💖 HOMILY - JANUARY 21 💖

First Reading - 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51

Gospel - Mark 3:1-6

There are moments when we feel small in the face of what stands before us. The challenge looks too large, the opposition too strong, and our own resources painfully limited. We wonder whether faith is enough when experience, strength, or approval seem to be missing. Today’s readings speak directly into that fear and reveal a God who works powerfully through trust and courage shaped by compassion.

The First Reading from 1 Samuel places us before a familiar scene. David stands before Goliath, but the real tension is not between a boy and a giant. It is between two ways of seeing. Saul sees danger, weakness, and likely failure. David sees a living God who has already proven faithful. David does not deny the size of the threat; he refuses to let it define reality. His confidence does not come from weapons or armor, but from memory. He remembers how God has acted before, and that memory shapes his courage now.

What is striking is that David refuses Saul’s armor. He cannot fight using someone else’s strength or strategy. He must stand before the challenge as he truly is, trusting God rather than appearances. Victory comes not because David is powerful, but because he entrusts the battle to God. The giant falls, not to force, but to faith expressed with courage.

The Gospel from Mark shows another confrontation, quieter but just as revealing. Jesus enters the synagogue and encounters a man with a withered hand. The opposition here is not physical strength, but hardened hearts. Religious leaders watch closely, not to learn or to hope, but to accuse. Jesus sees the man, the need, and the moment. He asks a question that exposes the real issue: is it lawful to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?

Silence follows. It is the silence of fear, control, and self-protection. Jesus responds with anger and grief, not because the law matters too much, but because compassion matters too little. He heals the man, fully aware that this act of mercy will deepen hostility against him. Love, once again, carries a cost.

Dear friends, faith is not passive belief; it is courageous action rooted in trust and compassion. David steps forward when others retreat. Jesus acts when others calculate risk. Both refuse to let fear or rigid thinking have the final word.

Many people face giants that are not physical: injustice at work, family conflict, personal failure, habits that feel unbreakable, or systems that seem too strong to challenge. Others encounter quieter battles, where doing the right thing may cost approval, comfort, or security.

Today’s word is not that we must be fearless, but that we must be faithful. Courage does not mean confidence in ourselves. It means confidence in God’s presence and purpose. Like David, we are called to trust God’s faithfulness in our past. Like Jesus, we are called to choose compassion even when it is costly.

The invitation today is clear and challenging. Do not let fear decide your actions. Do not let rigid thinking silence mercy. Step forward with trust, even if you feel small. Choose to do good, even when it risks misunderstanding.

When faith leads and compassion guides, giants fall in ways we do not expect. Withered places are restored. And even in resistance or opposition, God’s power is revealed through lives that dare to trust, act, and love without compromise.