Daily Readings - Fri Jan 14 2022
1 Samuel
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.
Mark
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
The first reading from 1 Samuel and the Gospel of Mark present us with two distinct yet interconnected moments of human struggle and divine intervention. In 1 Samuel, the Israelites demand a king, rejecting God’s direct rule over them. Samuel, though troubled by their request, relays God’s warning about the burdens of earthly kingship, but the people persist, desiring to be "like other nations." This passage highlights humanity’s tendency to seek solutions in human power rather than trusting in God’s providence. In contrast, the Gospel of Mark shows Jesus, the true King, exercising His divine authority not to dominate but to heal and forgive. When four men bring a paralytic to Jesus, their faith moves Him to first forgive the man’s sins and then heal his body, demonstrating that true kingship is rooted in mercy, compassion, and the restoration of wholeness.
Both readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with authority and power. The Israelites’ demand for a king reveals a desire for control and security through human means, while Jesus’ actions in Mark reveal a different kind of authority—one that serves, forgives, and restores. This contrast challenges us to examine where we place our trust. Do we, like the Israelites, seek solutions in earthly power, or do we turn to God, who alone can truly set us free? The paralytic’s healing reminds us that our ultimate liberation comes not from human structures but from God’s grace and mercy.
In our daily lives, we face choices about where to place our trust. Like the Israelites, we may be tempted to rely on earthly solutions to our problems, whether in politics, wealth, or other forms of human power. But the Gospel calls us to a different way: to trust in God’s plan, to seek His forgiveness, and to live with faith and humility. Let us ask ourselves: Are we like the scribes, questioning God’s ways, or are we like the four men who carried the paralytic, persistent in faith and willing to go to great lengths to bring others to Jesus? May we learn to surrender our need for control and instead embrace the transformative power of God’s love and forgiveness.