Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 4, 2022
First Reading: 1 John 4.7-10
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Psalm 72
1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.2He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.5He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.8He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.9The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.10The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.16Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Gospel: Mark 6.34-44
34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late.36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."37But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.42They all ate and were satisfied,43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of love and its practical expression in our lives. In the first reading from 1 John, we are reminded that love is not just a feeling or an abstract concept, but it is rooted in the very essence of God. John writes, "God is love," and this love is not something we initiate but something God first extends to us. This divine love is revealed most profoundly in the gift of Jesus, who was sent to save us from our sins. John emphasizes that true love is not about what we do for God, but about recognizing and responding to the love God has already shown us.
In the Gospel, Mark presents us with the familiar story of the feeding of the five thousand. Here, Jesus demonstrates what this divine love looks like in action. Moved by compassion for the crowd, who were like "sheep without a shepherd," Jesus teaches them and ultimately provides for their physical needs. When the disciples express concern about feeding such a large group, Jesus challenges them to trust in God’s abundance. With just five loaves and two fish, Jesus performs a miracle, feeding everyone to satisfaction and leaving an abundance of leftovers. This story is not just about the multiplication of bread; it is about the multiplication of love. Jesus shows us that when we share what little we have, God can turn it into something extraordinary.
These readings call us to live out God’s love in our daily lives. Just as Jesus saw the needs of the crowd and acted with compassion, we are called to see the needs of those around us—whether it’s a listening ear, a helping hand, or a word of encouragement. Like the disciples, we may feel inadequate or think we don’t have enough to give, but God invites us to trust in his providence. When we share what we have, even if it seems small, God can use it to make a big difference. Let us ask ourselves: Where can I show love today? How can I trust God to work through me? May we remember that love is not just a feeling but a choice—a choice to act, to give, and to trust in God’s abundance.