DAILY READINGS & REFLECTION
JANUARY 26, 2026
MONDAY - MEMORIAL OF SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS, BISHOPS
(IN INDIA - REPUBLIC DAY)
FIRST READING
2 TIMOTHY 1:1-8 OR (TITUS 1:1-5) (IN INDIA - 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-8)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. 4 As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo'is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. 6 Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. 8 Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God.
The Word of the Lord
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
PSALMS 95(96):1-3, 7-8, 10 OR (IN INDIA - PSALMS 91:1-6, 10-11)
Response: Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
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GOSPEL
Jesus frees us from Satan's power
MARK 3:22-30 OR (LUKE 10:1-9) (IN INDIA - JOHN 8:31-42)
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons." 23 And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. 28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" 30 for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
The Gospel of the Lord
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REFLECTION
DAILY QUOTE FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
The cross of Christ as victory, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"It is not difficult, therefore, to see how the devil was conquered when he, who was slain by him, rose again. But there is something greater and more profound of comprehension: to see how the devil was conquered precisely when he was thought to be conquering, namely, when Christ was crucified. For at that moment the blood of him who had no sin at all, was shed for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28, 1 John 3:5). The devil deservedly held those whom he had bound by sin to the condition of death. So it happened that One who was guilty of no sin freed them justly from this condemnation (Hebrews 2:14). The strong man was conquered by this paradoxical justice and bound by this chain, that his vessels [booty] might be taken away. Those vessels which had been vessels of wrath were turned into vessels of mercy (Romans 9:22-23)."
(excerpt ON THE TRINITY 13.15.19)
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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.