Gospel: January 22, 2025
January 22, 2025 (Wednesday)
2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 2 (Green/White/Violet)
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4
You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek.
1st Reading: Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17
Scripture says that Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, came out to meet Abraham, who returned from defeating the kings. He blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. Let us note, that the name Melchizedek means king of justice, and that king of Salem means king of peace. There is no mention of father, mother or genealogy; nothing is said about the beginning or the end of his life. In this, he is the figure of the Son of God, the priest who remains forever. All this, however, becomes clear, if this priest, after the likeness of Melchizedek, has, in fact, received his mission, not on the basis of any human law, but by the power of an immortal life. Because Scripture says: You are a priest, forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.
Gospel: Mark 3:1-6
A gain, Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralyzed hand, was there; and some people watched Jesus: would he heal the man on the Sabbath? If he did, they could accuse him. Jesus said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand here, in the center.” Then he asked them, “What does the law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent. Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness at their hardness of heart. And he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.
Reflection
“What does the law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” As God’s cocreators and coworkers, we are called to create life and nurture it, to choose the good and do it. But the way of justice and mercy is not always welcome. Indeed, Christ heals the man with the paralyzed hand, and the Pharisees and Herodians see this as another reason to want to destroy him. And so, the thirst for power or the fear of losing it can lead us to forget goodness and love or see the right thing as merely an obstacle to our plans. Our natural inclination to seek the good and avoid evil—our conscience—can be numbed by sin or selfishness and by our surrounding culture. This selfishness or greed can also undermine or corrupt legal and political institutions of the State. So, let us pray that politicians and all citizens will always seek to serve the ways of goodness and justice, so that the dignity of all people will be upheld, and the most vulnerable in society will be protected.
