Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection January 29, 2025
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
29th January 2025 (Wednesday)
Psalter: Week 3
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Hebrews 10:11-18
Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying: This is the covenant I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord: “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them upon their minds,” he also says: Their sins and their evildoing I will remember no more. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4 (R. 4b)
R/. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel: Mark 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, “Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.” Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no roots; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Wednesday – 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: Human conditions and situations may be divergent, but disposition should be positive and receptive. Only then, life will be abundantly productive
God’s grace is constant and abundant. In the words of the first reading from the letter to Hebrews, this is seen in the new covenant which God makes with us. In this new covenant, there is unconditioned mercy and forgiveness from God. He will put his laws on our hearts and write them on our minds. This grace is beyond all the differences and difficulties of the human living situations. It has no discriminations.
The seed of God’s grace is offered to all the four kinds of the soil in the gospel. But the extent of their receptivity and the way and durability of the care and growth of the seed make the difference in the extent of the production and the product. There is no use of blaming God’s grace or the situations. In fact, these four soil- categories are not exclusive and water-tight compartments. These four types of tendencies and receptivity surround us all in varying degrees.
There is a total indifference and lack of openness represented by the wayside soil. There is a lack of stability and depth represented by the rocky soil. There is lack of resistance and perseverance amidst the dominance of the evil represented by the bushy soil. And there is the total receptivity and fecundity represented by the fertile soil. It is left to us how to respond to God’s grace.
Most of the people are not productive, because they are not receptive and active toward God’s action. Rightly, they are like those described by Jesus in the gospel: They see but do not perceive; they hear, but do not understand. They are so closed and unreceptive. They fail to turn again and to receive God’s forgiveness.
My Practice: Productivity and abundance of fruit is not a by chance matter, but a matter of choice to be receptive and diligent to produce.
