Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 9, 2025
First Reading: 1 John 4.19 – 5.4
19Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us.20If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother, then he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he does see, in what way can he love God, whom he does not see21And this is the commandment that we have from God, that he who loves God must also love his brother
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And everyone who loves God, who provides that birth, also loves him who has been born of God2In this way, we know that we love those born of God: when we love God and do his commandments3For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy4For all that is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith
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: Luke 4.14-22a
14And Jesus returned, in the power of the Spirit, into Galilee. And his fame spread throughout the entire region15And he taught in their synagogues, and he was magnified by everyone16And he went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. And he entered into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the Sabbath day. And he rose up to read17And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. And as he unrolled the book, he found the place where it was written18"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because of this, he has anointed me. He has sent me to evangelize the poor, to heal the contrite of heart19to preach forgiveness to captives and sight to the blind, to release the broken into forgiveness, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution.20And when he had rolled up the book, he returned it to the minister, and he sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him21Then 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?
Sermon
In today’s readings, we are invited to reflect on the profound connection between love and mission. The first reading from 1 John reminds us that love is not merely an emotion but a commitment to God and to one another. John emphasizes that true love for God is inseparable from love for our neighbor, and this love is expressed through obedience to God’s commandments. The reading also highlights the victory of faith over the challenges of the world, reassuring us that our faith will overcome all obstacles.
The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry, proclaiming His mission in the synagogue at Nazareth. Jesus reads from Isaiah, declaring that He has been anointed to bring good news to the poor, healing to the brokenhearted, and freedom to those oppressed. This passage is a cornerstone of Jesus’ identity and mission, and it challenges us to see ourselves as part of this ongoing work of love and liberation.
Together, these readings remind us that love and mission are deeply intertwined. Just as Jesus was sent to bring light and hope to those in need, we too are called to live out our faith through acts of love and compassion. Let us ask ourselves: How can we, in our daily lives, reflect the love of God by serving others, especially those on the margins? May we, like Jesus, allow the Spirit to guide us in fulfilling our mission to love and serve, bringing the light of God’s kingdom to a world in need.