Reading 1 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a
All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah
and said to him, "Now that you are old,
and your sons do not follow your example,
appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us."
Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them.
He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer:
"Grant the people's every request.
It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king."
Samuel delivered the message of the LORD in full
to those who were asking him for a king.
He told them:
"The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows:
He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses,
and they will run before his chariot.
He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups
of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers.
He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting,
and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers.
He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves,
and give them to his officials.
He will tithe your crops and your vineyards,
and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves.
He will take your male and female servants,
as well as your best oxen and your asses,
and use them to do his work.
He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves.
When this takes place,
you will complain against the king whom you have chosen,
but on that day the LORD will not answer you."
The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel's warning and said,
"Not so! There must be a king over us.
We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles."
When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say,
he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him,
"Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:16-17, 18-19
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
For you are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Gospel Mk 2:1-12
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
"Child, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
"Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
-he said to the paralytic,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
Meditation: Mark 2:1-12
“We have never seen anything like this.” (Mark 2:12)
More than once, Jesus told his followers that the kingdom was near, or had come, or that they would know it was coming by certain signs. The trouble is, the human mind can so easily argue away such statements. This is especially true if our experience differs from what we’re told or if it just doesn’t make sense to our logical minds. But when the kingdom is demonstrated right before our eyes, we have no choice. We have to find a way to reconcile the thoughts in our minds with the evidence before our eyes.
That is what happened when a paralyzed man was lowered through the roof right in front of Jesus. Jesus confirmed his authority to forgive and demonstrated that authority by commanding the man to stand up and walk. No matter what Israel’s chattering class may have thought about Jesus up to that point, they now had to deal with this undeniable miracle.
Every now and then, undeniable miracles do happen in the church. But most of the time we would say that Jesus did greater things than we are doing—even though he said we would be the ones doing the greater things (John 14:12). If we were performing undeniable miracles on a regular basis, just as Jesus did, our churches would be filled to overflowing!
And yet, we do see signs of the kingdom of God—and we should be glad that they’re here. Two million young people attended the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, last year. People are experiencing dramatic inner healings from the wounds caused by broken relationships. Ministries such as Cursillo and Christ Renews His Parish are bringing people into new and deeper experiences of conversion.
When Jesus came to Nazareth, he performed just a few small healings (Mark 6:5). There was too much doubt in the environment. Let’s not let that happen to us! Let’s believe in and pray for an increase in miracles. And when we do see or read about a miracle, let’s treasure it! Jesus wants us all to have confidence in his presence and in his power to heal, save, and transform. He wants us to live in expectant, joyful hope!
“Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see the kingdom of God all around me. Help me to recognize your presence and your work in the people I meet and situations I encounter.”
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