Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection January 29, 2026
Thursday – Third Week in Ordinary Time
29th January 2026 (Thursday)
Psalter: Week 3
Readings of the Day
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29
After Nathan had spoken to David, King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
Psalm 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14 R. (Lk 1:32b)
R/. The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: Mark 4:21-25
At that time: Jesus said to the crowd “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Thursday – Third Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: Generosity is a great principle that is expected of a good human being. Generosity is the abundance of faith and goodness, and will bring meaning and fulfilment to one’s life and joy to others
1. Jesus constantly invites us to be people of deep faith. But what does it concretely imply? Today’s Word of God gives us some implications. In light of David’s prayer in the first reading, to live a life of faith means to “build a house” for God in our life. That means to allow God to reside and abide in our lives. In other words, to build the house of our life on God.
2. Faith is like a lamp that must radiate its light all around. If there is faith, it must be seen and shown in action. It does not mean to make a show. Rather, it means to bear witness in concrete life. That is why Jesus says, “Is a lamp brought in to be under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?”
3. It is very true. Faith without witness is untrue and hypocritical. If there is light, then it must dispel darkness. Perfect light must be powerful and cannot be dim. The light of faith must enlighten the whole mind and brighten the whole life. Saying that I have the light of faith but continue to live in ignorance and lack of clarity and discernment, then it is not faith.
4. Further, if there is faith, then it must be shown in trust and faithfulness. If one claims to be a person of faith but lives continually in a situation of doubt and suspicion, confusion and deviation, it is not true faith. Also, faith without faithfulness is not credible.
5. Still further, the concrete radiance and testimony of the light of faith is goodness. The immensity of faith is seen in the abundance of goodness. In other words, it is to be generous in good actions. It is to be uncalculating and measureless in showing goodness to others. This is a living testimony against a culture that is greedy, selfish, and highly calculative. People measure the “profitability” of things or persons.
6. In the sight of the world, every act of giving is considered a loss. Thus, the world thinks, the more generous you are, the greater the loss will be. This is wrong thinking, and it is purely materialistic. But faith and goodness are immeasurable gifts.
7. The more we live and share them, the more they will abound. It is in this sense that the words of Jesus make sense: “To the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away”.
My Practice:It is high time that we get rid of our materialistic mentalities. Our faith and goodness must be abundant and generously given and shown. They are not “private properties”!
