1ST READING
God
now gets His choice for a king. Read the whole story in your Bible and
see how it emphasizes that David is truly the choice of God and not man.
Jesse does not even think David is worth presenting to Samuel. This is
so often the case with God — His ways are not our ways. Sometimes I
think God more often chooses exactly the opposite way to what I would
think is best, and guess what?
He is always right!
1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 The
Lord said to Samuel: “How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have
rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from
among his sons.” 2 But Samuel replied: “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me.” To this the Lord answered: “Take a heifer along and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite
Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do; you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.” 4 Samuel
did as the Lord had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the
elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired, “Is your
visit peaceful, O seer?” 5 He replied: “Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.” He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is here before him.” 7 But
the Lord said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his
lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God
see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The Lord has not chosen him.”
9 Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 10 In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any one of these.” 11 Then
Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to
Jesse, “Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.” 12 Jesse
sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth
handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The Lord said,
“There—anoint him, for this is he!” 13 Then
Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his
brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon
David. When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
P S A L M
Psalm 89:20, 21-22, 27-28
R: I have found David, my servant.
19 [20] Once
you spoke in a vision, and to your faithful ones you said: “On a
champion I have placed a crown; over the people I have set a youth.” (R) 20 [21] “I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, 21 [22] that my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong.” (R) 26 [27] “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.’ 27 [28] And I will make him the first-born, highest of the kings of the earth. (R)
GOSPEL
What
is more important — obeying the letter of the Law about a certain food
or way of harvesting it, or feeding hungry men who deserve food? The
answer to this question is a no-brainer; it is obvious that there is
nothing fundamentally wrong with picking corn and eating it on the
Sabbath. When it comes to the laws of the Sabbath, they are always
secondary to the needs of people. If a child is sick, it is not a sin
for one of the parents to stay home and nurse him or her on a Sunday. If
there is only one Mass, possibly they have not sinned in missing Mass
for that reason.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
May
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.
Mark 2:23-28
23 As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the Sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. 24 At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? 26 How
he went
into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of
offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with
his companions?” 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
think: God’s ways are not our ways. He is always right.
T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST
Thank You Lord for: __________________
____________________________________
God’s special verse/thought for me today_
_____________________________________
READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Matthew 19-21
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