20260123 IN GOD’S TIME
23 January 2026, Friday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).
First reading |
1 Samuel 24:3-21 |
I will not raise my hand against the Lord's anointed
Saul took three thousand men chosen from the whole of Israel and went in search of David and his men east of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheepfolds along the route where there was a cave, and went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave; David’s men said to him, ‘Today is the day of which the Lord said to you, “I will deliver your enemy into your power, do what you like with him.”’ David stood up and, unobserved, cut off the border of Saul’s cloak. Afterwards David reproached himself for having cut off the border of Saul’s cloak. He said to his men, ‘The Lord preserve me from doing such a thing to my lord and raising my hand against him, for he is the anointed of the Lord.’ David gave his men strict instructions, forbidding them to attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and went on his way. After this, David too left the cave and called after Saul, ‘My lord king!’ Saul looked behind him and David bowed to the ground and did homage. Then David said to Saul, ‘Why do you listen to the men who say to you, “David means to harm you”? Why, your own eyes have seen today how the Lord put you in my power in the cave and how I refused to kill you, but spared you. “I will not raise my hand against my lord,” I said “for he is the anointed of the Lord.” O my father, see, look at the border of your cloak in my hand. Since I cut off the border of your cloak, yet did not kill you, you must acknowledge frankly that there is neither malice nor treason in my mind. I have not offended against you, yet you hunt me down to take my life. May the Lord be judge between me and you, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be laid on you. (As the old proverb says: Wickedness goes out from the wicked, and my hand will not be laid on you.) On whose trail has the king of Israel set out? On whose trail are you in hot pursuit? On the trail of a dead dog! On the trail of a single flea! May the Lord be the judge and decide between me and you; may he take up my cause and defend it and give judgement for me, freeing me from your power.’
When David had finished saying these words to Saul, Saul said, ‘Is that your voice, my son David?’ And Saul wept aloud. ‘You are a more upright man than I,’ he said to David ‘for you have repaid me with good while I have repaid you with evil. Today you have crowned your goodness towards me since the Lord had put me in your power yet you did not kill me. When a man comes on his enemy, does he let him go unmolested? May the Lord reward you for the goodness you have shown me today. Now I know you will indeed reign and that the sovereignty in Israel will be secure in your hands.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 56(57):2-4,6,11 |
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy
for in you my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge
till the storms of destruction pass by.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God who has always been my help.
May he send from heaven and save me
and shame those who assail me.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
O God, arise above the heavens;
may your glory shine on earth!
for your love reaches to the heavens
and your truth to the skies.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Th2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co5:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 3:13-19 |
He appointed twelve to be his companions
Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.
IN GOD’S TIME
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 SM 24:3-21; PS 57:2-4,6,11; MK 3:13-19]
Saul had forfeited his kingship, as the Scriptures tell us. Samuel had said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you. The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom will not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Sm 13:13f; see also 1 Sm 15:28f). Instead, God had chosen David to be his successor (1 Sm 16:12f). But it was still not the right time for David to take over the throne from Saul.
It seemed that David had at last a perfect opportunity to seize the throne from Saul. This moment offered him not only the chance to avenge the injustices Saul had done to him but also to fulfil God’s plan for him as Saul’s successor. The opportunity came when Saul was alone in a cave, attending to his needs, while David and his men hid in the recesses. Saul was utterly vulnerable, so much so that David’s men believed the prophecy would be fulfilled then and there. They said to David, “Today is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your power; do what you like with him.'”
Yet David refused to take matters into his own hands. Instead, he “unobserved, cut off the border of Saul’s cloak.” This act, however, was deeply symbolic: by removing a portion of the royal robe, David signified a transfer of authority from Saul to himself. The removal of the corner rendered Saul’s robe technically unwearable under the Torah’s requirements (cf. Num 15:38-39; Dt 22:12), symbolically nullifying Saul’s kingship. Recognising the gravity of his action, David was remorseful, for in some sense he had lifted his hand against the anointed of the Lord–an act not merely against the king, but against God’s chosen. He reproached himself, saying to his men, “The Lord preserve me from doing such a thing to my lord and raising my hand against him, for he is the anointed of the Lord.” Indeed, they were not to act on their own, but to let God’s plan unfold in His time. Accordingly, “David gave his men strict instructions, forbidding them to attack Saul.” They were to surrender themselves to the will of God, trusting in His plan and timing.
The sincerity of David with respect to obedience to the Lord’s choice of His king was made clear when Saul was about to leave the cave: “David too left the cave and called after Saul, ‘My lord king!’ Saul looked behind him, and David bowed to the ground and did homage.” Instead of condemning Saul and reprimanding him, David was gracious. He rendered him homage and honour as the Lord’s Anointed deserved. He called him both “my lord” and “the king.” Rather than taking his revenge, he fell to the ground and prostrated himself, demonstrating his loyalty to the king. Regardless of whether Saul was conducting himself rightly, as was expected of God’s Anointed, it was not David’s right to depose him, since he was the Lord’s chosen man.
Rather than shortening Saul’s reign and seizing the kingship when he had the opportunity, David patiently waited for the right time according to God’s plan. He pleaded passionately and eloquently for reconciliation with Saul, for he had no intention of usurping the throne. David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the men who say to you, ‘David means to harm you’? Your own eyes have seen today how the Lord put you in my power in the cave, and yet I refused to kill you and spared you. ‘I will not raise my hand against my Lord,’ I said, ‘for he is the anointed of the Lord.'”
David provided all the evidence to show that he was sincere in his service to the king. He did not even accuse Saul of wanting to kill him, but he blamed it on his men, who gave him the wrong impression that he was bent on harming the king. He said, “O my father, see, look at the border of your cloak in my hand. Since I cut off the border of your cloak, yet did not kill you, you must acknowledge frankly that there is neither malice nor treason in my mind. I have not offended against you, yet you hunt me down to take my life.” He had always regarded Saul as his father. The real motive for serving the king was simply that he was the Lord’s anointed.
David demonstrated his complete trust in God’s choice and plans, regardless of human opinion. He treated the king with respect and obedience, not for Saul’s sake alone, but because of what the Lord had done for him in choosing Saul. His respect for human authority was rooted in his reverence for divine authority. Thus, he concluded his plea by entrusting judgment to God: “May the Lord be judge between me and you, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be laid on you. (As the old proverb says: Wickedness goes out from the wicked, and my hand will not be laid on you.) May the Lord be the judge and decide between me and you; may he take up my cause, defend it, and give judgment for me, freeing me from your power.” Such was David’s confidence and his unwavering obedience to God’s choice and plans.
As a consequence, Saul confirmed the Lord’s intention for David to take over his throne. Overcome with emotion and setting aside his royal composure, he broke down and cried aloud. He called David his son and said, “Now I know you will indeed reign, and that the sovereignty of Israel will be secure in your hands.” Leaving aside all pretences, Saul recognised the truth: David was truly more suitable to be king. “You are a more upright man than I,” he said, “for you have repaid me with good, while I have repaid you with evil. Today you have crowned your goodness towards me. When a man comes against his enemy, does he let him go unmolested? May the Lord reward you for the goodness you have shown me today.”
So too, in today’s Gospel, Jesus was preparing His followers to carry on His mission of establishing the Kingdom of God. “Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him, and he appointed twelve. And so he appointed the Twelve.” He even gave some of them new names, reflecting their new roles and responsibilities: Simon became Peter, and James and John were called the “Sons of Thunder.” It is significant that the selection of the Twelve came immediately after His controversy with the religious leaders, which forced Him to leave the synagogue–the political, religious, and cultural heart of Israel.
Instead, He laid the foundation for the New People of God by choosing the Twelve, who would represent the Twelve tribes of the New Israel. “They were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils.” In this way, the apostles took the place of the synagogues, which had not embraced the Gospel, unlike the Twelve whom He appointed to be with Him and to share His authority to teach and heal. Yet, in the naming of the Twelve, we are reminded that the fullness of their participation in Christ’s authority would only come at the completion of His mission. For now, they were to work closely with Him and learn from Him.
That Judas Iscariot is mentioned last, and in the context of the betrayal, invites us, through Mark, to reflect on the reshaping of the new Israel against the backdrop of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At this point, the fullness of God’s kingdom was still imminent. Like the apostles, we are called to wait patiently for its coming. In the meantime, we must cooperate with His plans, embrace the Gospel of mercy and compassion, and die to ourselves–our desire for glory and power. We are called to share in Jesus’ death so that we may also share in His resurrection. In God’s time, and in His own way, He will bring about His kingdom in the most surprising manner.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment