Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
309

FIRST READING

Heb 4:1-5,11

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

PSALM

78:3 and 4bc, 6c-7, 8

Response: Do not forget the works of the Lord!

What we have heard and know,
and what our fathers have declared to us,
we will declare to the generation to come
The glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength.

That they too may rise and declare to their sons
that they should put their hope in God,
And not forget the deeds of God
but keep his commands.

And not be like their fathers,
a generation wayward and rebellious,
A generation that kept not its heart steadfast
nor its spirit faithful toward God.

GOSPEL

Mk 2:1-12

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Daily Reflection

We encounter obstacles in our faith life all the time. Some are not easily recognizable, perhaps because they come from within us.

In the first reading, the author of Hebrews reminds the readers that those Israelites who lacked faith in God’s promise never saw the Promised Land!

In the Gospel, although the crowds around Jesus and the walls of the house made it impossible for the paralytic’s friends to bring him before Jesus, they were not deterred by obstacles; their faith led them to persevere. It was faith that overcame obstacles and gave their paralytic friend a chance to return to wholeness.

In contrast, the Scribes and Pharisees were unable to recognize Jesus as the Messiah because of their self-created obstacles – pride in their knowledge of the Scriptures, their ‘holier than thou’ attitude, their preconceptions about who the Messiah should be, and their lack of humility to see and accept Jesus for who he truly was.

There are enough obstacles in our faith journey; but it would be sad if we are one of them!