Readings for Tuesday 3 February 2026
First Reading – 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30 – 19:3
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 85(86):1-6
Gospel – Mark 5:21-43
In the First Reading we encounter a tragic moment in Israel’s history: Absalom, David’s son who rebelled against his father, is killed. The brutality of war and the sorrow of a father are starkly portrayed. David’s lament, “Would I had died instead of you,” reflects a deeply human grief that goes beyond justice to a yearning for reconciliation and mercy. The story reminds us that broken relationships and consequences of sin leave lasting wounds that only God’s compassion can begin to heal.
The Responsorial Psalm echoes a plea for divine mercy — “Turn to me and have mercy” — and reflects the heart of the believer who trusts in God’s steadfast love even amid suffering.
In the Gospel, we see Jesus responding directly to human need. The woman afflicted for many years reaches out in faith, not by power or privilege but by trust in Jesus’s healing presence. Jesus affirms her faith and sends her away in peace and health. Shortly after, he brings a dead girl back to life, demonstrating that in him God’s life-giving power is at work in the world. Faith here is not passive; it is a confident reaching out to Christ who loves and restores.
From the perspective of the Catechism, Christ’s miracles of healing are signs of the Kingdom of God and of his compassion for human suffering. In Christ’s healings, “he took our infirmities and bore our diseases,” pointing to the ultimate healing of sin and death through his Paschal Mystery (CCC 1505).
These readings invite us to see that true healing — physical, emotional or spiritual — flows from an encounter with Christ, who enters into our suffering and reconciles us to the Father. They call us to deepen our faith, especially when life presents its hardest moments.
Moment of pause:
Consider where you feel wounded today. Bring that to Jesus in quiet prayer, trusting that he sees you and desires to heal you.
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