Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 13, 2026
Friday – Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
13th February 2026 (Friday)
Psalter: Week 1
Readings of the Day
First Reading: 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
At that time; when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel). So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Psalm 81:10-11ab, 12-13, 14-15 (R. see 11a, 9a)
R/. I am the Lord your God: listen to my voice.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Open our hearts, O Lord, that we may pay attention to the words of your Son.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37
At that time: Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Friday – Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: Sin tears our lives apart but Jesus has the power to put us back together. The biggest miracle is not as simple as hearing with our ears but opening our hearts to listen to God.
1. In the first reading, we see a drama scene. The prophet Ahijah brings a brand new cloak and rips it into twelve pieces. It’s a violent image. It symbolises the ripping apart of the Kingdom of Israel because the leaders ceased listening to God. When we plug our ears to God, things in our life, our families, our friendships, our peace begin to rip at the seams.
2. In the Gospel, Jesus encounters a different kind of tragedy, a man who is living differently. He is deaf and suffering from a speech impediment. He is cut off from the world. He can’t hear “I love you” and clear what is in his heart. It is a lonely place to be.
3. Jesus does something very touching. He takes the man aside, away from the crowd. He doesn’t want a Show, He wants a Connection. He puts his fingers up the man’s ears and to the man’s tongue. He gets right inside the mucky, broken parts of the man’s life.
4. Then Jesus sighs. That detail always touches on me. It wasn’t just a breath, it was a groan of prayer. Jesus felt the burden of this man’s silence. He looked up to heaven, said, ‘Ephphatha’ which means, ‘Be opened.’
5. And immediately down, the walls came down. The man could hear, and was able to speak plainly. Jesus didn’t just repair an ear; He repaired a relationship. He brought the man back to the community.
6. We might have perfect hearing, but we often suffer from spiritual deafness. We hear the gossip, but we don’t hear the Gospel. We hear the insults, but we ignore the cry of the poor. We are closed off, just like that man.
7. Today Jesus needs to take you aside – away from the noise of the world. He wants to touch your heart and say “Be opened.” Open to forgive. Open to listen. Open to love again.
My Practice: Attempt to identify someone in my life that I have “tuned out” because I’m angry or busy? Today, will it be possible for me to ask Jesus to say to my heart, “Ephphatha” in order that I may truly listen to them?
