17 January 2026 (Saturday) / Saint Anthony, Abbot Obligatory Memorial / Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

17 January 2026 (Saturday)

Saint Anthony, Abbot Obligatory Memorial.

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: First Samuel 9: 1-4, 17-19; 10: 1
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 21: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Alleluia: Luke 4: 18
Gospel: Mark 2: 13-17

First Reading: First Samuel 9: 1-4, 17-19; 10: 1

1 Now I there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Cis, the son of Abiel, the son of Seror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphia, the son of a man of Jemini, valiant and strong.
2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and goodly man, and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he appeared above all the people.
3 And the asses of Cis, Sauls father, were lost: and Cis said to his son Saul: Take one of the servants with thee, and arise, go, and seek the asses. And when they had passed through mount Ephraim,
4 And through the land of Salisa, and had not found them, they passed also through the land of Salim, and they were not there: and through the land of Jemini, and found them not.
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him: Behold the man, of whom I spoke to thee, this man shall reign over my people.
18 And Saul came to Samuel in the midst of the gate and said: Tell me, I pray thee, where is the house of the seer?
19 And Samuel answered Saul, saying: I am the seer, go up before me to the high place, that you may eat with me today, and I will let thee go in the morning: and tell thee all that is in thy heart.
10:1 And Samuel took a little vial of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: Behold, the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance, and thou shalt deliver his people out of the hands of their enemies, that are round about them. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that God hath anointed thee to be prince.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 21: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (2) Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
2 In thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy; and in thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly.
3 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire: and hast not withholden from him the will of his lips.
R. Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
4 For thou hast prevented him with blessings of sweetness: thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones.
5 He asked life of thee: and thou hast given him length of days for ever and ever.
R. Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
6 His glory is great in thy salvation: glory and great beauty shalt thou lay upon him.
7 For thou shalt give him to be a blessing for ever and ever: thou shalt make him joyful in gladness with thy countenance.
R. Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

Alleluia: Luke 4: 18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
18 The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Mark 2: 13-17

13 And he went forth again to the sea side; and all the multitude came to him, and he taught them.
14 And when he was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at the receipt of custom; and he saith to him: Follow me. And rising up, he followed him.
15 And it came to pass, that as he sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat down together with Jesus and his disciples. For they were many, who also followed him.
16 And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing that he ate with publicans and sinners, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
17 Jesus hearing this, saith to them: They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. For I came not to call the just, but sinners.

For our reflection today:

Like Matthew the tax collector, each of us trusts in the grace of the Lord regardless of our sins. We are all sinners, we have all sinned. By calling Matthew, Jesus shows sinners that he does not look at their past, at their social status, at external conventions, but rather, he opens a new future to them. I once heard a beautiful saying: “There is no saint without a past nor a sinner without a future”. This is what Jesus does. There is no saint without a past nor a sinner without a future. It is enough to respond to the call with a humble and sincere heart. The Church is not a community of perfect people, but of disciples on a journey, who follow the Lord because they know they are sinners and in need of his pardon. Thus, Christian life is a school of humility which opens us to grace. Such behaviour is not understood by those who have the arrogance to believe they are “just” and to believe they are better than others. Hubris and pride do not allow one to recognize him- or herself as in need of salvation, but rather prevent one from seeing the merciful face of God and from acting with mercy. We all need to be nourished by the mercy of God, for it is from this source that our salvation flows. (Pope Francis – General Audience, 13 April 2016)

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love (Blessed  and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)