2nd TUESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 2:23-28) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” (Mk 2:27)

FIRST READING - 1 Sm 16:1-13

"Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David."

A reading from the Book of Samuel

¹ The Lord said to Samuel: How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for from among his sons I have decided on a king.^{[a] 2} But Samuel replied: “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me.” To this the Lord answered: Take a heifer along and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do; you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.

⁴ Samuel did as the Lord had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?” ⁵ He replied: “Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. So purify yourselves and celebrate with me today.” He also had Jesse and his sons purify themselves and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶ As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed is here before the Lord.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart. ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The Lord has not chosen him.” ⁹ Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ¹⁰ In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any one of these.” ¹¹ Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he arrives here.” ¹² Jesse had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth with beautiful eyes, and good looking. The Lord said: There—anoint him, for this is the one! ¹³ Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. Then Samuel set out for Ramah.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mk 2:23-28

"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath."

✠From the Gospel according to Mark

²³ As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. ²⁴ At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” ²⁵ He said to them, “Have you never read what David did^[a] when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? ²⁶ How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” ²⁷ Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man,^[b] not man for the sabbath. ^28 [c]That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

2nd TUESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mark 2:23-28)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God calls upon all humanity to place God's law of love above all things. He does not want people to use the law to kill one another or to use the law to harm one another.

Through the image of the Pharisees who criticized Jesus' disciples when the Master and His disciples were passing through a grain field, and the disciples picked the grain to eat on the Sabbath.

Lord Jesus taught those present there as well as everyone a lesson:

Do not observe the law hypocritically, but observe the law from your heart, and the heart always originates from love.

God calls upon everyone to place love above all laws; living and acting according to the law of love is the way to lead humanity to God, to touch God because the law is the path to bring humanity to God, to bring humanity to love.

When a weak person does not walk the path of the law of love to reach God, that soul easily falls into the temptation of Satan.

Today's Word of God calls upon all humanity to:

• Listen to and practice the word of God, which is practicing the law of love to lead humanity to God.

• Be vigilant to walk in the law of love, which is the path leading to God, the only path that humanity must choose and walk.

Only this law of love brings life to humanity and free humanity from the captivity of Satan.

God also calls upon humanity:

• not to fall into the temptations of Satan anymore, not to observe the law hypocritically, which only harms your fellow brothers and sisters, which will not please God the Father.

• to place the law of love above all laws, so that humanity may attain eternal happy life alongside God the Father.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 Jan 20, 2026 - Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven