Daily Catholic Mass Readings for February 20, 2025
First Reading: Genesis 9.1-13
1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.2The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.3Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.4But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.5And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.6"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.7And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it."8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,9"Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you,10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."12And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:13I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
Psalm 102
1Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!2Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!3For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.4My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread.5Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.6I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places;7I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.8All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.9For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink,10because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down.11My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.12But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.13You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.14For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust.15Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.16For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory;17he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.18Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:19that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,20to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die,21that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise,22when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.23He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days.24"O my God," I say, "take me not away in the midst of my days--you whose years endure throughout all generations!"25Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.26They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,27but you are the same, and your years have no end.28The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
Gospel: Mark 8.27-33
27And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"28And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."29And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ."30And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.31And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.32And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.33But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of revelation and promise. In Genesis, we hear the story of God establishing a covenant with Noah, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood. The rainbow is given as a sign of this eternal pact, a symbol of God’s mercy and faithfulness. This moment marks a new beginning for humanity, a fresh start after the devastation of the flood. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples a pivotal question: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ,” is a moment of clarity and faith. Yet, immediately after this confession, Jesus begins to reveal the true nature of his mission: he must suffer, be rejected, and die before rising again. Peter’s resistance to this truth leads to a stern rebuke from Jesus, emphasizing the necessity of embracing the cross as part of following him.
The readings invite us to reflect on the relationship between God’s promises and our response to them. In Genesis, the covenant with Noah is a promise of mercy and renewal, yet it also comes with responsibilities. Similarly, in Mark, Jesus’ identity as the Messiah is inseparable from his mission of self-giving love. The cross is not just a consequence of his ministry but the very purpose of it. These readings remind us that faith is not merely about recognizing who God is but also about trusting in his plan, even when it challenges our expectations.
As we apply these readings to our daily lives, we are called to embrace the paradox of faith: God’s promises are often fulfilled in ways we do not expect, and following Jesus requires us to take up our own cross. Just as the rainbow signifies God’s covenant with humanity, the cross signifies our covenant with God—a commitment to love, sacrifice, and trust. Let us ask ourselves: Are we willing to let go of our own plans and desires, like Peter, and instead surrender to God’s will? Are we open to seeing the world through the lens of God’s mercy and love? May these readings inspire us to deepen our faith and to live as people of hope, trusting in God’s promises even in the face of uncertainty.