Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 7, 2025
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
In today's readings, we are reminded of God's profound love and provision. The first reading from 1 John emphasizes that love originates from God, and it is through His love that we are born anew. This love is not passive but active, demonstrated by God sending His Son as an atonement for our sins. The Gospel from Mark illustrates this love in action through the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus, seeing the crowd's need, takes the little offered by His disciples—five loaves and two fish—and multiplies it to satisfy everyone, leaving an abundance of leftovers.
These readings, while distinct, are deeply connected. John's letter speaks to the spiritual love that defines God's nature, while Mark's narrative shows this love tangibly at work in the world. Together, they highlight God's care for both our spiritual and physical well-being. The context of John's letter was a time of encouragement for early Christians to embody God's love, while Mark's story underscores Jesus's compassion and divine power amidst the disciples' limited resources.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to trust in God's providence. Just as the disciples trusted Jesus with their meager offerings, we too can present our resources, talents, and challenges to Him. This trust allows God to work through us, transforming our limitations into abundance. The moral lesson here is clear: when we act out of love and trust in God, He can take the little we have and use it to make a significant impact. Let us, therefore, embrace God's love and trust in His provision, knowing that He will multiply our efforts beyond our wildest expectations.