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Message of the Day
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In the final analysis our greatest problem with holiness is not that our concepts of holiness are feeble, but that our hearts are rebellious. We are selfish, that’s our problem. And the fact that we often won’t admit our selfishness shows how deep the pride goes.
- Floyd McClung How do you experience selfishness?
What consequences do you experience?
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Readings of the Day
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1 Samuel 1:1-8
Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17,
18-19 Mark 1:14-20 After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’
As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake –
for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after
him. USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat? Why do you grieve?” —1 Samuel 1:8
As we begin the new year, the Lord commands us to be “fishers of men” and
women (Mk 1:17). We are to be fruitful in leading others to Christ (see Jn 15:5). However, many of us were not very fruitful in 2025 and have not changed anything for 2026. We may be spiritually barren as Hannah was physically barren.
If we don’t repent and begin to share our love for Jesus with other people, we may become like Hannah in other ways. In addition to being barren, Hannah was so despondent she refused to eat (1 Sm 1:7). We
likewise may lose our joy (see Ps 51:14) and become spiritually anorexic if we don’t bear fruit evangelically. Many Christians today are noticeably sad. Young people notice this and see church as a dead, joyless place. Many Christians go to church only to fulfill their “Sunday obligation.”. . They’re not offering their “bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God” (Rm 12:1). They aren’t hungry for the spiritual nourishment of God’s Word and Holy
Communion. We can be like Hannah in more ways than one. We must repent, commit our lives to Jesus, and share our faith. Then we will come to life. Prayer: Father, may I reap the greatest harvest this year. Promise: “This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the
gospel!” —Mk 1:15 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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Dilexi Te: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ, by Pope Francis (completed by Pope Leo XIII), 2025.
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/20241024-enciclica-dilexit-nos.html
CHAPTER TWO
ACTIONS AND WORDS OF LOVE
32. The heart of Christ, as the symbol of the deepest and most personal source of his love for us, is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. It stands at the origin of our
faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs. ACTIONS THAT REFLECT THE HEART 33. Christ showed the depth of his love for us not by lengthy explanations but by concrete actions. By examining his interactions with others, we can come to realize how he treats each one of us, even though at times this may be difficult to see. Let us now turn to the place where our faith can encounter this truth: the word
of God. 34. The Gospel tells us that Jesus “came to his own” (cf. Jn 1:11). Those words refer to us, for the Lord does not treat us as strangers but as a possession that he watches over and cherishes. He treats us truly as “his own”. This does not mean that we are his slaves, something that he himself denies: “I do not call you servants” (Jn 15:15). Rather, it refers to the sense of mutual belonging typical of friends. Jesus came to meet us, bridging all
distances; he became as close to us as the simplest, everyday realities of our lives. Indeed, he has another name, “Emmanuel”, which means “God with us”, God as part of our lives, God as living in our midst. The Son of God became incarnate and “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phil 2:7). |
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