First Reading: (1 Samuel 15:16-23)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23)
Alleluia: (Hebrews 4:12)
“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”
Gospel: (Mark 2:18-22)
Reflection
Obedience is better than sacrifice of the Heart. Our sacrifice can't make up for our disobedience. (First Reading & Psalm)
Today’s readings start with a dramatic scene: Samuel rebukes King Saul, not for what he did, but for how he listened-or rather, how he didn’t listen wholeheartedly to God. Saul tried to justify his selective obedience by wrapping it in religious language, “sacrifices for the LORD”, yet Samuel cuts to the heart of the matter: God desires obedience more than ritual.
The Responsorial Psalm echoes this: God does not demand offerings the way humans might imagine. Instead, what honors Him is a life aligned with His ways, a heart that truly hears and responds to His words, not just recites them.
Key insight: External piety-even good deeds- rings hollow if it is not rooted in genuine obedience and love for God.
“New Wine” and the New Covenant (Gospel)
In the Gospel, people question Jesus about fasting. Rather than defending a rule, Jesus teaches about relationship. The disciples do not fast while the “Bridegroom”, Jesus Himself , is present. In calling Himself the Bridegroom, Jesus reveals that faith is not primarily about following empty rules, but about sharing life with Him.
His metaphors, new cloth on old garments, new wine in old wineskins, point to the radical newness of the Kingdom He inaugurates. The new cannot be simply added onto the old without transformation. This newness demands hearts that are flexible, open, and responsive to God’s Spirit, not mere adherence to past forms.
Becoming New Wineskins
Today’s readings invite us to ask:
Where in my life am I offering God my “sacrifices” while holding back obedience?
Am I trying to squeeze Christ’s new life into old habits that resist transformation?
How can I welcome Jesus as Bridegroom-joyfully, vulnerably, and obediently-so that the new wine of His grace can transform me from within?
God does not want our performance, He wants our hearts. When we surrender to His will, we become vessels ready to receive the life He longs to pour into us.
Amen.
God bless you
Pal Ronnie
No comments:
Post a Comment