Daily Readings - Fri Jan 12 2018

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

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,⁵And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.⁶But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.⁷And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.¹⁰And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.¹¹And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.¹²And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.¹³And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.¹⁴And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.¹⁵And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.¹⁶And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.¹⁷He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.¹⁸And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.¹⁹Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;²⁰That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.²²And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

Gospel - Mark 2.1-12

Mark

Chapter 2

¹And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.²And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.³And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.⁴And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.⁶But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,⁷Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?⁸And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?⁹Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?¹⁰But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)¹¹I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.¹²And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

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.