Reading I
1 Sm 4:1-11
The Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel.
Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel.
After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said,
“Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today
by the Philistines?
Let us fetch the ark of the Lord from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”
So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there
the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God.
When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded.
The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked,
“What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?”
On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.
They said, “Gods have come to their camp.”
They said also, “Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us!
Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?
These are the gods that struck the Egyptians
with various plagues and with pestilence.
Take courage and be manly, Philistines;
otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews,
as they were your slaves.
So fight manfully!”
The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.
Gospel
Mk 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
Meditation: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
The Israelites had been unfaithful, failing to live as God’s people according to his laws. So wanting both to humble them and to give them a wake-up call, God allowed the Philistines to defeat them.
But their military loss didn’t have the desired effect. Instead of first repenting of their idolatry and turning back to the Lord, they tried to use magic to force God’s hand. They decided to take the ark of the covenant onto the battlefield, hoping that this mighty talisman would overwhelm their enemies and leave them free to live as they pleased. Even though the ark did frighten the Philistines, it was still a disaster for Israel: Not only were they soundly defeated, the ark itself was captured and desecrated.
We too may be tempted to be superstitious. We swiftly forward an e-mail to thirteen people with the promise that we will be blessed. We are so preoccupied with completing praying the rosary that it becomes more of a recitation than a prayer. We worry if we ignore a fund-raising appeal that something bad will happen to us.
There’s nothing wrong with being careful about the repercussion of our actions. It can even help us to follow through on our good intentions. After all, God himself gave his people the design for the ark of the covenant and promised that it was the place where they could rely on encountering him. We just need to make sure our trust is in God, and not in the means we may use to reach him.
Should you find yourself, like the Israelites, in a position of need or weakness, keep these points in mind. Always choose faith and trust over superstition or manipulation. We can’t think that we will get what we want simply by attending Mass more frequently or fasting more rigorously. We can’t control God in these ways—or in any way, for that matter. Our best response is to keep doing our best to obey him, to seek his wisdom and guidance in prayer, and to surrender to him the things that are out of our control. It’s how the saints have always lived, and it’s by far the most freeing!
“Lord, I believe that you always do what’s best for me and those I love. Help me to set aside my own agenda today and trust in your providence.”
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