Gospel of January 19, 2021 with the comment of Pope Francis

READING OF THE DAY
From the letter to the Jews
Heb 6,10-20

Brothers, God is not unjust to forget your work and the charity you have shown towards his name, with the services you have rendered and still render to the saints. We only want each of you to show the same zeal so that his hope may be fulfilled to the end, so that you do not become lazy, but rather imitators of those who, with faith and constancy, become heirs of the promises.

In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, not being able to swear by someone superior to himself, he swore by himself, saying: "I will bless you with every blessing and make your descendants very numerous". Thus Abraham, with his constancy, obtained what he was promised. Men in fact swear by someone greater than themselves, and for them the oath is a guarantee that puts an end to all controversy.
Therefore God, wanting to show the heirs of the promise more clearly the irrevocability of his decision, intervened with an oath, so that, thanks to two irrevocable acts, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we, who have sought refuge in him, have a strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope that is offered to us. In fact, in it we have as a sure and firm anchor for our life: it enters even beyond the veil of the sanctuary, where Jesus entered as a precursor for us, who became high priest forever according to the order of Melchìsedek.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mc 2,23-28

At that time, on the Sabbath Jesus was passing between fields of wheat and his disciples, as they walked, began to pluck the ears.

The Pharisees told him: «Look! Why do they do on Saturday what is not lawful? ». And he said to them, 'Did you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? Under the high priest Abiathar, did he enter the house of God and ate the loaves of the offering, which is not lawful to eat except for priests, and did he also give some to his companions?

And he said to them: «The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath! Therefore the Son of man is also lord of the Sabbath ».

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
This way of living attached to the law distanced them from love and justice. They cared for the law, they neglected justice. They cared for the law, they neglected love. This is the path that Jesus teaches us, totally opposite to that of the doctors of the law. And this path from love to justice leads to God. Instead, the other path, to be attached only to the law, to the letter of the law, leads to closure, leads to selfishness. The road that goes from love to knowledge and discernment, to full fulfillment, leads to holiness, to salvation, to the encounter with Jesus. Instead, this road leads to selfishness, to the pride of feeling righteous, to that holiness in quotation marks. appearances, right? (Santa Marta - 31 October 2014