Looking for Donkeys, Finding a Kingdom | Catholic Daily Readings and Reflection | January 17, 2026

Join us for today's Catholic Mass Readings, featuring the daily Mass readings from the Holy Bible and a Catholic reflection. Find peace and enhance your faith with daily Scripture. Experience the presence of Jesus Christ in the Gospel and find peace in a special rendition of the Psalm created for today's liturgy from the USCCB.Catholic Daily Readings and Reflection | Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time | Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot | January 17, 2026Saul wandered the hills for three days searching for his father's lost donkeys, ready to give up and go home empty-handed. He had no idea that God had been orchestrating every frustrating step of his journey, that a prophet was waiting to pour oil on his head, that a kingdom awaited him while he searched for livestock.In today's Gospel, Jesus walks past a tax booth and calls Levi with two simple words: follow me. No conditions, no waiting period, no requirement to clean up his life first. Levi rises immediately and throws a party, inviting every disreputable person he knows to meet the one who saw something in him that everyone else had written off.Both readings reveal the same pattern. God finds us in the middle of our ordinary messes and frustrating failures. The only ones who miss the invitation are the ones convinced they do not need it.📖 ReadingsFirst Reading: 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7Gospel: Mark 2: 13-17⏱️ Timeline00:00 Introduction00:15 Reading I - 1 Samuel 9:1-4,17-19;10:101:57 Psalm Response - Psalm 2106:05 Gospel - Mark 2: 13-1706:55 Reflection - Looking for Donkeys, Finding a Kingdom🎧 Prefer to listen on the go? The Christus Dominus Daily Bread podcast is now available: Video Podcast: Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/7H4YZ5ZIq4rVVF3670Av3t YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTPJP7WEcCSTIO2N4N_AoIsxmzIYRYiSt Audio Podcast: Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christus-dominus-daily-bread/id1826298886#CatholicReadings #DailyGospel #Catholic #SaintAnthony #DesertFathers #Scripture #Liturgy #Faith #Christianity #Bible