21 January 2026 (Wednesday) / Saint Agnes, Virgin, Martyr on Wednesday of week 2 in Ordinary Time / Saint Agnes, Virgin, Martyr Obligatory Memorial. Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

21 January 2026 (Wednesday)

Saint Agnes, Virgin, Martyr on Wednesday of week 2 in Ordinary Time.

Saint Agnes, Virgin, Martyr Obligatory Memorial.
Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: First Samuel 17: 32-33, 37, 40-51
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 144: 1, 2, 9-10
Alleluia: Matthew 4: 23
Gospel: Mark 3: 1-6

First Reading : 1 Samuel 17:32‐33,37,40‐51

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.

Responsive Psalm : 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.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
He is my love, my fortress;
  he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
  He brings peoples under my rule.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
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.

Alleluia: Matthew 4: 23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
23 Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : Mark 3:1‐6

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.

For our reflection today:

In the Gospels, many pages tell of Jesus’ encounters with the sick and of his commitment to healing them. He presents himself publicly as one who fights against illness and who has come to heal mankind of every evil: evils of the spirit and evils of the body. When a father or mother, or even just friends brought a sick person for him to touch and heal, he never let time be an issue; healing came before the law, even one as sacred as resting on the Sabbath (cf. Mk 3:1-6). The doctors of the law reproached Jesus because he healed on the Sabbath, he did good on the Sabbath. But the love of Jesus was in giving health, doing good: this always takes priority! In the face of illness, even in families, difficulties arise due to human weakness. But in general, times of illness enable family bonds to grow stronger. The weakness and suffering of our dearest and most cherished loved ones can be, for our children and grandchildren, a school of life and they become so when times of illness are accompanied by prayer and the affectionate and thoughtful closeness of relatives. (Francis - General audience, 10 June 2015)

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