The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to ponder the anointing we have received to be leaders and lovers on our journey.
In the reading from the First Letter of Samuel, Samuel Anoints David.
* [16:1] David is anointed two more times after Saul’s death (2 Sm 2:4; 5:3). In 17:28, his brother Eliab is not aware of David’s selection. These repetitions and inconsistencies reflect the final editor’s use of multiple sources. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)
Psalm 89 praises God’s Covenant with David.
* [89:18, 25] Horn: a concrete noun for an abstract quality; horn is a symbol of strength.
* [89:26] The sea…the rivers: geographically the limits of the Davidic empire (the Mediterranean and the Euphrates); mythologically, the traditional forces of chaos. See note on Ps 89:11.
* [89:28] Most High: a divine title, which is here extended to David as God’s own king, cf. Ps 2:7–9; Is 9:5. As God rules over the members of the heavenly council (Ps 89:6–9), so David, God’s surrogate, rules over earthly kings. (Psalms, PSALM 89, n.d.)
The Gospel of Mark is Jesus' pronouncement about the Sabbath.
* [2:23–28] This conflict regarding the sabbath follows the same pattern as in Mk 2:18–22.
* [2:25–26] Have you never read what David did?: Jesus defends the action of his disciples on the basis of 1 Sm 21:2–7 in which an exception is made to the regulation of Lv 24:9 because of the extreme hunger of David and his men. According to 1 Samuel, the priest who gave the bread to David was Ahimelech, father of Abiathar.
* [2:27] The sabbath was made for man: a reaffirmation of the divine intent of the sabbath to benefit Israel as contrasted with the restrictive Pharisaic tradition added to the law.
* [2:28] The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath: Mark’s comment on the theological meaning of the incident is to benefit his Christian readers; see note on Mk 2:10. (Mark, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Tom Quinn comments that good will come of our actions if we are champions and servants for God and His creation.
The alleluia today provides a beautiful summary of the first reading: “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.”... Honoring God, the Lord, is the spirit of the Sabbath. Rest and reflect; God genuinely wants the serenity and happiness that we have on the Sabbath to endure throughout our lives. (Quinn, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “The Lord of the Sabbath,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"Doubtless he speaks of himself when he mentions the 'Lord of the sabbath' (Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5). Mark relates a complementary saying about our common human nature, that "the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Why then should someone who gathered sticks on the sabbath be censured? The law that was established earlier could not be scorned without jeopardizing the law to be given later.
"The sabbath did confer many benefits, great blessings in the earlier dispensation. It made people more gentle toward those close to them. It guided them toward being more sympathetic. It located them temporally within God's creation and providence, as Ezekiel knew (Ezekiel 20:19-20). The sabbath trained Israel by degrees to abstain from evil and disposed them to listen to the things of the Spirit.
"They would have stretched the law out of shape if, when he was giving the law of the sabbath, Jesus had said, 'You can work on the sabbath, but just do good works, do nothing evil.' This would have brought out the worst in them. So he restrained them from doing any works at all on the sabbath. And even this stricter prohibition did not keep them in line. But he himself, in the very act of giving the law of the sabbath, gave them a veiled sign of things to come. For by saying, 'You must do no work, except what shall be done for your life' (Exodus 12:16), he indicated that the intent of the law was to have them refrain from evil works only, not all works. Even in the temple, much went on during the sabbath, and with great diligence and double toil. Thus even by this very shadowy saying Jesus was secretly opening the truth to them. Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher requirement."(excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 39.3) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Samuel 16:1-13 comments that God anointed David because his heart was ablaze with love for him and because he recognized his dependence on God, even when he strayed and sinned against him (Psalm 51).
David can also bring you hope in your battle against sin. You may be struggling with a persistent weakness or bad habit, and you just can’t seem to overcome it. Your repeated attempts to break the cycle can make you feel that God is disappointed with you. But the Lord still sees you, even when you fail, and he still loves you. His approval does not depend on your perfect triumph in this life. His love is constant, and it remains fixed on every heart that comes to him in humility.
Our vision is so limited. But God sees everything and loves us always. Let’s thank and praise him today!
“Thank you, Lord, for seeing me even when I can’t see myself.” (Meditation on 1 Samuel 16:1-13, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the rejection of Saul as king and the anointing of the shepherd David as God sees what is in the heart of the anointed. The Pharisees interpretation of the Law in the widest way is rejected by Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath. Friar Jude reflects on the error in Mark about the actual priest who distributed the Show Bread to David and his men.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Debie Thomas who considers the paradox of Jesus’ parable of the weeds and wheat.
But Jesus says no. “No” and “wait.” Jesus insists on patience, humility, and restraint when it comes to patrolling the borders of the field. He asks us, even as we acknowledge the pernicious reality of evil, to accept his timing instead of ours when it comes to destroying it. Why? Because there is no way we can police the wheat field without damaging the wheat. There is no way we can rid ourselves of everything bad without distorting everything good. When we rush ahead of God and start yanking weeds … we do harm to ourselves and to the field. Our sincerity devolves into arrogance. Our love devolves into judgment. Our holiness devolves into hypocrisy. The field suffers. (Thomas, 2024)
Our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader underlines the trust that God offers for our freedom to choose the Way of full life.
References
Mark, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2?23
Meditation on 1 Samuel 16:1-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/01/16/876155/
1 Samuel, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/16?1
Psalms, PSALM 89. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89?
Quinn, T. (2024, January 16). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/011624.html
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Son of Man Is Lord of the Sabbath. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jan16
Thomas, D. (2024, January 16). Paradox Holds Us — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/paradox-holds-us/
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