20260116 GOD IS ON OUR SIDE IF WE ARE SINCERE IN REPENTANCE
15 January 2026, Thursday, 1st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22 |
The people of Israel demand a king
All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ‘Look,’ they said to him ‘you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. So give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.’ It displeased Samuel that they should say, ‘Let us have a king to rule us’, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’
All that the Lord had said Samuel repeated to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘These will be the rights of the king who is to reign over you. He will take your sons and assign them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his ploughland and harvest his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots. He will also take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields, of your vineyards and olive groves and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his eunuchs and his officials. He will take the best of your manservants and maidservants, of your cattle and your donkeys, and make them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out on account of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day God will not answer you.’
The people refused to listen to the words of Samuel. They said, ‘No! We want a king, so that we in our turn can be like the other nations; our king shall rule us and be our leader and fight our battles.’ Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and repeated it in the ears of the Lord. The Lord then said to Samuel, ‘Obey their voice and give them a king.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):16-19 |
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
For you, O Lord, are the glory of their strength;
by your favour it is that our might is exalted;
for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord;
our king in the keeping of the Holy One of Israel.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 2:1-12 |
The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’
GOD IS ON OUR SIDE IF WE ARE SINCERE IN REPENTANCE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 SM 4:1-11; MK 1:40-45]
In the first reading, Israel and the Philistines were in battle. “The battle was hotly engaged, and Israel was defeated by the Philistines and about four thousand of their army were killed on the field.” This was a great disaster for Israel. After the battle, the Israelites reflected on their defeat: “The troops returned to the camp and the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord allowed us to be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of our God from Shiloh so that it may come among us and rescue us from the power of our enemies.'”
This solution showed that the elders were not only ignorant but also blind to the real reason for their defeat. Their analysis was shallow. Instead of examining their own lives and conduct, they blamed their defeat on the fact that they had not brought the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into battle. By doing this, they were trying to force God to help them win, rather than seeking the true reason for His displeasure. They believed that God would be humiliated if His presence, symbolised by the Ark of the Covenant, were defeated by their enemies. Therefore, the elders thought that, to protect His dignity and glory, God would surely defeat their enemies for them.
Yet the truth, which they should have known, was that their defeat at the hands of their enemies was God’s judgment on them for failing to keep the covenant and to walk uprightly. Earlier, Eli had already been informed of the scandals committed by his sons and the evil things they did, “how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. But they would not listen to the voice of their father; for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death” (1 Sm 2:22, 25). A man of God later prophesied to Eli, “No one in your family shall ever live to old age. All the members of your household shall die by the sword. The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you–both of them shall die on the same day” (1 Sm 2:32-34).
Instead of examining themselves, they acted superstitiously, thinking that the Ark would guarantee victory over their enemies, regardless of their faith in the Lord or their obedience to the Mosaic Law. In the past, when the leaders lived with integrity before the Lord, He would go with them to save them from their enemies. The Ark, as a symbol of God’s presence among the people, gave them courage and strength in times of trial. The real problem was not their faith in the Ark of the Covenant, but their faith in God. How could God protect the people when those who carried the Ark were themselves misbehaving? God was carrying out His judgment on the leaders of Israel for failing in their responsibilities.
Instead of defeating their enemies, the Israelites were defeated, and the Ark was captured. They had been overly confident, thinking the Ark would act like a relic or charm that would force God to work on their behalf. Their loud shouts of confidence may have shaken the Philistines somewhat, but it was not enough to stop them from fighting with all their strength, even though they had heard of God’s power in saving Israel from the Egyptians through the plagues. Eventually, the Philistines won the battle, and “the Ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.” The mention of their names shows the real reason for the defeat: they had failed to acknowledge the Lord’s authority and had despised Him. The prophecy was fulfilled, as the news of the Ark’s capture–more than the death of his sons–dealt a fatal blow to the aging Eli, who fell backward, broke his neck, and died.
One tragedy followed another. When his pregnant daughter-in-law heard that the Ark had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labour and died in childbirth. As she was dying, she named the child Ichabod, meaning “The glory has departed from Israel,” because of the capture of the Ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and husband. She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured” (1 Sm 4:21). Truly, God was not with them because of their sins.
Indeed, the elders of Israel repeatedly failed to live up to their calling and the office entrusted to them. When Samuel grew old, his sons followed the same path, which led the people to demand a king instead. “His sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice” (cf. 1 Sm 8:3-5). As a result, the people suffered. Just as in the case of Achan, all of Israel had to bear the consequences of the leaders’ sins. Leaders who fail in their responsibilities cause great harm not only to themselves but also to the people they lead. This is why we must learn from their mistakes. Leaders cannot take their sins lightly, because their actions have far-reaching consequences for those they are called to represent.
In the Gospel, we see the contrast between the elders of Israel and Jesus. In this instance, we have a leper who approached the Lord. Leprosy was not only a deadly and cruel disease, but it was also a symbol of sin. For someone suffering from leprosy, it was like being sentenced to a slow death – not just physically, but worse still, emotionally and spiritually. Lepers were cut off from the rest of the community to protect others from infection. While this separation was necessary for the greater good, it caused great pain for both the lepers and their loved ones.
However, as long as a leper was repentant and desired to be healed, the Lord was willing to take on their sins. This is exactly what Jesus did. He went against the customs of His time and even the Law of Moses by allowing the leper to approach Him. The man had enough courage and faith in Jesus to believe he would not be reprimanded or rebuked for coming near. He was desperate to be freed from the disease and its terrible consequences, and this was his only hope, as leprosy had no cure in those days. But Jesus heard his cry. He did not scold or reproach him; instead, He felt deep compassion for him. The word used suggests more than pity–Jesus truly felt the man’s pain, understanding what it meant to be cut off from loved ones. The suffering was not only physical but also emotional. Perhaps for this reason, Jesus could have healed him with just a word. Yet He went further, not only curing him of his illness but also restoring him emotionally by touching him–something the man had been denied because of his condition.
Consequently, we should find the strength and courage to ask for healing and forgiveness. We need to say to the Lord, “If you want to, you can cure me,” and He will surely respond, “Of course I want to! Be cured!” We must also be ready to make ourselves available for healing through His chosen means. Although it was the Lord who healed the leper, He instructed him to follow the normal procedures established by Moses–going to a priest who could declare him clean and allow him to re-join the community. “Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.'” Whilst it was the Lord who healed the leper, God also used human instruments to complete the process. Likewise, we should go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation or seek inner healing so that we can be restored to communion with God and with our brothers and sisters. However, the leper forgot what Jesus had told him: “Mind you say nothing to anyone!”
Instead, “the man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.” By touching the leper, Jesus was considered unclean, and because the leper told everyone, Jesus had to stay outside the village. Yet in doing so, He truly took upon Himself “his leprosy”–our sins–so that we could be healed. Such is the mercy of God, as St. Peter later wrote: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”(1 Pt 2:24)
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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