Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
- Readings for the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Reading 1 2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
David returned from his defeat of the Amalekites
and spent two days in Ziklag.
On the third day a man came from Saul’s camp,
with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage.
David asked him, “Where do you come from?”
He replied, “I have escaped from the camp of the children of Israel.”
“Tell me what happened,” David bade him.
He answered that many of the soldiers had fled the battle
and that many of them had fallen and were dead,
among them Saul and his son Jonathan.
David seized his garments and rent them,
and all the men who were with him did likewise.
They mourned and wept and fasted until evening
for Saul and his son Jonathan,
and for the soldiers of the LORD of the clans of Israel,
because they had fallen by the sword.
“Alas! the glory of Israel, Saul,
slain upon your heights;
how can the warriors have fallen!
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished,
separated neither in life nor in death,
swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!
Women of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and in finery,
who decked your attire with ornaments of gold.
“How can the warriors have fallen–
in the thick of the battle,
slain upon your heights!
“I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother!
most dear have you been to me;
more precious have I held love for you than love for women.
“How can the warriors have fallen,
the weapons of war have perished!”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 80:2-3, 5-7
R. (4b) Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
O guide of the flock of Joseph!
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O LORD of hosts, how long will you burn with anger
while your people pray?
You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in ample measure.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Alleluia See Acts 16:14b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mark 3:20-21
Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
January 24, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales: John 15:9-17
Reflect on the Word //
Utterly entranced by the lights and sounds issuing from his new toy DJ turntable, my ten-month-old nephew pressed each button with joyful abandon. He then drew back and sank to the ground, babbling delightedly and clapping his adorably pudgy little hands. As I watched him, smiling, unable to remember what our family had been like before the arrival of this littlest addition, I marveled at how, two years prior, he had not yet existed.
And then I began to marvel at God’s goodness. While he may not have been born into our family yet, God had eternally known of my nephew’s existence and creation in this time and place. God had chosen him for us—and for His great purposes—from before all time.
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you,” the Lord reminds us in today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales (John 15:16). Difficult as it is to realize in a world where we can often feel overlooked, left out, or rejected, the Lord chose each of us long before we were conceived in our mother’s wombs. Nothing about our existence is accidental or random. Our lives have been willed from the beginning, meticulously anticipated by God through generations, prepared for by our grandparents and great-grandparents, for such a time as this (see Esther 4:14), “to go and bear fruit that will remain” (John 15:16). All we have to do to fulfill His will for us, sister? Remain in His love (see John 15:19).
Then our joy will be complete (see John 15:11)—as complete as that of an infant playing with a new toy, dazzled by the gifts of each new day.
Relate to the Lord // Allow the truth of this statement, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you,” to wash over your heart. What rises to the top as you ponder your chosenness?
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