Daily Catholic Lectio. Mon, 12 January ‘26. Two Beginnings

Daily Catholic Lectio

Mon, 12 January ‘26

First Week in Ordinary Time, Monday

1 Samuel 1:1–8. Mark 1:14–20

Two Beginnings

Today we enter Ordinary Time, after the seasons of Advent and Christmas. We have celebrated waiting, peace, joy, love, and above all the nearness of God in the birth of Christ. Now we begin to live that grace in ordinary days. Ordinary Time is not ordinary life; it is life shaped, nourished, and carried forward by God’s grace. Today’s readings speak to us about two beginnings.

The first beginning comes in the first reading, at the opening of the Books of Samuel. Samuel will become the last judge and the first prophet of Israel, the one who prepares the way for kingship. But his story begins not with power, but with pain. We meet Hannah, a woman who is barren, misunderstood, and mocked. Her husband tries to console her, but his words cannot heal her deepest wound. Her true consolation comes only from the Lord of hosts. Hannah teaches us patience. She continues to go to the house of the Lord year after year. She prays. She waits. The God who seems to have closed her womb will, in time, open it and bring forth a great prophet. A new beginning is born from patience and prayer.

The second beginning comes in the Gospel, at the start of Jesus’ public ministry. After John’s arrest, Jesus comes to Galilee and begins by proclaiming and calling. His proclamation is clear: “The time is fulfilled. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” This is God’s time, the decisive moment of salvation. More than words, Jesus himself is the Gospel. His life, his actions, his compassion, and his authority reveal the good news of God. This Gospel reaches us every day, and every day it asks for a response.

Then Jesus calls his first disciples. He invites ordinary fishermen to become “fishers of men.” He expands their vision. Fishing ends with fish; discipleship creates lasting impact in human lives. To catch people does not mean to control them, but to draw them toward God. Only those who cling to God can truly touch and transform the lives of others. The disciples leave their nets immediately and join Jesus as his collaborators.

From these two beginnings, we learn two essential lessons. From Hannah, we learn patience—trusting God even when life brings tears and delays. From the disciples, we learn readiness—the courage to respond when God calls. Hannah’s patience opens the door to God’s plan. The disciples’ readiness widens the horizon of their lives.

As we begin Ordinary Time, we are invited to begin again. With patience in prayer. With readiness in response. God is still beginning new things in ordinary days. May we not miss them.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy