Daily Readings
Brethren.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: PS 110:1, 2, 3, 4
Response <R> : You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.” <R>
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion: “Rule in the midst of your enemies.” <R>
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.” <R>
. The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent: “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” <R>
SECOND READING:
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
GOSPEL: Mark 3:1-6
At that time:
Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
DAILY REFLECTION - 22 January 2025
St Vincent Palotti
The first reading explains the meaning of the phrase about Jesus being of the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek has two names attributed to him – righteous king and king of peace. Jesus, the Messiah, will also have similar names attributed to him – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Is 9: 6). Both Melchizedek and Jesus are priests forever because they are the chosen ones of the Father. Jesus goes beyond Melchizedek in that He is the only priest who is also the sacrifice.
The Gospel presents us with an encounter and a faceoff.
On one side we have those who believe that to uphold the law, is to ensure that it is followed to the ‘T’. On the other, we have one who believes that to follow the law is to understand the spirit of the law. Jesus will pay the price for His words and actions, more so because He dares to “live the law”.