Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Laws Are Servants of People

Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: I

Introduction

God’s ways are not our ways… What is weak attracts his strength. He confounds the mighty by selecting the least and the powerless to do his work. This perennial inversion of values is found in the vocation and election stories of the Old Testament, like David’s in today’s first reading, and will be deepened and presented as fundamental in the New Testament. Is not, after all, the scandal of the cross the deepest expression of this?

The function of laws is to order relationships within the community so as to safeguard the rights of God and of the people around us, and to make us aware of our social responsibilities. Yet, experience tells us that it is a perpetual human temptation to turn laws into absolutes, to make people servants of the law rather than the law a servant of people. Jesus reminds us of the priority of people and the human community over the letter of the law.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
it is easier for us to seek safety
in observing laws and customs
than to be personally responsible
for the people around us
and to serve you with the freedom of love.
Give us a bit of your own fantasy,
send us the Holy Spirit to fill us
with your own inventive and creative love,
that we may ever seek new ways
to reach out to you and to one another.
Grant this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

First Reading

1 Samuel 16:1-13

The LORD said to Samuel:
“How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
But Samuel replied:
“How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me.”
To this the LORD answered:
“Take a heifer along and say,
‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
“Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”
He replied:
“Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
“The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There–anoint him, for this is he!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 89:20, 21-22, 27-28

R.        (21a)  I  have found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
“On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth.”
R.        I  have found David, my servant.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R.        I  have found David, my servant.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
My God, the Rock, my saviour.’
And I will make him the firstborn,
highest of the kings of the earth.”
R.        I  have found David, my servant.

Alleluia Verse

See Ephesians 1:17-18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mark 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Prayers of the Faithful

– That Christians may regard the commandments as doors to freedom from sin and evil and as ways to serve God and people, we pray:

– That lawmakers everywhere make laws that are humane and serve the good of all, we pray:

– That Sunday may be for us a special occasion to grow in the love of those who are dear to us, to visit the sick, and to serve the needy, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
you let the sun shine and the rain fall
over the fields sowed by the farmer
to satisfy his hunger with bread and rice.
Alleviate our hunger
for goodness and love and things that last
with the bread of eternal life,
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord,
who lives with you and with us,
now and forever.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
we turn our laws and even yours
into absolutes by which we imprison
ourselves and others.
And then, you give us yourself in your Son
to remind us that what counts is
how we live for you and for one another
and share ourselves with each other.
Let this Eucharist fill us
with the mentality of your Son,
that we may be present to one another
with a liberating love.
For you have set us free from all servitude
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

Laws are made for people, not people for laws. This also applies to God’s laws. They are guidelines, help for people, not instruments of oppression. May Almighty God bless you and help you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTION:

Mark 2: 18-22

Embracing Freedom and Mercy in Christ

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that His message is ever new, challenging us to live as authentic Christians by embracing His transformative Word. Using the analogy of new wine in fresh wineskins, Jesus calls us to let go of rigid, outdated mindsets and make room for the surprises in the newness of life that He offers.

Jesus teaches that His Word surpasses all human ideologies, breaking the bonds of pride and self-righteousness. It invites us into the freedom of trust in God’s mercy. The Lord’s precept that “He desires mercy, not sacrifice” underscores that true discipleship is not about rigid adherence to external practices but about interior conversion and living out God’s love in justice, charity, forgiveness, and mercy.

As Pilgrims of Hope, we are called to be docile to God’s Word and open to the Holy Spirit’s action in our lives. This requires courage to move beyond our comfort zones and a willingness to embrace the newness of Christ’s call. His Word can disrupt our plans and challenge our assumptions, but it is always life-giving, drawing us closer to the heart of God.

At times, the enemy may deceive us with half-truths or ideologies that distort our faith, but Jesus leads us to freedom. To be a Christian is to trust in His grace, to allow His Word to renew us continually, and to let mercy, not judgment, guide our actions.

Let us ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was the first to receive the “new wine” of God’s Word, that we may also become fresh wineskins, ready to carry the joy, hope, and mercy of Christ to the world.

Embracing Freedom and Mercy in Christ - Youtube

Mark 2:23-28

Is Jesus the Lord of our lives?

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus acknowledges that he is “the Lord even of the Sabbath.” The first Christians proclaimed their faith in Jesus as Iesous Kyrios—Jesus is Lord. Inevitably, this would annoy both Jews and Gentiles. The use of the term Kyrios - the Lord - to describe an ordinary person would be highly offensive to Jews. Furthermore, the implication that this man was the Messiah of Israel - despite having been killed by Israel's enemies - was blasphemous.

Kaiser Kyrios, which meant "Emperor is Lord," was a Greek watchword at the time. So, Jesus being the Lord was a subversive claim as far as the Romans were concerned since the Emperor was Lord for them. The ruling class was being threatened by the new revolutionary system of allegiance, an entirely different type of ordering and lordship.

We Christians should be bold and confident when we go public, since we are not announcing our private spirituality but announcing a new King whose Lordship we must submit to. When we acknowledge Jesus is the Lord, then our jobs, business, family life, leisure and entertainment, everything that we are engaged in - everything must come under his Lordship.

Is Jesus the Lord of our lives? - Youtube

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

DAY 3
The bond of peace

Verse for the day:

Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph 4:3).

Additional Scripture passages:

Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalm 86:8-13; John 14:27-31

Reflection:

Peace is a crucial factor in maintaining unity within the Church. In Ephesians 4:3, the “bond of peace” signifies a vital and active principle that not only connects but also sustains the unity of the Christian community. Christ, the Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6), preached peace and reconciliation. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), both a gift and a result of the Spirit at work. The “bond of peace” is an active force that maintains church cohesion, holding diverse members together despite differences in background or opinion. Peace fosters meaningful relationships, allowing believers to interact harmoniously and to forgive one another more readily. Paul highlights the fact that true unity requires ongoing commitment to peace. It calls for actively cultivating and promoting peace among members.

A question to consider:
How does St Paul’s teaching that peace is a fruit of the Spirit impact our daily interactions and relationships within our communities, especially where there is a need for reconciliation or forgiveness?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Prince of Peace. Strengthen the bond of peace among us and in our troubled world. Change the hearts of all who make war; touch the wounds of all who are afflicted by war. We pray especially for the people of Armenia and Artsakh, and their kindred throughout the world. Let the light of your love shine in all the dark places of our world and hasten the day when all peoples may dwell in peace with justice. Amen.