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The Word today, Baptism of the LordA

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • 5 days ago
  • 3 min read

January 12 - January 17, 2026



1 Samuel 1:1-8 Today we start, at a distance, the important story of King David, a story to be followed for the next couple of weeks. The Samuel of the title was a religious leader who found and anointed the first kings of Israel. Today’s opening verses present us with the challenge of childlessness. The husband’s understanding and affection are very touching.


Mark 1:14-20 We start today a fresh reading of the Gospel of Mark: may God give us a listening heart to hear it afresh today!


St Hilary, bishop and doctor of the Church


1 Samuel 1:9-20 In the Bible, there are “story patterns” that recur. One of these story types regularly tells of a woman who has no children of her own. This is a cause of suffering and supplication. Eventually, by God’s intervention, the woman becomes pregnant. Christians are familiar with this kind of story from the Luke’s accounts of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. Our passage today includes a critique of the priesthood, because Eli the priest does not discern what is happening.


Mark 1:21-28 Jesus speaks (and acts) always from within, from the inside, so to speak, of his own authority.



1 Samuel 3:1-10,19-20 This is one of the great stories of call and vocation in the Bible. Once more, the priest Eli is slow to understand. Eventually, however, it dawns on him that God is calling the boy, Samuel. The turning point is in the words “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,” picked up perfectly by the Psalm.


Mark 1:29-39 Our Gospel reminds us of the sources of Jesus authority and spirituality: his prayer.


St Ita, virgin


1 Samuel 4:1-11 Today the reading introduces a second important element in the story of 1 and 2 Samuel: the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant was a piece of furniture, a kind of chest or box, used to symbolise God’s presence among the people. The presence of the ark gave power to its owners and the loss of it meant a corresponding loss of power. In our story, the loss of the ark and the killing of the sons of Eli are read as a punishment.


Mark 1:40-45 The compassion of Jesus is both immense and immediate. The leper inspires us to recognize our need of God.


St Fursa, abbot and missionary


1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22 This brilliant passage conveys the unease in the Bible with monarchy as such. This may come as a surprise, but listen carefully to all the reasons why a monarch would be a bad idea. But the real objection is the rejection of God as the only true king over Israel. The desire “to be like any other nation” will, in the very long term, lead to disaster and exile.


Mark 2:1-12 This Gospel passage is really about us: we too are carried by others; we too have our sins forgiven; we too learn to walk again in the light of Gospel.


St Anthony of Egypt, abbot


1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19, 10:1 Restoring the missing verses would make the reading clearer and more entertaining. Finally, we are told of the anointing of the first king over Israel, Saul. The somewhat enigmatic story of the finding of Saul is meant to be a sign that he was God’s choice.


Mark 2:13-17 Our story is meant to be provocative on several levels: Jesus goes to the “wrong” people and, even worse, insists he was not sent to the conventionally holy who may not really know their need of God.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2026d, January 11). The Baptism of the Lord. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011126.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, EpiphanyA


January 05 - January 10, 2026


St Charles of St Andrew, priest


1 John 3:11-21 Today’s reading illustrates the richness of the First Letter. It is highly realistic — the world hates you. At the same time, it is very inspiring — our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.


John 1:43-51 Our Gospel today contains a large number of descriptions of Jesus. If we were to describe what Jesus means to us, what would we say today? (The mention of the fig tree can puzzle. One explanation goes like this. In rabbinic tradition, it had been concluded that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a fig tree, given that the fig is the first species mentioned. It became a symbol of the Torah, the later “tree” of knowledge, guidance on the part of goodness. Thus, seeing Philip under.


The Epiphany of the Lord (See special notes for the feast.)



1 John 3:22-4:6 Something of the difficult situation of the Johannine community comes to expression here. Clearly, there has been a split over doctrine and there is great anxiety that the true believers might be “contaminated” by false teaching.


Matthew 4:12-17,23-25 Just before the feast of the Baptism, we are presented with the teaching of John the Baptist. Jesus was a follower of John and accepted his baptism. He also took up the teaching of John about the coming kingdom and about conversion / repentance.



1 John 4:7-10 When we speak of the love of God, it could mean two things. The foundational gift is God’s love for us first of all and in the strength of that love we are able to love in turn.


Mark 6:34-44 All the miracles are to be read at two levels. There is the level of a story in the life of Jesus. Then, there is the level of the story in my life today. Already, we hear echoes of the Eucharist in the telling: Jesus said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples. We are those disciples today.



1 John 4:11-18 Continuing from yesterday, how could we best respond to God’s astonishing love of us? 1 John explores in a very helpful way the many dimensions of the love affair between God and us.


Mark 6:45-52 One more, the miracle story is to be read at two levels. This is true especially of the walking on them water. When the later community felt the absence of Jesus, this story served to remind them: ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ We are the same today: we too need this word of presence and encouragement.



1 John 5:5-13 1 John 4:19-5:4 How would you know your love of God was genuine? Here’s a practical test. The letter of John — highly spiritual — is also highly practical: man who does not love the brother that he can see cannot love God, whom he has never seen.


Luke 4:14-22 Today we hear Luke’s telling of Jesus’ visit to his hometown and synagogue. Again, Luke “locates” the proclamation of Jesus, using another mighty citation from Isaiah. There can be no separation of the Gospel and the social teaching Jesus — these are one and the same.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2026, January 4). The Epiphany of the Lord. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010426.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, Holy FamilyA

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Dec 27, 2025
  • 3 min read

December 29 - January 03, 2026


Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr


1 John 2:3-11 The Letter reflects on the Great Commandment. We are to “mind the gap” between what we say we believe and how we actually live. The standard set is high: we are to live the same kind of life as Christ lived. How can the commandment be both old and new? It is new because in the light of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are enabled by the Spirit put it all into practice — a challenging idea.


Luke 2:22-35 The reading jumps forward to the presentation/purification. The calendrical inconsistency is worthwhile because (1) the imagery of light is sustained within the birth narratives and (2) the delightful picture of the very old Simeon holding the just-born child Jesus.



1 John 2:12-17 The reading addresses the hearers directly but needs careful handling. The “world” does not mean creation as such but whoever in creation is opposed to God.


Luke 2:36-40 Matching the story of Simeon, we hear the story of Anna, daughter of Phanuel. She too is old and at the same time a model of Jewish piety and trust in God. As a prophetess, she proclaims Jesus to all longing for deliverance.


St Silvester, bishop of Rome


1 John 2:18-21 As in all communities, it was not all light and joy in the community of John: some had departed and these are identified harshly with the Antichrist. Nevertheless, those who remain “have been anointed by the Holy One and have all received the knowledge.” In a word, the challenges are an invitation to a deeper sense of our identity in Christ.


John 1:1-18 We have heard this Gospel already over Christmas and it is good to have the chance to hear it again in tranquility, especially at the close of the year. The very last line has the ring of truth: No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.


Mary, the Holy Mother of God


Numbers 6:22-27 Today we have a blessing, a prayer for God’s help and presence as we start the new year. The psalm going with the reading continues the theme of blessing.


Galatians 4:4-7 Paul reminds us today that Jesus was born like one of us, a member of the Jewish people. Christianity is, in some way, the continuation of the Jewish faith, but for all humanity without distinction.


Luke 2:16-21 Today is the eighth day after the birth of Jesus and, according to Jewish tradition, the day for circumcising a newborn son. We are reminded that Jesus was Jew and that the roots of Christianity lie in God’s first chosen people.


Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors


1 John 2:22-28 The reading reflects profound conflict in the community of the Fourth Gospel over Jesus’ identity. The tone is more confrontational than usual.


John 1:19-28 John the Baptist was a challenge to early Christians, precisely because John baptised Jesus. In this reading, the evangelist puts on the lips of John himself the word from Isaiah first used by Mark’s Gospel.


The Most Holy Name of Jesus


1 John 2:29-3:6 Today we hear a justly famous passage, which goes simply and directly to the heart of the matter. The proclamation of the love of God is completed by presenting the consequences for us as believers.


John 1:29-34 What John says of Jesus reflects the understanding of the Fourth Gospel, an understanding which is deep and challenging. Most likely, we are not really hearing the opinion of the historical John the Baptist but the theology of the evangelist.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025dg, December 28). Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122825.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 
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