Daily Readings - Mon Jan 20 2020
1 Samuel
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.
Mark
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, humility, and the nature of spiritual renewal. The first reading from 1 Samuel recounts the tragic fall of King Saul. Once chosen by God for his humility, Saul fails to fully obey the Lord’s command to destroy the Amalekites, choosing instead to spare their king and keep the best spoils for himself. Samuel rebukes him, emphasizing that obedience is far more pleasing to God than sacrifice. Saul’s failure to listen and trust in God’s plan leads to his rejection as king. This story reminds us that true leadership and faith require surrendering our will to God’s, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable.
In the Gospel, Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ question about why his disciples do not fast. He uses the parable of the groom and the patch of new cloth to explain that his presence among them is a time of joy and celebration, not fasting. He also warns that trying to combine the old with the new—whether it’s cloth, wineskins, or spiritual practices—will only lead to division and destruction. Jesus is emphasizing that his mission is not about patching up the old way of life but about bringing something entirely new. This requires openness, flexibility, and a willingness to let go of the past.
These readings call us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like Saul, we often struggle with partial obedience, holding onto control or comfort instead of fully trusting in God’s plan. And like the Pharisees, we may cling to familiar traditions or practices without considering whether they are still life-giving. Jesus invites us to embrace the newness he brings, to let go of what is old and worn out, and to live with hearts that are open, humble, and ready to follow wherever he leads. May we learn to listen to God’s voice, to obey with courage, and to receive the fresh life he offers us.