and broke the bread, and he gave it to his disciples to set before them. And the two fish he divided among them all42And they all ate and were satisfied43And they brought together the remainder: twelve baskets full of fragments and of fish44Now those who ate were five thousand men
Sermon
In today's readings, we are reminded of God's profound love and provision. The first reading from 1 John emphasizes that love originates from God, and it is through His love that we are born anew. This love is not passive but active, demonstrated by God sending His Son as an atonement for our sins. The Gospel from Mark illustrates this love in action through the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus, seeing the crowd's need, takes the little offered by His disciples—five loaves and two fish—and multiplies it to satisfy everyone, leaving an abundance of leftovers.
These readings, while distinct, are deeply connected. John's letter speaks to the spiritual love that defines God's nature, while Mark's narrative shows this love tangibly at work in the world. Together, they highlight God's care for both our spiritual and physical well-being. The context of John's letter was a time of encouragement for early Christians to embody God's love, while Mark's story underscores Jesus's compassion and divine power amidst the disciples' limited resources.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to trust in God's providence. Just as the disciples trusted Jesus with their meager offerings, we too can present our resources, talents, and challenges to Him. This trust allows God to work through us, transforming our limitations into abundance. The moral lesson here is clear: when we act out of love and trust in God, He can take the little we have and use it to make a significant impact. Let us, therefore, embrace God's love and trust in His provision, knowing that He will multiply our efforts beyond our wildest expectations.