Daily Readings - Fri Jan 20 2023
Hebrews
6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.8For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:9Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Mark
13And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.14And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,15And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:16And Simon he surnamed Peter;17And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:18And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,19And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s covenant with humanity and the call to follow Jesus in mission. In the first reading from Hebrews, we hear about the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old. The author explains that the Old Covenant, established through Moses, was imperfect because it could not fully transform the hearts of the people. God, therefore, promises a New Covenant through Jesus Christ, one that writes His laws not on stone tablets but on human hearts. This covenant is marked by forgiveness, intimacy, and a deep knowledge of God that transcends mere outward observance.
In the Gospel, Mark describes Jesus calling the Twelve Apostles to be His closest followers and emissaries. Jesus chooses ordinary men, giving them extraordinary authority to preach, heal, and cast out demons. This passage reminds us that God’s work is not reserved for the perfect or the privileged but is entrusted to those who are willing to follow Him in faith. The Apostles, with all their flaws and limitations, become the foundation of the Church, showing us that God’s plan is fulfilled through human cooperation with His grace.
These readings are deeply connected. The New Covenant described in Hebrews is lived out through the mission of the Apostles in Mark’s Gospel. Just as the Apostles were called to continue Jesus’ work, we too are called to live as part of this New Covenant. Our hearts, transformed by God’s grace, are to be the living temples where His laws are inscribed. Like the Apostles, we are imperfect but called to trust in God’s plan and to share His love with the world. Let us ask ourselves: Am I open to letting God write His law on my heart? Am I willing to follow Jesus, even when the path is uncertain, and to share His message of love and redemption with others? May we, like the Apostles, embrace our mission with faith and humility, knowing that God’s work is not limited by our weaknesses but glorified through them.