Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 03, 2026
Tuesday – Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
03rd February 2026 (Tuesday)
Psalter: Week 4
Readings of the Day
First Reading: 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-258, 30-19:3
In those days: Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended. between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” And Joab took three javelins in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth. Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still. And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young. man. And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son! It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son. And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (R. 1a)
R/. Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Christ took our illnesses and bore our diseases.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
At that time: When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, al great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him. and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made. well. And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?” And he looked round to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell. down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace, and be healed of and said, “Who touched my except Peter and James and John the your disease.” While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi”, which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Tuesday – Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: God’s saving power does not remove pain, but God enters pain, and transforms it to healing, and renewed life for those who trust Him.
1. The first reading presents a typical scene of deep pain. The mighty King David, conquering Absalom’s enemies, goes from victor to vanquished, and becomes a supportive, mourning father. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom!” The taste of victory transforms to grief, and power becomes worthless.
2. David’s grief leaves us with a greater reflection. Human success does not remove human suffering. There are battles that can be won, but peace remains elusive. The bleeding heart can hardly be healed with position, authority, and victories. The chosen King of God stands unable to bring rest to a people suffering from the pain of a broken bond. This condition exposes the weakness and vulnerability of the human heart.
3. Unlike the gospel stories, the gospel itself recounts how broken the situations get, but how the endings differ. A synagogue leader named Jairus goes down to Jesus, begging for his daughter who is dying. Along the way, an anonymous woman who for twelve long years was suffering from hemorrhages, quietly touches the hem of Jesus’ cloak.
4. Both Jairus and the woman share the urgency, but the ways of venturing are different. Jairus goes on to beg, the woman takes the action, and in the meanwhile, she is in the huge crowd. One is socially acceptable. The other is an outcast. Both, however, utter the word of faith, and both of them confront the same Lord of compassion.
5. The faith of the woman is commendable. She believes that even a slight touch of Jesus’ garment will heal her. She was drained of the her blood, she was drained of her finances, she was drained of her emotionally, and she was drained in her efforts to try everything. To the point when even the last option was exhausted, the stronghold of faith became the last option.
6. Jesus stops. He does not stop because of weakness, but because He wants to be in a relationship. He wants the woman to come out of her anonymous status and the outcast status, not to humiliate her, but to rehabilitate her. “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” Healing is complete when the woman who was suffering from the great shame is no longer in the great shame and the great fear is no longer in great fear.
7. Jairus is crushed when he hears the news: “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” These words mirror our moments of despair when hope seems pointless and prayer seems a waste of breath. But Jesus immediately says, “Do not fear, only believe.” Sometimes faith needs to stand when all reasons for believing fail.
8. Jesus steps into the house of mourning and takes the girl by the hand. He speaks words of life, “Talitha cumi.” His words command death to yield. Final is a word that cannot be in God’s vocabulary. Jesus tells us that when people see an end, he sees the opportunity to a new beginning.
9. Next to the gospel, David’s grief takes on new meaning. Without divine love, tragic decisions cannot be undone. In Christ, God’s love reaches the places our human strength cannot reach. David mourns a son he cannot save, and God the Father mourns a son he will give to save them all.
10. Today’s witnesses David in sadness, Jairus in hope, and the woman in bravery, encourage us to reflect on our faith. Does suffering make us lose hope, or does it bring us to Jesus? Do we lose faith in the situation, or do we hold on to Jesus even more tightly?
11. The memorials of St Blaise and St Ansgar further illuminate this message. Blaise sealed his faith with martyrdom; Ansgar endured hardship and failure to bring Christ to new lands. Their lives proclaim that faith does not guarantee comfort, but it guarantees meaning, fruitfulness, and life beyond suffering.
My Practice: When the sorrow of David envelops us in grief, the fear of Jairus freezes us in despair, and the woman of weakness drains us in illness, let us hold on to Christ—the mere touch of faith and a word from Him can change mourning into joy and death into life.
