January 21, 2019

Reading

The Letter to the Hebrews   5: 1-10

5:1 For every high priest, having been taken from among men, is appointed on behalf of men toward the things which pertain to God, so that he may offer gifts and sacrifices on behalf of sins;
5:2 he is able to commiserate with those who are ignorant and who wander astray, because he himself is also encompassed by infirmity.
5:3 And because of this, he also must make such offerings for sins even for himself, in the same manner as for the people.
5:4 Neither does anyone take up this honor himself, but rather he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.
5:5 Thus, even Christ did not glorify himself, so as to become High Priest, but instead, it was God who said to him: “You are my Son. Today I have begotten you.”
5:6 And similarly, he says in another place: “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5:7 It is Christ who, in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offered prayers and supplications to the One who was able to save him from death, and who was heard because of his reverence.
5:8 And although, certainly, he is the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things that he suffered.
5:9 And having reached his consummation, he was made, for all who are obedient to him, the cause of eternal salvation,
5:10 having been called by God to be the High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel

The Holy Gospel According to Mark    2: 18-22

2:18 And the disciples of John, and the Pharisees, were fasting. And they arrived and said to him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
2:19 And Jesus said to them: “How can the sons of the wedding fast while the groom is still with them? During whatever time they have the groom with them, they are not able to fast.
2:20 But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they shall fast, in those days.
2:21 No one sews a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. Otherwise, the new addition pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse.
2:22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine will pour out, and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.”