30 January 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

Friday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time

First Reading
2 Samuel 11:1–4, 5–10, 13–17
David remains in Jerusalem and sins with Bathsheba. When he cannot cover the consequences, he manipulates events so that Uriah is placed where he will be killed. The reading lays bare how sin escalates when it is hidden rather than confessed. 

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50(51):3–7, 10–11
Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
This psalm is the language of repentance: naming sin without excuses, pleading for mercy, and asking God to renew the heart. 

Gospel
Mark 4:26–34
Jesus describes the Kingdom like seed growing “of its own accord” — from shoot, to ear, to full grain, until the harvest. He then compares it to the mustard seed: the smallest seed becoming the biggest shrub, a place of shelter. Jesus teaches in parables, revealing the mystery of God’s reign in ordinary images. 

Reflection
Today holds two realities together: the seriousness of sin and the steadiness of God’s work.

David’s story is painful because it is realistic. What begins as a private choice becomes public injustice. The Bible does not romanticise David here; it shows how sin distorts judgement and harms the innocent. The Catechism names sin plainly as an offence against truth and love, wounding the person and injuring human solidarity (CCC 1849). 

The psalm gives us the right response: not self-defence, but repentance — a heart turned back to God. The Catechism describes this as interior conversion, not mere outward performance: a real return of the heart (CCC 1430). 

Then Jesus lifts our gaze. The Kingdom is not built by panic or control. Seed grows while the sower sleeps and wakes; the mustard seed becomes a home for others. God’s reign advances with patience and power — often hidden, always real. Jesus teaches the Kingdom through parables (CCC 546) — inviting not just hearing, but a change of life. 

So today is not despair. It is clarity: sin must be confessed and turned from, and God’s Kingdom must be trusted — especially when growth looks slow. The call is simple and demanding: repent honestly, and keep sowing what is good.

A moment of pause
Where do you need to stop hiding — and return to God with a clean heart?