20220114 RELIANCE ON THE COMMUNITY FOR FAITH
14 January, 2022, Friday, Week 1 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.’
RELIANCE ON THE COMMUNITY FOR FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Sm 8:4-7,10-22; Ps 89:16-19; Mk 2:1-12]
We are paralyzed in different ways like the paralytic in today’s gospel. We are paralyzed by the diarrhoea of views and opinions we read in the internet. Most are contrasting views, one in favour and the other against. So much so we end up confused and unsettled. This is particularly true of views concerning fundamental questions of life, sexuality, marriage and bio-ethical issues, such as abortion, IVF and euthanasia. This is the reason why in the face of so many diverse and contradictory views, most of us fall into relativism and subjectivism. We just take whichever view we feel comfortable with, but not knowing whether it is true or not. This is called pragmatism. Truth is no longer the question since no one seems to have the truth.
The situation in the world today is the consequence of the rejection of the rule of God and His laws. This was the same mistake the Israelites made when they entered into the Promised Land. Instead of submitting to the Kingship of Yahweh who ruled the people through His Judges, the people asked for a king so that they could be like the rest of the nations. Instead of seeking the Word of God and following His laws, they chose to follow laws enacted by political and military leaders. Such a situation happened because both their religious leaders and political leaders were no longer in touch with God. They no longer heard the Word of God. We are told that the sons of Samuel, just like Eli’s sons, did not walk the way of truth and disobeyed the Word of God. They forgot that God was their Lord and Father. They forgot that they were the chosen people of God, making them different from the rest of the nations. Instead of appreciating their uniqueness, they wanted to be like the other nations.
We are in the same situation. The world no longer recognizes God as the Lawgiver and the Creator. We prefer to choose leaders that can give us economic prosperity. But we are not concerned whether our leaders will help us to walk in truth and love. Today, our political and corporate leaders are chosen only for their ability to protect the nation, make it grow in prosperity and keep the people united in peace. But they are not concerned with morality and what is the right thing to do. Most are concerned about what is the popular thing to do. Democracy today means to be elected to do the will of the people. Leadership is no longer leading but being led by the masses and popular opinions. In rejecting the authority of God and His rule, society today is much divided, the peoples are more confused than ever, and the state of morality is reduced to amorality.
Indeed, the consequences of rejecting the rule of God as Samuel warned the people, would be a nation led astray. They would be manipulated, made use of and fall into slavery. 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 chariot 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 plough land 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.” Isn’t this the case today when political leaders and even religious leaders who are corrupt rule the people for their own vested interests, feeding themselves, making use of their position to rise in power, enrich themselves and live a life of luxury, honoured and served by their cronies? In some countries, there is oppression and persecution against those who speak the truth and those who believe in God. These are the consequences of a godless nation.
But we are also like them, because we are rebellious and stubborn. Despite the warning of Samuel of the consequences of rejecting the rule of God, they still insisted on having a king. “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.'” God who loves us so much respects our freedom. But when we disobey Him and choose to have things our way, we must be ready to bear the consequences of our ignorance, not just for ourselves but for our children’s children.
Today, the gospel reminds us of the critical importance of growing our faith in a faith community. We all must belong to a faith community. The paralyzed man himself did not have faith in Christ. But it was because of his friends that he was ready to take the risk of surrendering himself to the Lord. He could have balked at the suggestion of his friends to find a cure from Jesus. When a man is sick, he does not want to be troubled unnecessarily. He does not like crowds and he prefers to suffer quietly with privacy. Least of all, he would not like to be a spectator for the crowds to see him in that pitiable state. Instead of rejecting the offer and withdrawing into his own world, he took the courage to accept the invitation.
Indeed, in the gospel, we are told that Jesus healed the paralytic on account of the faith of his friends. We read that when Jesus was preaching, “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.” Notably, upon “seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.'” It was the friends’ faith that made Jesus heal the paralytic. He did not want to disappoint his friends who were full of faith in the Lord. Jesus wanted to support them in their faith and vindicate their faith in Him.
Of course, as in the first reading, people no longer believe that God can give His divine authority to men to exercise on His behalf. Today our people have lost faith not just in political and corporate leaders, but even in religious leaders. In fact, people have no faith in anyone, no trust in anyone except themselves. Jesus proved the scribes wrong for doubting in God’s authority given to men. So He said 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.'” Jesus showed forth His divine authority to forgive sins. The fact that he could walk was the litmus test that God had the divine power to forgive sins since he was restored to fullness of health, symbolizing that he was no longer paralyzed by his sins.
Today, when we are journeying in faith, we too need support along the way. We cannot be alone in our faith. We need companions in faith. We are not always strong in our faith. At times, our faith gets dimmer because of neglect, complacency in spiritual life, work and stress; suffering and disappointments. Today’s scripture readings warn us that if we do not belong to a community of faith, we will be led into confusion. We get disheartened with God and with life. But if we have friends around us to share with us their faith in God, give us encouragement and show us the love and mercy of God, we will find strength and hope to continue to walk in faith and hope.
So like the psalmist, together with our brothers and sisters, we must sing for ever of His love. We must journey as the People of God under His rule and under His Word, which is wisdom and truth. “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. For you, O Lord, are the glory of their strength; for our ruler is in the keeping of the Lord; our king in the keeping of the Holy One of Israel.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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