Daily Readings - Wed Jan 29 2025
Hebrews
11And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.15Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,16This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Mark
1And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.2And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?14The sower soweth the word.15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.20And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of God’s plan and our response to it. In the first reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, we hear about the priesthood of Christ and how his single sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to atone for all sins. This is contrasted with the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant, which could never fully take away sin. The author emphasizes that Christ’s sacrifice is eternal and complete, and through it, God’s laws are written on our hearts and minds, forgiving our sins once and for all.
In the Gospel, Mark presents us with the parable of the sower, a well-known teaching of Jesus. The parable describes how the Word of God is sown in different hearts, yielding different results. Some hear the Word but lose it immediately; others receive it with joy but falter in times of trial; still, others allow worldly concerns to choke the Word. Only those who hear the Word and nurture it in good soil bear fruit abundantly. Jesus explains that the parable is a mystery given to his disciples to understand, while others may see and hear but not perceive, lest they turn and be forgiven.
These readings are deeply connected. The sacrifice of Christ, as described in Hebrews, makes possible the forgiveness of sins and the new covenant written on our hearts. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us how to respond to this gift. The parable of the sower challenges us to examine the soil of our own hearts. Are we allowing the Word of God to take root and bear fruit, or are we letting distractions, trials, or worldly desires choke it out? The moral lesson is clear: we must cultivate openness, perseverance, and detachment from worldly things to receive God’s Word fully and live it out in love. May we strive to be the good soil, bearing fruit in abundance for the kingdom of God.