First Reading - 1 Samuel 1:1-8
Gospel - Mark 1:14-20
The First Reading from 1 Samuel introduces us to Hannah, a woman whose suffering is deeply personal and painfully visible. She is faithful, loving, and devoted, yet she carries the heavy burden of barrenness. What makes her pain sharper is not only her longing for a child, but the misunderstanding around her. Even her husband, who loves her, cannot fully grasp her sorrow. His well-meaning words fail to touch the wound in her heart.
Hannah’s story reminds us that some struggles cannot be explained away or comforted with simple answers. There are pains that must be carried, not solved. Yet what is striking is that Hannah does not harden her heart. She remains present, faithful, and honest before God. Her suffering does not turn her away from God; it becomes the place where her relationship with God deepens. God’s work is already unfolding, even though nothing has visibly changed.
The Gospel from Mark shifts the scene but carries the same message of quiet beginnings. After John’s arrest, Jesus begins his public ministry. His first words are not dramatic promises, but a simple call: the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the good news. Then he calls ordinary fishermen, men in the middle of their daily work, to follow him.
What is remarkable is the timing. These men are not searching for Jesus. They are not prepared. They are simply working, living ordinary lives. Yet when the call comes, they leave their nets and follow. God’s decisive moment enters their lives without warning, in the middle of routine. The kingdom begins not with power or spectacle, but with trust and a willingness to step into the unknown.
Dear friends, today's readings reveal a God who works quietly, patiently, and often invisibly. Hannah’s pain and the fishermen’s ordinary lives seem far removed from anything extraordinary, yet both become sacred spaces where God acts. Faith is not always about dramatic change. Often, it is about staying open while we wait, and being ready when God calls.
Many people feel stuck in situations that seem unchanging: family struggles, unanswered prayers, unfulfilled hopes, or ordinary routines that feel meaningless. Today’s word reminds us that God is not absent in these moments. God is present, preparing something we cannot yet see.
The invitation today is simple but demanding. Do not measure God’s faithfulness by immediate results. Do not assume that ordinary days are empty days. Stay faithful in prayer, honest in struggle, and attentive in daily life. God often begins great things in quiet places and hidden pain.
When we remain open like Hannah and responsive like the disciples, we discover that God’s call and God’s grace arrive at the right time. And when they do, they transform waiting into purpose and ordinary life into a path of following Christ.
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