FRIDAY OF WEEK 2 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. 2 COR 5:19

1 SAMUEL 24:3-21

My Soul's Beloved, 

Few of us react like David when he came upon Saul and could have killed him when Saul was helpless to do anything about it. Yet, David recalled that Saul was anointed by God, and this truth alone preserved him from taking his life, even though Saul had no such refined sensibilities and was determined to pursue him until he found him and killed him. 

Who among us, O Lord, will reason as David did when his companions quoted Scripture to him and made a compelling case why he should destroy Saul when God actually made it possible for him to do just that? David was able to cut a piece of Saul's cloak, and Saul was none the wiser; yet, he felt remorse for having done it. He did not desire to gloat for this truth was always before him, ‘The Lord preserve me from doing such a thing to my lord and raising my hand against him, for he is the anointed of the Lord.’ How easily we find plausible excuses to harm those who harm us. How easily we retaliate when people offend us. How easily we are riled when we think we are being disrespected. Today, Lord, You remind us how we should respond to those who seek to harm us. We must always do what is good, right, holy, noble, and just and trust God to take care of us in all circumstances.

It isn't easy, Lord, to live the Beatitudes, but this is the only way if we are to be a sign of Your love in the world. Thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness and to enable us to do with His help what we can never do on our own.

Saul took three thousand men chosen from the whole of Israel and went in search of David and his men east of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheepfolds along the route where there was a cave, and went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave; David’s men said to him, ‘Today is the day of which the Lord said to you, “I will deliver your enemy into your power, do what you like with him.”’ David stood up and, unobserved, cut off the border of Saul’s cloak. Afterwards David reproached himself for having cut off the border of Saul’s cloak. He said to his men, ‘The Lord preserve me from doing such a thing to my lord and raising my hand against him, for he is the anointed of the Lord.’ David gave his men strict instructions, forbidding them to attack Saul.

Saul then left the cave and went on his way. After this, David too left the cave and called after Saul, ‘My lord king!’ Saul looked behind him and David bowed to the ground and did homage. Then David said to Saul, ‘Why do you listen to the men who say to you, “David means to harm you”? Why, your own eyes have seen today how the Lord put you in my power in the cave and how I refused to kill you, but spared you. “I will not raise my hand against my lord,” I said “for he is the anointed of the Lord.” O my father, see, look at the border of your cloak in my hand. Since I cut off the border of your cloak, yet did not kill you, you must acknowledge frankly that there is neither malice nor treason in my mind. I have not offended against you, yet you hunt me down to take my life. May the Lord be judge between me and you, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be laid on you. (As the old proverb says: Wickedness goes out from the wicked, and my hand will not be laid on you.) On whose trail has the king of Israel set out? On whose trail are you in hot pursuit? On the trail of a dead dog! On the trail of a single flea! May the Lord be the judge and decide between me and you; may he take up my cause and defend it and give judgement for me, freeing me from your power.’
When David had finished saying these words to Saul, Saul said, ‘Is that your voice, my son David?’ And Saul wept aloud. ‘You are a more upright man than I,’ he said to David ‘for you have repaid me with good while I have repaid you with evil. Today you have crowned your goodness towards me since the Lord had put me in your power yet you did not kill me. When a man comes on his enemy, does he let him go unmolested? May the Lord reward you for the goodness you have shown me today. Now I know you will indeed reign and that the sovereignty in Israel will be secure in your hands.’

PSALM 56(57):2-4,6,11

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy
for in you my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge
till the storms of destruction pass by.

I call to God the Most High,
to God who has always been my help.
May he send from heaven and save me
and shame those who assail me.

O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

MARK 3:13-19

My Soul's Beloved, 

St. Mark, the evangelist, tells us that You went up into the hills and there called those who were to be Your closest collaborators and companions. It is God who calls, God who invites, God who makes the choice. It is always God's initiative. We each have a different calling, and only after discerning how You call us to serve You can we respond. We will surely fail if we take on roles that God clearly has not called us to. And those who reject God's call to serve in whatever way that You ask us to will surely live unhappy and unfulfilled lives.

We have the names of the 12 that You handpicked and a little information about some of them. We also know that 11 of them sincerely and faithfully lived out that call until they died. However, the name of Judas Iscariot will always bear the tag of his despicable and heinous crime, "Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him."

What of us, Lord? We, too, are called to be disciples. We are called to strive after holiness and perfection as our Abba is holy and perfect. We are invited to grow in Your image and likeness, and we are not required to do this on our own strength, for You have given us the Holy Spirit to help us. When we stand before You when our days on earth have run out, will we stand as faithful servants like the 11 or like the 1 who betrayed his most beloved Lord, Master, Redeemer, and Friend?

Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.