Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection January 27, 2025

27th January 2025 (Monday)

Psalter: Week 3

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Hebrews 9:15, 24-28

Christ is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf. Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6 (R. 1a)

R/. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous deeds.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R/. Alleluia.

Gospel: Mark 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Daily Gospel Reflection

Monday – 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Main Point: God is ever ready and eager to heal us and make us whole. What is needed is openness to His action and submission to His healing touch

“He is possessed by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, and casts out demons”. This was the accusation of the Pharisees against Jesus as he was healing the possessed men. This shows their prejudice, narrow-mindedness, and jealousy. Consequently, they take away the value of healing. They twist reality. They even misinterpret it as the work of the devil.

They stand before us as examples of people who are easily driven by human prejudices but do not realise the gravity of the evil consequences. They want to spit out their venom on Jesus out of jealousy and self-righteousness. They resent him and accuse him.

But the pity is they do not realise that in this process of opposing and blaming Jesus, they are putting themselves against God Himself. In denying Jesus’ holiness and divine power, they would deny God’s own power and mercy. They deny that Jesus is the highest high priest. God designed him as the one to establish a new covenant with his own blood once and for all.

This is what Jesus warns them of. In their haste to denounce Jesus, they fall into the sin of blasphemy. The irony is they commit the very same sin of which they accuse Jesus often. Often we may be taking away the credit due to God Himself in our evil-mindedness to take away the credit due to others.

My Practice: We must be very careful that our individual differences and prejudices do not make us blind to the working of God’s grace