Daily Readings for January 26, 2015

1ST READING

Paul is encouraging Timothy and Titus in their role as leaders of the Christian community in their respective cities. Leaders need to grow in love for their communities or else the capacity and desire to serve well will diminish over time. This love should also be reciprocated. We need to fervently love and pray for our leaders. This is one of the greatest signs of love we can give to people — to pray for them constantly.

2 Timothy 1:1-8 (or Titus 1:1-5)

1 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of life in Christ Jesus, 2 to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. 4 I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, 5 as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. 6 For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. 8 So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.

P S A L M

Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 10

R: Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. 2 Sing to the Lord; bless his name. (R) Announce his salvation, day after day. 3 Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. (R) 7 Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; 8 give to the Lord the glory due his name! (R) 10 Say among the nations: The Lord is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity. (R)

GOSPEL

Mark reminds us to honor the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the best ways to do this is to rejoice in the gifts that God gave to each one of us in the Body of Christ. It is not possible for one person to have every gift. We need to work with one another so that we will have the whole range of gifts available for our work with the Gospel.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.

Mark 3:22-30 (or Luke 10:1-9)

22 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.” 23 Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. 27 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. 28 Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” 30 For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

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