Daily Readings - Fri Jan 17 2025
Hebrews
1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.2For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"4And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work."5And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
Mark
1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralytic,11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the power of faith and the promise of God’s rest. In the first reading from Hebrews, we are reminded that God’s rest is not merely a physical reprieve but a spiritual state of trust and surrender. The author warns us not to fall into the same disbelief as those who heard God’s Word but did not act on it. True faith requires us to trust in God’s promises, even when the journey seems uncertain. The passage emphasizes that God’s works are complete, and His rest is available to those who believe.
In the Gospel, Mark presents a vivid scene of Jesus healing a paralytic man. The faith of the man’s friends, who went to great lengths to bring him to Jesus, is what moves the Lord to act. Jesus first forgives the man’s sins, addressing the deeper spiritual paralysis before healing his physical condition. This miracle not only demonstrates Jesus’ authority to forgive sins but also reveals that true healing comes from trusting in God’s mercy and power. The scribes’ skepticism contrasts sharply with the faith of the paralytic and his friends, reminding us that faith is not about understanding everything but about surrendering to God’s will.
These readings call us to examine our own faith. Do we, like the paralytic’s friends, trust God enough to bring our struggles and sins to Him? Or do we, like the scribes, allow doubt and fear to harden our hearts? The promise of God’s rest is not just a future hope but a present reality for those who trust in Him. Let us strive to live with the kind of active, bold faith that leads us to surrender our lives to God, knowing that He is always at work in us, even when we cannot see it.