Daily Readings - Fri Jan 20 2023
Hebrews
6But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.8But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.9It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.11No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.12For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."13By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Mark
13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.14He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach15and to have authority to drive out demons.16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder);18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
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.