Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 16, 2025
First Reading: Hebrews 3.7-14
7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,9where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works10for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.'11As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'"12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.14For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Psalm 95
1Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!2Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!3For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.4In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.5The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.6Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!7For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,8do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,9when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.10For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways."11Therefore I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest."
Gospel: Mark 1.40-45
40And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."41Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."42And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.43And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,44and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."45But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter powerful messages about faith and compassion. The first reading from Hebrews warns against hardening our hearts, referencing the Israelites' disobedience in the desert despite witnessing God's miracles. It urges believers to support one another in faith and avoid the deceit of sin. The Gospel from Mark tells the story of a leper who, with humble faith, asks Jesus for healing. Jesus, moved by pity, heals him with a touch, embodying divine mercy.
These readings connect through themes of faith and response. The leper's plea demonstrates unwavering trust in Jesus' power, while Jesus' compassionate response illustrates God's loving nature. The man's eagerness to spread the news, despite Jesus' request for discretion, highlights the tension between human impulse and divine guidance, reflecting the Hebrews passage's caution against unbelief.
In our daily lives, these lessons encourage us to maintain faith and trust in God, especially during trials. Like the leper, we should approach God with humility and confidence. Additionally, Jesus' compassionate act reminds us to extend mercy to others. Let us strive to keep our hearts open to God's will and be vessels of His compassion, reflecting His love in our actions and decisions.