Daily Readings - Sun Jan 28 2024

¹⁵"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen--¹⁶just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.'¹⁷And the LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken.¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.¹⁹And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.²⁰But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'

1 Corinthians

Chapter 7

³²I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.³³But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,³⁴and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.³⁵I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Mark

Chapter 1

²¹And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.²²And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.²³And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,²⁴"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God."²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.²⁷And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."²⁸And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter themes of divine authority, spiritual focus, and the call to listen to God’s voice. The first reading from Deuteronomy speaks of God’s promise to raise up a prophet like Moses, a leader who will speak God’s words to His people. This prophet will have the authority to guide the people, and those who refuse to listen will face the consequences. The passage emphasizes the importance of heeding God’s messengers and the gravity of rejecting His word. The second reading from 1 Corinthians shifts the focus to the Christian life, where Paul encourages believers to live undivided in their devotion to God. He highlights the challenges of being torn between worldly concerns and spiritual priorities, urging us to seek a life of purity and single-minded service to the Lord. In the Gospel, Mark presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophet promised in Deuteronomy. Jesus teaches with authority, not like the scribes, and demonstrates His power by casting out an unclean spirit. This episode shows Jesus as the Holy One of God, who commands even the forces of evil to obey Him. Together, these readings remind us that God speaks to us through His prophets and through His Son, Jesus Christ. They call us to listen with faith, to live with undivided hearts, and to trust in God’s power to transform our lives. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Am I listening to God’s voice in my life? Am I allowing His word to guide me, or am I distracted by the cares of the world? Let us strive to live with the kind of focus and devotion that Paul describes, seeking to please God above all else. And when we encounter the forces of darkness in our lives, let us remember Jesus’ authority and trust in His power to set us free. May we heed the call to follow Him with courage and fidelity, knowing that He is the Holy One who speaks to us and acts in our lives.