Daily Readings - Fri Jan 12 2018

First Reading - 1 Samuel 8.4-7, 10-22a

⁴Therefore, all those greater by birth of Israel, having gathered together, went to Samuel at Ramah⁵And they said to him: "Behold, you are elderly, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Appoint for us a king, so that he may judge us, just as all the nations have.⁶And the word was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, for they had said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord⁷Then the Lord said to Samuel: "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they are saying to you. For they have not rejected you, but me, lest I reign over them¹⁰And so, Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people, who had petitioned a king from him¹¹And he said: "This will be the right of the king who will have authority over you: He will take your sons, and place them in his chariots. And he will make them his horsemen and his runners before his four-horse chariots¹²And he will appoint them to be his tribunes and centurions, and the plowmen of his fields, and the harvesters of the grain, and the makers of his weapons and chariots¹³Likewise, your daughters he will take for himself as makers of ointments, and as cooks and bakers¹⁴Also, he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best olive groves, and he will give them to his servants¹⁵Moreover, he will take one tenth of your grain and of the results of your vineyards, so that he may give these to his eunuchs and servants¹⁶Then, too, he will take your servants, and handmaids, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and he will set them to his work¹⁷Also, he will take a tenth of your flocks. And you will be his servants¹⁸And you will cry out, in that day, from the face of the king, whom you have chosen for yourselves. And the Lord will not heed you, in that day. For you requested a king for yourselves.¹⁹But the people were not willing to listen to the voice of Samuel. Instead, they said: "By no means! For there shall be a king over us²⁰and we shall be just like all the Gentiles. And our king will judge us, and he will go out before us, and he will fight our wars for us.²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them to the ears of the Lord²²Then the Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and appoint a king over them." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Let each one go to his own city.

Gospel - Mark 2.1-12

Mark

Chapter 2

¹And after some days, he again entered into Capernaum²And it was heard that he was in the house. And so many gathered that there was no room left, not even at the door. And he spoke the word to them³And they came to him, bringing a paralytic, who was being carried by four men⁴And when they were not able to present him to him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. And opening it, they lowered down the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying⁵Then, when Jesus had seen their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you.⁶But some of the scribes were sitting in that place and thinking in their hearts⁷"Why is this man speaking in this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins, but God alone?⁸At once, Jesus, realizing in his spirit that they were thinking this within themselves, said to them: "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up, take up your stretcher, and walk?¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the paralytic¹¹"I say to you: Rise up, take up your stretcher, and go into your house.¹²And immediately he got up, and lifting up his stretcher, he went away in the sight of them all, so that they all wondered. And they honored God, by saying, "We have never seen anything like this.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two profound lessons on authority and trust in God's plan. The first reading from 1 Samuel recounts the Israelites' desire for a king, rejecting God's direct rule. Despite Samuel's warnings about the burdens of monarchy, the people insist, seeking a human leader like other nations. This decision marks a shift from trusting in God's providence to relying on human structures, highlighting the tension between divine and earthly authority. The Gospel from Mark offers a contrasting narrative, where Jesus demonstrates His divine authority by forgiving sins and healing a paralytic man. The scribes, limited by their understanding, question Jesus' right to forgive sins, but He responds by healing the man, thereby affirming His power. This episode underscores Jesus' role as the embodiment of God's authority on earth, capable of both spiritual and physical healing. These readings invite us to reflect on our trust in God's plan versus human solutions. The Israelites' choice in 1 Samuel serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of rejecting divine leadership. Conversely, Jesus in Mark shows us the transformative power of recognizing and submitting to God's authority. In our lives, this means placing faith in God's providence, even when human solutions seem appealing. Let us seek to recognize and embrace Jesus' authority, trusting in His divine plan for our lives.