Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 17, 2019
First Reading: Hebrews 3.7-14
7Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,8Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.10Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.11So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.13But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.14For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Psalm 95
1O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.2Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.3For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.4In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.5The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.6O 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. To day if ye will hear his voice,8Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.10Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:11Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Gospel: Mark 1.40-45
40And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.41And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.42And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.43And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;44And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.45But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on faith, compassion, and the consequences of our choices. The first reading from Hebrews warns us against the dangers of hardened hearts and unbelief, drawing on the example of the Israelites in the desert who, despite witnessing God's wonders, turned away from Him. This passage reminds us that faith is not a one-time decision but a continuous commitment to trust in God's plan, even when the journey is difficult. The second reading from Mark presents us with the story of a leper who approaches Jesus with humility and faith. Jesus, moved by compassion, heals the man and instructs him to show himself to the priests as a testimony of God's power. However, the leper, overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, spreads the news of his healing, leading Jesus to withdraw to deserted places to avoid the crowds.
These readings are deeply connected. The Hebrews passage serves as a warning against the kind of unbelief that hardens hearts, while the Gospel shows us the opposite: a heart open to God's mercy and grace. The leper's faith and humility lead to his healing, but it also leads to a greater mission—to share the Good News with others. This tension between personal faith and public witness is something we all experience. Like the leper, we are called to respond to God's grace with gratitude and to share that grace with others, even when it may lead to unexpected challenges.
In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to examine our own hearts. Are we allowing God's voice to penetrate our lives, or are we hardened by sin and doubt? The leper's story reminds us that true faith leads to action—whether it's sharing the Gospel with others or simply living in a way that reflects God's love. At the same time, we are called to humility and trust, knowing that God's plan for us is always greater than our own. Let us ask for the grace to remain open to God's voice, to trust in His mercy, and to bear witness to His love in all that we do.