Keep my words - 29-01-2026
Thursday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
Readings Responsorial Psalm Gospel YOUCAT Reflection
First Reading
2 Sam 7,18-19.24-29.
After Nathan had spoken to King David,
the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,
“Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,
that you have brought me to this point?
Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;
you have also spoken of the house of your servant for a long time to come:
this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD!
You have established for yourself your people Israel as yours forever,
and you, LORD, have become their God.
And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy
you have made concerning your servant and his house,
and do as you have promised.
Your name will be forever great, when men say,
'The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,'
and the house of your servant David stands firm before you.
It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
who said in a revelation to your servant,
'I will build a house for you.'
Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you.
And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;
you have made this generous promise to your servant.
Do, then, bless the house of your servant that it may be before you forever;
for you, Lord GOD, have promised,
and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever."
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 132(131),1-2.3-5.11.12.13-14.
LORD, remember David
and all his anxious care;
How he swore an oath to the LORD,
vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
"I will not enter the house where I live,
nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep,
my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a home for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
The LORD swore an oath to David,
a pledge never to be broken:
"Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne."
"If your sons keep my covenant
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne."
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He prefers her for his dwelling.
"Zion is my resting place forever;
In her will I dwell, for I prefer her."
Gospel
Mark 4,21-25.
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear."
He also told them, "Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away."
YOUCAT Reflection
335 What significance does the Law of the Old Covenant have?
In the Law (the Torah), and its centerpiece, the
Ten Commandments (the Decalogue), the will of God is manifested to the people of Israel; following the Torah is for Israel the central way to salvation. Christians know that we can tell by the Law what ought to be done. They also know, however, that it is not the Law that saves us.
Every man has the experience of finding that something good is, so to speak, "prescribed". But one does not have the strength to accomplish it; it is too difficult; one feels "helpless" (see Rom 8,3 and Rom 7,14–25). One sees the Law and feels that one has been handed over to sin. And so precisely through the Law it becomes clear how urgently we rely on inner strength in order to fulfill the Law. That is why the Law, as good and important as it is, only prepares the way for faith in the saving God.