Mass readings for today, Monday, January 12, 2026

First Reading: (1 Samuel 1:1-8)

Responsorial Psalm:

(Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17, 18-19)
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

Alleluia Verse

Alleluia.
The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel. (cf. Mark 1:15) 

Gospel: (Mark 1:14-20)

Reflection

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on God’s call and our response.

In the first reading, Hannah’s hardship and longing remind us that God sees the silent struggles of the heart. Even in pain and waiting, her story begins a deeper journey toward trust in God’s providence.

The Gospel shows Jesus calling ordinary men, fishermen, to follow Him. Their immediate response illustrates openness and readiness to leave behind what is familiar to embrace a new mission in Christ.

Spiritual insights:

• Like Hannah, we can bring our deep longings and sufferings to God with trust.

• Like the first disciples, we are challenged to respond promptly and wholeheartedly to Christ’s call in our lives.

• Today’s Alleluia reminds us that the Kingdom of God is near when we repent and believe in Jesus’ good news.

On further proclamation of 

“The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

This announcement is not simply a warning or a distant promise; it is an invitation. Jesus proclaims that God’s reign is breaking into the world now, not only in some future age. Wherever mercy triumphs over judgment, wherever forgiveness replaces resentment, wherever the poor are lifted and the broken are healed, the Kingdom is already unfolding.

It calls for a response.

Not fear, but readiness.

Not passivity, but conversion, turning of the heart toward God’s way of seeing, loving, and acting.

To say the Kingdom is at hand is to recognize that God is closer than we imagine, working in the ordinary, stirring in our conscience, and inviting us to participate in His renewal of the world. It is both comfort and challenge: comfort because God is near, and challenge because His nearness asks us to live differently.

God bless you 

Pal Ronnie