The 28th of January, 2022, Friday is the Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church. The Bible scriptures for the holy mass readings for this day came from the Year 2022 of Liturgical Calendar.
Reading 1: 2 SM 11:1-4A, 5-10A, 13-17
The first reading from the Book of Samuel.
At the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
At evening, David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at.
David sent and inquired after the woman. One said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, Uriah the Hittite’s wife?”
David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her.
The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”
David sent to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” Joab sent Uriah to David.
When Uriah had come to him, David asked him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.
David said to Uriah, “God own to your house and wash your feet.” Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and a gift from the king was sent after him.
But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and didn’t go down to his house.
When they had told David, saying, “Uriah didn’t go down to his house,”
When David had called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. At evening, he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but didn’t go down to his house.
In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
He wrote in the letter, saying, “Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck and die.”
When Joab kept watch on the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were.
The men of the city went out and fought with Joab. Some of the people fell, even of David’s servants; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
Responsorial Psalm: PS 51:1-2, 3-4A, 4BCD-5, 8-9
Response: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
R: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.
R: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
So you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
Behold, I was born in iniquity. My mother conceived me in sin.
R: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
Let me hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities.
R: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
Gospel of the Day: MK 4:26-34
From the gospel verse according to Mark.
Jesus said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how.
For the earth bears fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
