January 20: Daily Readings & Quote

St Fabio;  St. Sebastian

God is always almighty; He can at all times work miracles, and He would work them now as in the days of old were it not that faith is lacking!

-St. John Vianney

Today's readings are:

Exodus 1-2

Mark 8:1-26

1

¹ These are the names of the sons of Israel who, accompanied by their households, migrated with Jacob into Egypt:

2

² Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;

3

Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;

4

Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

5

³ The total number of the direct descendants of Jacob was seventy. Joseph was already in Egypt.

6

Now Joseph and all his brothers and that whole generation died.

7

But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific. They became so numerous and strong that the land was filled with them.

8

Then a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph ⁴ , came to power in Egypt.

9

He said to his subjects, "Look how numerous and powerful the Israelite people are growing, more so than we ourselves!

10

Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us, and so leave our country."

11

⁵ Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. Thus they had to build for Pharaoh the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses.

12

Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. The Egyptians, then, dreaded the Israelites

13

and reduced them to cruel slavery,

14

⁶ making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work--the whole cruel fate of slaves.

15

The king of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shiphrah and the other Puah,

16

⁷ When you act as midwives for the Hebrew women and see them giving birth, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she may live."

17

The midwives, however, feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt had ordered them, but let the boys live.

18

So the king summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you acted thus, allowing the boys to live?"

19

The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are robust and give birth before the midwife arrives."

20

Therefore God dealt well with the midwives. The people, too, increased and grew strong.

21

And because the midwives feared God, he built up families for them.

22

⁸ Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, "Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live."

1

Now a certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,

2

who conceived and bore a son. Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months.

3

¹ When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket, daubed it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the child in it, placed it among the reeds on the river bank.

4

His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

5

Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her maids walked along the river bank. Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it.

6

On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying! She was moved with pity for him and said, "It is one of the Hebrews' children."

7

Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"

8

"Yes, do so," she answered. So the maiden went and called the child's own mother.

9

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you." The woman therefore took the child and nursed it.

10

² When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son and called him Moses; for she said, "I drew him out of the water."

11

³ On one occasion, after Moses had grown up, when he visited his kinsmen and witnessed their forced labor, he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own kinsmen.

12

Looking about and seeing no one, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

13

The next day he went out again, and now two Hebrews were fighting! So he asked the culprit, "Why are you striking your fellow Hebrew?"

14

But he replied, "Who has appointed you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses became afraid and thought, "The affair must certainly be known."

15

Pharaoh, too, heard of the affair and sought to put him to death. But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian. As he was seated there by a well,

16

seven daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock.

17

But some shepherds came and drove them away. Then Moses got up and defended them and watered their flock.

18

⁴ When they returned to their father Reuel, he said to them, "How is it you have returned so soon today?"

19

⁵ They answered, "An Egyptian saved us from the interference of the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock!"

20

"Where is the man?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him there? Invite him to have something to eat."

21

Moses agreed to live with him, and the man gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage.

22

⁶ She bore him a son, whom he named Gershom; for he said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land."

23

A long time passed, during which the king of Egypt died. Still the Israelites groaned and cried out because of their slavery. As their cry for release went up to God,

24

he heard their groaning and was mindful of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

25

He saw the Israelites and knew. . . .

1

¹ In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said,

2

"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.

3

If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance."

4

His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?"

5

Still he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied.

6

² He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd.

7

They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also.

8

They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over--seven baskets.

9

There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them

10

and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

11

³ The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.

12

He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."

13

Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

14

They had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

15

⁴ He enjoined them, "Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

16

They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread.

17

When he became aware of this he said to them, "Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened?

18

Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember,

19

when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?" They answered him, "Twelve."

20

"When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?" They answered (him), "Seven."

21

He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

22

⁵ When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.

23

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, "Do you see anything?"

24

Looking up he replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking."

25

Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.

26

Then he sent him home and said, "Do not even go into the village."