Two friends, Paul and John, were soldiers caught in the middle of a crossfire. Paul was with his superior when he saw John got hit severely since he was closer to enemy lines. 

Without delay, Paul asked permission to go and rescue his comrade. His captain refused. “John’s in too deep. You’ll risk getting caught or end up like him.” Despite that, Paul bravely lunged into the trenches to reach his friend. After the battle, Paul returned, bearing John’s lifeless body onto his shoulders. His captain saw him and remarked, “So, was it worth it?” Paul proudly replied, “Yes, sir. It was so worth it. For when I reached John, he looked at me with such relief and said, ‘I knew you’d come.’”

You are truly blessed if you have friends who’d risk much for you. Everyone needs friends who believe in you and got your back. But the way to have that kind of friend is to be one. Jesus is the Best Friend you can ever have. He risked so much for you and believes in you. He not only has your back, He also got you back. Yes, you can trust Him. 

J Yogawin (coachj@jyogawin.com)

reflect

“God sends us friends to be our firm support in the whirlpool of struggle. In the company of friends, we will find strength to attain our sublime ideal.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

Jesus, I trust in you. Increase my faith.

Saint Joseph Vaz, pray for us.

The people insist on having a king, even when Samuel warns them of the hardships they will endure at the hands of one. The Lord tells Samuel to relent and allow the people to have their king. Samuel is disgusted at the people of Israel’s lack of faith, but he will obey God and anoint a king.

⁴ All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah ⁵ 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.” ⁶ Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the Lord, however, ⁷ who said in answer: “Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king. ¹⁰ Samuel delivered the message of the Lord in full to those who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ 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. ¹² 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. ¹³ He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials. ¹⁵ He will tithe your crops and your vineyards, and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves. ¹⁶ He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best oxen and your asses, and use them to do his work. ¹⁷ He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When this takes place, you will complain against the king whom you have chosen, but on that day the Lord will not answer you.” ¹⁹ The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, “Not so! There must be a king over us. ²⁰ We, too, must be like other nations with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare and fight our battles.” ²¹ When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say, he repeated it to the Lord, ²² who then said to him, “Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.”

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 89:16-17, 18-19

R: Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

¹⁶ Blessed the people who know the joyful shout; in the light of your countenance, O Lord, they walk. ¹⁷ At your name they rejoice all the day, and through your justice they are exalted. (R) ¹⁸ For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted. ¹⁹ For to the Lord belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our king. (R)

Gospel | Mark 2:1-12

Jesus forgiving the sins of people is the bone of contention among the leaders of the Jews. But Jesus will never take a step backward. He knows what the Father has asked Him to do, and He is obedient to Him without fail. Let us all seek to have the same certainty about God’s call in our lives. May we act with the sureness of Spirit, knowing we are simply doing what God wants us to do.

Gospel Acclamation

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

¹ When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. ² Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ 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. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, ⁷ “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” ⁸ Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat, and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” ¹¹ he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” ¹² 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.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read MARK 13 - 16 today.

In today’s First Reading, we read the account of Israel demanding that Samuel anoints a king for them. Samuel was grieved by their request, but God—who never forces His sovereignty on anyone—instructed Samuel to give in to it. 

God respected Israel’s request, but not without a clear warning how earthly kings would abuse their power and ultimately the whole nation. Read verses 11-18 and you will see a long list of the abuses God prophesied that earthly kings would commit. But Israel was not deterred. The response of the people was arrogant as it was chilling: “No! But we are determined to have a king over us” (v. 19).

The rest of Israelite history validated God’s prophesy. Israel indeed suffered from the hands of corrupt and abusive kings. Even David, one of the few good kings of Israel and whom Scriptures described as “a man after God’s own heart,” would later be overcome by his own moral failings.

The Word of God affirms the legitimacy of earthly power and government. 

But God is the source of all power and authority: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).

Biblical and secular history has been a witness to this. When power is exercised for its own sake, detached from God who is the Source of all power and authority, it becomes a dictatorship. Such power corrupts the one who wields it. Such power enslaves those governed by it. But when power is rooted in God, it is an exercise of stewardship and true pastoral leadership. Such power sanctifies the one who wields it. Such power liberates those governed by it. 

Fr. Joel O. Jason

reflection questions

What kind of leader are you? Who are the leaders you choose to follow and govern your public and personal affairs?

Let all powers in heaven and on earth bend their knees at the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _______________________________