Reading 1 1 Sm 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 Ps 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 savior.'
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
Gospel Mk 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."
Meditation: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.” (1 Samuel 16:1)
When God asked him to anoint David, Samuel had already invested a lot in King Saul. At first, he didn’t even like the idea of Israel having a king, but in obedience he had anointed Saul and supported him all the way.
But now Samuel had to change course because of Saul’s disobedience. We know that this devastated Samuel, because he “cried out to the Lord all night” about Saul (1 Samuel 15:11). Saul had such a promising future, but he squandered his potential and let his people down. But that didn’t stop God. He already knew what he was going to do, so he asked Samuel: “How long will you grieve for Saul?” (16:1). Samuel had become a little too attached to Saul, and it was time to move on.
This story offers us a good lesson about letting go. It’s only natural to mourn a lost friendship, a serious illness, or a loved one’s death. It’s only natural to grieve our losses. We may even feel as if we’ll never be able to move forward with our lives.
As difficult as these situations can be, we still have to try our best to keep moving on, even if it’s only day by day. We can remember how God told Samuel to fill his horn with oil—the oil of the Holy Spirit—and “be on your way” (1 Samuel 16:1). This is exactly what Samuel did. He probably was still mourning the loss of Saul, but he pushed on in faith and obedience to the Lord. We won’t always know what God has in mind when we encounter times of challenge or suffering. We may try to second guess what God is up to, just as Samuel tried to guess the identity of the new king. But we know that if we just follow his guidance, we will know blessing and protection.
So try your best to trust in the Lord when upheavals happen. Stay close to him. Tell him that you trust in his wisdom and providence. Believe that God hasn’t abandoned you; he still loves you. He still has a plan for your life.
“Lord, I ask not to understand your will but to accept it. Teach me to see your hand in the midst of every change and challenge.”
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