Catholic Daily Reading + Reflection: Sunday 31 January 2021

Readings at Mass for Sunday January 31, 2021

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Vestment: Green
Today’s Rosary: Glorious Mystery

Theme of the Sunday: Jesus the Expected Prophet. The first reading announces the coming of a prophet who will speak in the name of God. The gospel tells us that this prophet is Jesus. He doesn’t communicate the word of God the way the rabbis used to; his message is new and he proclaims it “with authority.” His word is effective and frees us from the forces of evil that rule us. The second reading presents an example of the “new doctrine”: the new value attributed to virginity which is lived for the love of and at the service of our brothers and sisters.

Entrance Ant.

Save us, O Lord our God! And gather us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, and make it our glory to praise you.

Collect

Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honour you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord.

FIRST READING

“I will raise up a prophet, and I will put my words in his mouth.”
A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 18:15-20)

Moses spoke to the people, saying, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brethren— him you shall heed — just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They have rightly said all that they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not give heed to my words which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him, But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. ”’

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 95 : 1-2.6-7abc.7d-9 (R. see 7d.8a)

R. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Harden not your hearts.

Come, let us ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come into his presence, giving thanks;
let us hail him with a song of praise. R.

O come; let us bow and bend low.
Let us kneel before the God who made us,
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand. R.

R. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Harden not your hearts.

O that today you would listen to his voice!
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your forebears put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.” R.

SECOND READING

“The virgin is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy.”
A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 7:32-35)

Brethren: I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or virgin is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

The word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA Matthew 4: 16

Alleluia. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

“He taught them as one who had authority.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 1:21b-28)

[In the city of Capernaum] on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirit, and they obey him.” And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Christ taught with authority.

PRIEST: My brothers and sisters, Christ’s teaching had the stamp of authority, not only because he was God’s Son, but also because his life-style was at one with his preaching. We pray to God our Father for the same authority within the Church in the world of today

READER
For the leaders of the Church, (pause) let the divine commission of authority given to them by Jesus Christ be exercised with integrity and credibility, so that all may learn to believe in their teaching. (pause) Hear us, O Lord; as we listen to your word we pray Oh Lord.

For the leaders of the government, (pause) let them understand that all authority comes from God, and that their function in society is to reflect God’s plan for all his people. (pause) Hear us, O Lord; as we listen to your word we pray Oh Lord.

For those who suffer at work because of the wrong use of power, (pause) let them turn to the Holy Spirit, who will guard and guide their minds and hearts and teach them not to worry unduly. (pause) Hear us, O Lord; as we listen to your word we pray Oh Lord.

For all parents, teachers, and those who have charge of the young, (pause) let them honour those whom they lead, and, through their love and patience, grow in mutual understanding of each other’s problems. (pause) Hear us, O Lord; as we listen to your word we pray Oh Lord.

PRIEST: We pray for our own intentions in silence to God, who reads our hearts.

Father, we pray to you that as you teach us with authority, so may we listen with integrity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today’s Reflection

Today being the Fourth Sunday in the Church’s Liturgical year, the readings outline that the promised messiah is one whose word is authoritative and rightly to be obeyed, Saint Paul emphasizes at holiness remains the yardstick of serving God and worshiping him with undivided attention whether we are priests, religious or married persons. In his ministry Jesus manifested his authority both in words and in deeds as the chosen one of God. Therefore, as Christians, we are enjoined to give our undivided attention to Jesus Christ who is the epitome of authority.