Daily Mass Readings – Monday, 1 February 2027

32 And what shall I yet say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, Barac, Samson, Jephthe, David, Samuel, and the prophets:

33 Who by faith conquered kingdoms, wrought justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, recovered strength from weakness, became valiant in battle, put to flight the armies of foreigners:

35 Women received their dead raised to life again. But others were racked, not accepting deliverance, that they might find a better resurrection.

36 And others had trial of mockeries and stripes, moreover also of bands and prisons.

37 They were stoned, they were cut asunder, they were tempted, they were put to death by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being in want, distressed, afflicted:

38 Of whom the world was not worthy; wandering in deserts, in mountains, and in dens, and in caves of the earth.

39 And all these being approved by the testimony of faith, received not the promise;

40 God providing some better thing for us, that they should not be perfected without us.

R. (25) Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

20 O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

21 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

22 Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

23 But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

24 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

R. Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

16 A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

1 And they came over the strait of the sea into the country of the Gerasens.

2 And as he went out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the monuments a man with an unclean spirit,

3 Who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no man now could bind him, not even with chains.

4 For having been often bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains, and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him.

5 And he was always day and night in the monuments and in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones.

6 And seeing Jesus afar off, he ran and adored him.

7 And crying with a loud voice, he said: What have I to do with thee, Jesus the Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not.

8 For he said unto him: Go out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

9 And he asked him: What is thy name? And he saith to him: My name is Legion, for we are many.

10 And he besought him much, that he would not drive him away out of the country.

11 And there was there near the mountain a great herd of swine, feeding.

12 And the spirits besought him, saying: Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

13 And Jesus immediately gave them leave. And the unclean spirits going out, entered into the swine: and the herd with great violence was carried headlong into the sea, being about two thousand, and were stifled in the sea.

14 And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the fields. And they went out to see what was done:

15 And they came to Jesus, and they see him that was troubled with the devil, sitting, clothed, and well in his wits, and they were afraid.

16 And they that had seen it, told them, in what manner he had been dealt with who had the devil; and concerning the swine.

17 And they began to pray him that he would depart from their coasts.

18 And when he went up into the ship, he that had been troubled with the devil, began to beseech him that he might be with him.

19 And he admitted him not, but saith to him: Go into thy house to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had mercy on thee.

20 And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men wondered.

Faith does not promise an easy path, but it places every path in the hands of God. The witnesses praised in Scripture conquered and endured, received blessings and suffered persecution, yet remained faithful even when the promise was not fulfilled in their lifetime. Their hope rested in the Lord, who shelters those who trust him and hears the cry of the afflicted.

That same faithful God visits his people in Jesus. The man among the tombs, held by a legion of unclean spirits and beyond human restraint, encounters a power that no chain can resist. Christ restores him to himself: he is seated, clothed, and in his right mind. Then Jesus sends him home to tell what mercy has done. Some people fear this transformation and ask Jesus to leave, but the healed man becomes a witness. We may likewise face struggles that seem entrenched, or endure seasons when God’s promise feels distant. The readings call us to remain with Christ, trusting his authority and mercy. Hope is not passive; it receives his freedom and carries his testimony into ordinary places.

Lord Jesus, Son of the Most High God, come with your mercy into every place in us that is wounded, divided, or held captive. Give us the steadfast faith of your servants, who trusted you through victory and suffering alike. When your promises seem far away, shelter us in your presence and teach us to hope. Restore our minds and hearts to peace, and keep us from fearing the freedom you give. Make our lives a quiet testimony to your compassion. Send us to our homes, our friends, and our daily duties with gratitude for all you have done. Amen.