1ST READING
The
life of Saul is, at heart, a lesson in obedience. Even though Saul was
not really God’s choice for the King of Israel, everything would have
been OK if he had been obedient. But Saul did not follow instructions
well. Whatever may be our judgment today on the nature of God’s command
to Saul, his disobedience was actually rebellion against God’s will and
we will see the ultimate result of this later: death. For Samuel, as for
God, there are no excuses for disobedience to God’s command.
1 Samuel 15:16-23
16 Samuel said to Saul: “Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul replied, “Speak!” 17Samuel
then said: “Though little in your own esteem, are you not leader of the
tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king of Israel 18 and
sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and put the sinful Amalekites under a
ban of destruction. Fight against them until you have exterminated
them. 19 Why then have you disobeyed the Lord? You have pounced on the spoil, thus displeasing the Lord.” 20 Saul answered Samuel: “I did indeed obey the Lord and fulfill the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought back Agag, and I have destroyed Amalek under the ban. 21 But from the spoil the men took sheep and oxen, the best of what had been banned, to sacrifice to the Lord their God in Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel said: “Does the Lord so delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the Lord? Obedience is
better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams. 23 For
a sin like divination is rebellion, and presumption is the crime of
idolatry. Because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he, too,
has rejected you as ruler.”
P S A L M
Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
R: To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
8 “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your burnt offerings are before me always. 9 I take from your house no bullock, no goats out of your fold.” (R) 16 “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, 17 though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?” (R) 21 When
you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am
like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes. 23 He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.” (R)
GOSPEL
This
story highlights the difference between the Old and New Covenants —
the Old being based on the Law and Israel’s uncompromising obedience to
it, and the New being built on love and a compassionate and empathetic
understanding of how we struggle to follow the Law. It seems people at
times want to return to the former. This is a mistake as it leaves
little room for compassion and is impossible anyway. God understands our
struggles. This is not to excuse our sinfulness but to give us hope as
we struggle to overcome it.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
Mark 2:18-22
18 The
disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People
came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the
disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus
answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is
with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot
fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.
21 No
one sews a piece of un-shrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its
fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. 22 Likewise,
no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will
burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new
wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”
think: God understands our struggles. This is not to excuse our sinfulness but to give us hope as we struggle to overcome it.
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 16-18
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