Daily readings

Thursday, January 15, 2026

Thursday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.

CelebrationThursday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time

TypeWeekday

SeasonOrdinary Time

Year2026 archive

The Roman Catholic readings for this date are shown below on-site. Use plain reading mode if you want clearer modern wording, or switch back to the original Douay-Rheims wording at any time.

Reading mode

Plain mode helps modern readers follow the text more easily.

On-site scripture text: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition. Plain mode is a built-in reading aid that modernizes older wording for easier understanding while keeping the same Roman Catholic reading references for the day.

1

First Reading

1 Samuel 4:1-11

How to approach it

Read this as the first big movement of the day. Notice what God is doing, who is speaking, and what part of the story or teaching should stay with you.

1And it happened in those days, that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight: and Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and camped by the Stone of help. And the Philistines came to Aphec,

2And put their army in array against Israel. And when they had joined battle, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines, and there was killed in that fight here and there in the fields about four thousand men.

3And the people returned to the camp: and the leaders of Israel said: Why has the Lord defeated us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch to us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Silo, and let it come in the midst of us, that it may save us from the hand of our enemies.

4So the people sent to Silo, and they brought from from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts sitting upon the cherubim: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were with the ark of the covenant of God.

5And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was come into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth rang again.

6And the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, and they said: What is this noise of a great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.

7And the Philistines were afraid, saying: God is come into the camp. And sighing, they said:

8Sorrow to us: for there was no such great joy yesterday and the day before: Sorrow to us. Who shall deliver us from the hand of these high gods? these are the gods that struck Egypt with all the plagues in the desert.

9Take courage and behave like men, you Philistines: lest you come to be servants to the Hebrews, as they have served you: take courage and fight.

10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was overthrown, and every man fled to his own dwelling: and there was an exceeding great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

11And the ark of God was taken: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were killed.

2

Psalm

Psalm 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25

How to pray it

The psalm is meant to be prayed, not rushed. If the wording feels older, focus on the main movement of the prayer: trust, praise, sorrow, gratitude, or hope.

10But now you have cast us off, and put us to shame$1 and you, OH God, will not go out with our armies.

11You have made us turn our back to our enemies$1 and those who hated us plundered for themselves.

14You have made us a shame to our neighbours, a scoff and derision to them that are round about us.

15You have made us a byword among the Gentiles$1 a shaking of the head among the people.

24Why turnest you face away? and forgettest our want and our trouble?

25For our soul is humbled down to the dust$1 our belly cleaveth to the earth.

3

Gospel

Mark 1:40-45

What to watch for

The Gospel is the center of the reading set. Pay close attention to what Jesus says, what Jesus does, and what response he is asking for.

40And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down said to him: If you will, you canst make me clean.

41And Jesus having compassion on him, stretched forth his hand; and touching him, says to him: I will. Be you made clean.

42And when he had said, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean.

43And he strictly charged him, and forthwith sent him away.

44And he says to him: See you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the high priest, and offer for your cleansing the things that Moses commanded, for a teaching to them.

45But he being gone out, began to publish and to blaze abroad the word: so that he could not openly go into the city, but was without in desert places: and they flocked to him from all sides.

Source note

This page uses the Catholic Readings API for the day's references and liturgical celebration data, while the on-site scripture text is rendered from the public-domain Douay-Rheims Bible distributed through the Open Bibles project.