DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
JANUARY 29, 2026
THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FIRST READING
2 SAMUEL 7:18-19, 24-29
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in thy eyes, O Lord GOD; thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast shown me future generations, O Lord GOD! 24 And thou didst establish for thyself thy people Israel to be thy people for ever; and thou, O LORD, didst become their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, confirm for ever the word which thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, and do as thou hast spoken; 26 and thy name will be magnified for ever, saying, `The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,' and the house of thy servant David will be established before thee. 27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, hast made this revelation to thy servant, saying, `I will build you a house'; therefore thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer to thee. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this good thing to thy servant; 29 now therefore may it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken, and with thy blessing shall the house of thy servant be blessed for ever."
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 132:1-5, 11-14
Response: The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
Remember, O LORD, in David's favor,
all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the LORD
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
“I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
The LORD swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne."
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
"If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies which I shall teach them,
their sons also for ever
shall sit upon your throne.”
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his habitation:
“This is my resting place for ever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
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GOSPEL
Living in the Light of God's Truth and Wisdom
MARK 4:21-25
21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. 25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
Called to shine in the midst of darkness, by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Why does the Lord call us the light of the world? Why has he compared us to a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14)? Are we not called to shine in the midst of darkness, and stand up high for those most sunk down? If you hide your lamp beneath a bushel (Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:26, 11:33), you will soon notice that you yourself will be in the dark. You will find others bumping into you. So what can you do to illumine the world? Let your faith produce good works. Be a reflection of God's light. The good is not preoccupied with darkness. It rejoices in being seen (John 3:21). It exults over the very pointings which are made at it. Christian modesty not only wishes to be modest, but also it wishes to be beheld as what it actually is."
(excerpt from ON THE APPAREL OF WOMEN 2.13)
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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.