Daily Readings - Mon Jan 15 2018

First Reading - 1 Samuel 15.16-23

¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, "Permit me, and I will reveal to you what the Lord has said to me this night." And he said to him, "Speak.¹⁷And Samuel said: "Was it not when you were little in your own eyes that you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you as king over Israel¹⁸And the Lord sent you on the way, and he said: ‘Go and put to death the sinners of Amalek. And you shall fight against them, even unto utter annihilation.¹⁹Why then, did you not listen to the voice of the Lord? Instead, you turned to the spoils, and you did evil in the eyes of the Lord.²⁰And Saul said to Samuel: "On the contrary, I did listen to the voice of the Lord, and I walked in the way along which the Lord sent me, and I led back Agag, the king of Amalek, and I put to death Amalek²¹But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, as the first-fruits of those things that were slain, to immolate to the Lord their God at Gilgal.²²And Samuel said: "Does the Lord want holocausts and victims, and not instead that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifice. And to heed is greater than to offer the fat of rams²³Therefore, it is like the sin of paganism to rebel. And it is like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey. For this reason, therefore, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has also rejected you from being king.

Gospel - Mark 2.18-22

Mark

Chapter 2

¹⁸And the disciples of John, and the Pharisees, were fasting. And they arrived and said to him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?¹⁹And Jesus said to them: "How can the sons of the wedding fast while the groom is still with them? During whatever time they have the groom with them, they are not able to fast²⁰But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they shall fast, in those days²¹No one sews a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. Otherwise, the new addition pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse²²And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine will pour out, and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two powerful lessons about obedience and renewal. The first reading from 1 Samuel tells the story of Saul, the first king of Israel, who fails to obey God's command to destroy the Amalekites. Despite his excuses, Samuel makes it clear that obedience to God is more important than any sacrifice or offering. This story serves as a reminder that our actions must align with God's will, and disobedience can lead to serious consequences. The Gospel reading from Mark presents Jesus addressing questions about fasting. He uses the parable of the groom and the wineskins to illustrate that His teachings bring a new era, requiring new approaches. Just as old wineskins cannot hold new wine, old traditions may not be suitable for the new covenant He is introducing. This teaches us about the importance of being open to change and renewal in our spiritual lives. These readings connect through themes of obedience and adaptability. Saul's story emphasizes the gravity of disobeying God, while Jesus' parables highlight the need for openness to new spiritual directions. In our daily lives, we are called to listen to God's voice and remain flexible, embracing the Holy Spirit's guidance. The moral lesson here is clear: prioritize obedience and be open to change, allowing God to lead us in new and transformative ways.