Daily Readings - Mon Jan 20 2025
Hebrews
1For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.2He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.3Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.4And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.5So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you";6as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.8Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,10being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Mark
18Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"19And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.20The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.21No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins--and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins."
Sermon
The first reading from the Letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the ultimate High Priest, who, unlike the priests of the Old Covenant, does not need to offer sacrifices for his own sins because he is sinless. Instead, he offers himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. The reading emphasizes that Christ’s priesthood is not based on lineage or human appointment but on his divine calling by God. It also highlights that Christ’s priesthood is eternal, in the order of Melchizedek, and that through his suffering and obedience, he has become the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
In the Gospel, Mark recounts a moment when Jesus is questioned about why his disciples do not fast like the followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees. Jesus responds with a parable about the groom and the days of celebration, explaining that as long as he, the bridegroom, is with them, it is not a time for fasting. He also uses the imagery of new cloth and new wine to illustrate that his message and way of life cannot be confined to the old traditions and practices of the past. The old must give way to the new, just as new wine requires new wineskins to hold it without bursting.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in the newness and uniqueness of Christ’s mission. Jesus is not simply a reformer of the old covenant but the one who brings a entirely new way of relating to God. Just as the old wineskins cannot contain the new wine, our old ways of thinking and living must give way to the fresh, life-giving message of the Gospel. In our daily lives, this means being open to the renewal that Christ offers, trusting that his way is better than our own, and being willing to let go of the past in order to embrace the future he has in store for us. Let us, like Christ, learn obedience through our struggles and trust in the eternal salvation he has won for us.