January 13, 2016

The First Book of Samuel   3: 1-10, 19-20

3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no manifest vision.
3:2 Then it happened that, on a certain day, Eli was lying in his place. And his eyes had dimmed, so that he was unable to see.
3:3 And so, to prevent the lamp of God from going out, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
3:4 And the Lord called Samuel. And responding, he said, “Here I am.”
3:5 And he ran to Eli, and he said, “Here I am. For you called me.” And he said: “I did not call. Return and sleep.” And he went away, and he slept.
3:6 And again, the Lord continued to call to Samuel. And rising up, Samuel went to Eli, and he said: “Here I am. For you called me.” And he responded: “I did not call you, my son. Return and sleep.”
3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not been revealed to him.
3:8 And the Lord continued, and he called to Samuel still a third time. And rising up, he went to Eli.
3:9 And he said: “Here I am. For you called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord had called the boy. And he said to Samuel: “Go and sleep. And if he calls to you from now on, you will say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” Therefore, Samuel went away, and he slept in his place.
3:10 And the Lord came, and stood, and he called, just as he had called the other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” And Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
3:19 And Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, and not one of his words fell to the ground.
3:20 And all of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew Samuel to be a faithful prophet of the Lord.

The Holy Gospel According to Mark   1: 29-39

1:29 And soon after departing from the synagogue, they went into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
1:30 But the mother-in-law of Simon lay ill with a fever. And at once they told him about her.
1:31 And drawing near to her, he raised her up, taking her by the hand. And immediately the fever left her, and she ministered to them.
1:32 Then, when evening arrived, after the sun had set, they brought to him all who had maladies and those who had demons.
1:33 And the entire city was gathered together at the door.
1:34 And he healed many who were troubled with various illnesses. And he cast out many demons, but he would not permit them to speak, because they knew him.
1:35 And rising up very early, departing, he went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
1:36 And Simon, and those who were with him, followed after him.
1:37 And when they had found him, they said to him, “For everyone is seeking you.”
1:38 And he said to them: “Let us go into the neighboring towns and cities, so that I may preach there also. Indeed, it was for this reason that I came.”
1:39 And he was preaching in their synagogues and throughout all of Galilee, and casting out demons.