ST. AGNES, VIRGIN & MARTYR, ON WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 2 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people. MT 4:23

1 SAMUEL 17:32-33,37,40-51

My Soul's Beloved, 

David slew Goliath with a sling and a smooth stone. This was not a permanent victory of the people of Israel against their enemies. You, however, O Lord, smote evil through Your passion and death by crucifixion and destroyed the power of evil and death forever. 

The five smooth stones that David picked from the stream represent Your 5 wounds, inflicted by the nails that held You fast to the Cross. Only one wound would have purchased the salvation of the world, but the Father wanted to reveal to us the infinite depths of His love for us, His wayward children. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

The way of evil is deception. Goliath looked far more invincible than he really was. Despite his height, his experience as a warrior, and his armor, he was no match for God, who was with David and who delivered the enemy into his hands. All we need is You, Lord, and we need to have the faith of David, and we too will be invincible against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

So many scoff at God and at You, Lord, through ignorance, but we who have faith walk in it and see miracles and signs of Your love everywhere. Every lash of the whip on Your Body, every taunt, all the mockery You endured, the spittle, the blows, and the nails that were hammered into Your hands and feet and splintered bones as You were pinned to the Cross, and finally the spear that was plunged deep into Your side, piercing Your Sacred Heart, has won the final victory. Satan has his hour, Beloved, but You have won the day for all of us who are grafted to You. Thank You, Lord.

David said to Saul, ‘Let no-one lose heart on his account; your servant will go and fight the Philistine.’ But Saul answered David, ‘You cannot go and fight the Philistine; you are only a boy and he has been a warrior from his youth.’
‘The Lord who rescued me from the claws of lion and bear’ David said ‘will rescue me from the power of this Philistine.’ Then Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you!’
He took his staff in his hand, picked five smooth stones from the river bed, put them in his shepherd’s bag, in his pouch, and with his sling in his hand he went to meet the Philistine. The Philistine, his shield-bearer in front of him, came nearer and nearer to David; and the Philistine looked at David, and what he saw filled him with scorn, because David was only a youth, a boy of fresh complexion and pleasant bearing. The Philistine said to him, ‘Am I a dog for you to come against me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come over here and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.’ But David answered the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have dared to insult. Today the Lord will deliver you into my hand and I shall kill you; I will cut off your head, and this very day I will give your dead body and the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord gives the victory, for the Lord is lord of the battle and he will deliver you into our power.’
No sooner had the Philistine started forward to confront David than David left the line of battle and ran to meet the Philistine. Putting his hand in his bag, he took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; the stone penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine down and killed him. David had no sword in his hand. Then David ran and, standing over the Philistine, seized his sword and drew it from the scabbard, and with this he killed him, cutting off his head. The Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and took to flight.

PSALM 143(144):1-2,9-10

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my arms for battle,
who prepares my hands for war.

He is my love, my fortress;
he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
He brings peoples under my rule.

To you, O God, will I sing a new song;
I will play on the ten-stringed lute
to you who give kings their victory,
who set David your servant free.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

MARK 3:1-6

My Soul's Beloved, 

So much about our indifference to Truth and the love of God grieves You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. We see this in Your reaction to the Pharisees who refused to answer You because they knew their response would condemn them. Here, in the synagogue, was a man with a withered hand. It was the sabbath day, and Your heart was moved with pity for the poor man. You were quite aware of what the reaction of the Pharisees would be, yet You did not let it hinder You. 

We, on the other hand, are very careful not to upset the status quo for fear of retribution or a negative reaction. We weigh the pros and cons of doing something, and then the moment passes, and we have lost the opportunity given to us by God to do good. Too often, the world hastens to ensure that the rich get richer and more powerful, and then it kowtows to them while the ones in real need of help are ignored and pushed to the peripheries, where we can safely pretend they do not exist.

You invited the man to 'Stand up out in the middle!' You gave the Pharisees a chance to redeem themselves, but they did not. Impatient and angry with them at their refusal to speak up for what was right and true, You said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it and was healed. The response of the Pharisees was to go out immediately and plot against You and discuss how to destroy You.

Jesus went into a synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him. He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up out in the middle!’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?’ But they said nothing. Then, grieved to find them so obstinate, he looked angrily round at them, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was better. The Pharisees went out and at once began to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him.

TUESDAY OF WEEK 2 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. EPH 1:17, 18

1 SAMUEL 16:1-13

My Soul's Beloved, 

Truly, Your thoughts are so unlike ours, and Your ways so much higher than ours, for we look at the outside, but You, who are God, judge the human heart. All too often, we have misjudged people because of their appearance, circumstances, their culture, language, and background, and we make poor judgment calls based on such irrelevant reasons instead of the good qualities and character of the person. 

Samuel, a great prophet of God, was still afraid of the king, instead of trusting that God, who sent him on a mission to anoint a new king, would protect him. We, too, are no different. We are fearful of our own shadows, despite all the times You have proved to us that You are trustworthy and that nothing happens which is not for our own good. You, O Lord, spoke clearly to Samuel and said to him, ‘I myself will tell you what you must do; you must anoint to me the one I point out to you.’ We all can have such a close and intimate relationship with You. If we lean on You, rely on You, trust You in all the circumstances of our lives, even in those that are most difficult, in the end all will turn out right. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, You came to give us a peace that the world cannot give but we must be willing to receive it. Grant me this grace today, Lord, and give it to every member of my family who is struggling to rest serenely in Your will and Your peace.

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you go on mourning over Saul when I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel replied, ‘How can I go? When Saul hears of it he will kill me.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then I myself will tell you what you must do; you must anoint to me the one I point out to you.’
Samuel did what the Lord ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came trembling to meet him and asked, ‘Seer, have you come with good intentions towards us?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him’, but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse then called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on. As for Samuel, he rose and went to Ramah.

PSALM 88(89):20-22,27-28

I have found David, my servant.

Of old you spoke in a vision.
To your friends the prophets you said:
‘I have set the crown on a warrior,
I have exalted one chosen from the people.

‘I have found David my servant
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him
and my arm shall make him strong.

‘He will say to me: “You are my father,
my God, the rock who saves me.”
And I will make him my first-born,
the highest of the kings of the earth.’

I have found David, my servant.

MARK 2:23-28

My Soul's Beloved, 

There are two kinds of people - those like the Pharisees who have their ears to the ground and their eyes peeled to find fault and finger wag. It makes them feel superior, holier than thou, and self-righteous. People who are at peace go about life blithely, safe in the knowledge that they are children of a loving Father. 

Too often, rules, culture, and laws are slammed down the throats of the voiceless, demanding that they be obeyed. The rich, the proud, the influential, the powerful are exempted, whereas those who belong to the wrong religion, or country, or speak a different language, or have the wrong connections are either marginalized or persecuted. 

Today, Lord, You remind us that laws and rules are given to serve the good of people, not to oppress them and forget their legitimate needs. We never forget the person and never fail to show compassion and mercy, just as we expect the same be shown to us.  

One sabbath day, Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’
And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’