SERMON/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II 16TH JANUARY 2024

HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II

1Samuel 16:1-13; Ps.89; Mark 2:23-28

Seek to please the Lord always

When the Lord chose Saul as king, he sent Samuel to anoint him as a sign of his election. But when the Lord rejected Saul on account of his disobedience, Saul was not ripped off his kingly position; yet, he remained rejected by the Lord. When Samuel was grieving over Saul, it was due to his spiritual awareness of what had happened. On the physical plane, there was no need to grieve over Saul since he remained king. Now it is not clear whether Saul’s rejection was communicated to him. If it wasn’t, it means that Saul may have thought that there was no big deal about his disobedience. This is where we need to be guided.

To lose the grace of God must not necessarily translate to losing some physical or material benefits/endowment. For this reason, we may be tempted to continue to disobey since life seemed to have remained normal thereafter. But the example of Saul should enlighten us that though positions and wealth may remain, without the grace of God, these things will not bring us any fulfilment. Without the hand of God, nothing goes well; nothing gives true satisfaction.

Therefore, in all we do in life, let’s be guided by God’s commandments. Whatever will cost us our friendship with God is something that is too expensive for us to afford. The fact is, the grace of God has no alternative. Notice that when David was anointed king, he was not crowned. In fact, it took a good number of years before the coronation came about. Beloved, positions and accolades mean nothing; it is what is inside that really counts. Every day of our lives, we should continue to seek to please the Lord. We do not know what plans He has for us in the future; so we never can tell what our disobedience may cost us; for it will surely cost us something.

It is not clear if Saul repented of his misdeeds. But whether he did or not, he was replaced by the Lord. Beloved, do not sin purposefully just because the confessional is always available to obtain God’s mercy. God does not permit vacuum. The moment one falls out of grace, He replaces immediately so that the manifestation of his glory is never disrupted.

However, if like David, we learn to be committed to the Lord despite the quietness of our lives, the Lord is always capable of locating us for greater works. So, do not be discouraged if your commitment to God keeps you unpopular. Man can make himself popular but only the popularity that comes from God truly benefits man.