💖 HOMILY - JANUARY 16 💖

First Reading - 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Gospel - Mark 2:23-28 

We have heard this idiom:"Don't judge a book by its cover." This idiom tells us to overcome our prejudices to perceive good in things we see. The readings of today invite us to see things from God's perspective and we will be able to see wonders in everything.

The first reading presents a conflicting views between God and Samuel in regard to the choosing of a new king. Samuel represents an ordinary human person who judges things by their external appearance but God judges things looking at the heart of a person. Samuel, after the rejection of Saul as the king, is commissioned by God to anoint another king from the house of Jesse. Samuel expects a strong personality from a new would-be king as he sees the sons of Jesse paraded before him but God rejects all the sons of Jesse but David who infact was not present when other sons were called to Samuel. It rather can be said that he was out of the list because he was the smallest of all. Beyond the expectations of Samuel, God chooses David, the smallest son as the next kind. It's here Samuel is taught by God to see things as He sees.

The gospel of the day outlines two important conceptions of the Sabbath or the law. Firstly, the law is important but this should not be loaded over or burden people but should be used to do good for the people. Secondly, the law of Sabbath has importance but the Son of Man overrides even the law of Sabbath. This is to say that Jesus has the authority to interpret and overrule the law. Perhaps, Jesus applies the meaning of the 'Son of Man' in relation to the meaning of the 'Son of Man' referred in the Book of Daniel. The Book of Daniel presents a glorious figure of the 'Son of Man' who is given authority and power.

My dear friends, we read in the gospels that Jesus was always misinterpreted by the leaders of his time. The leaders of Israel took him for the infringer of the Law. The gospel passage of today is a glimpse of such type. Jesus didn't break the Law but attempted to explain the Law, the real spirit of the Law. In the gospel, the Pharisees find fault with the disciples of Jesus for breaking the Sabbath law but Jesus justifies their actions as the action of David was justifiable due to the need. He teaches the Pharisees to see the situation as God sees. In the first reading, God teaches Samuel to perceive things as He does. God exemplifies this by choosing David as the next king of Israel which was least expected by Samuel. Today we are also invited to see things as God sees and not as we like. We are given everyday as a new day, a question is posed to us at this point - do we live our day as God expects from us? It's then when we try to live our day as God wishes us to live, we will certainly perceive things as God perceives because it's then we will be aiming to seek what God wishes from us.

Let's make every effort to seek what God wishes from us and we will see a transformed world in front of us.