Daily Readings - Mon Jan 20 2025
Hebrews
1Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.3This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.5So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. "6And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."7During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Mark
18Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"19Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.20But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.21"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.22And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
Sermon
The first reading from the Letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the ultimate High Priest, who, unlike the priests of the Old Covenant, does not need to offer sacrifices for his own sins because he is sinless. Instead, he offers himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. The reading emphasizes that Christ’s priesthood is not based on lineage or human appointment but on his divine calling by God. It also highlights that Christ’s priesthood is eternal, in the order of Melchizedek, and that through his suffering and obedience, he has become the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
In the Gospel, Mark recounts a moment when Jesus is questioned about why his disciples do not fast like the followers of John the Baptist and the Pharisees. Jesus responds with a parable about the groom and the days of celebration, explaining that as long as he, the bridegroom, is with them, it is not a time for fasting. He also uses the imagery of new cloth and new wine to illustrate that his message and way of life cannot be confined to the old traditions and practices of the past. The old must give way to the new, just as new wine requires new wineskins to hold it without bursting.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in the newness and uniqueness of Christ’s mission. Jesus is not simply a reformer of the old covenant but the one who brings a entirely new way of relating to God. Just as the old wineskins cannot contain the new wine, our old ways of thinking and living must give way to the fresh, life-giving message of the Gospel. In our daily lives, this means being open to the renewal that Christ offers, trusting that his way is better than our own, and being willing to let go of the past in order to embrace the future he has in store for us. Let us, like Christ, learn obedience through our struggles and trust in the eternal salvation he has won for us.