Daily readings

Friday, January 30, 2026

Friday of the 3rd week of Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.

CelebrationFriday of the 3rd 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.

First Reading

2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17

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.

13And David called him to eat and to drink before him, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening, and slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went not down into his house.

14And when the morning was come, David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand of Urias,

15Writing in the letter: Set you Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave you him, that he may be wounded and die.

16Therefore as Joab was besieging the city, he put Urias in the place where he knew the bravest men were.

17And the men coming out of the city, fought against Joab, and there fell some of the people of the servants of David, and Urias the Hethite was killed also.

Psalm

Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6a, 6bcd-7, 10-11

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.

3Have mercy on me, OH God, according to your great mercy. And according to the crowd of your tender mercies blot out my sin.

4Wash me yet more from my sin, and cleanse me from my sin.

10To my hearing you shall give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.

11Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all my sins.

Gospel

Mark 4:26-34

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.

26And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast offspring into the earth,

27And should sleep, and rise, night and day, and the offspring should spring, and grow up whilst he knows not.

28For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear.

29And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

30And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable shall we compare it?

31It is as a grain of mustard offspring: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth:

32And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof.

33And with many such parables, he spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear.

34And without parable he did not speak to them; but apart, he explained all things to his disciples.

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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.