MONDAY JANUARY 15, 2024
MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
1 Samuel 15:16-23
Mark 2:18-22
ABIDING IN THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
Living as a Christian in this world demands total commitment to this new life. It means taking out time to discover the new life and following the new ways of living. It abhors any mixture of old and new. There is no need to look for convenience or to be guessing what to do or how to do it.
The gospel of today draws our attention to the new life in Christ. The coming of Christ promises newness in life style, morals and ways of doing things. Being and accepting the Christian life demands newness of life. In the gospel of today our Lord Jesus cautions us against sewing old clothes into new clothes or putting new wine into old wine skin. All these points to the fact that the Christian life is pure, unadulterated and must be loved as such. There is no need to attach new life to old forms of living, or to compromise doctrines and pick and choose what one wants or fancies.
Living out the Christian faith therefore demands a totally new orientation and of course newness in life. It means learning, trusting and obeying. The king Saul was rejected today in the first reading because he refused to harken to the voice of God and follow the instructions issued him by God. He instead succumbed to the pressures of his officers and soldiers by taking the looted items and sacrificing to the Lord instead of destroying all as commanded by God.
The need to trust in God and obey his command becomes important in our journey through life. That is the key to good life and that will enhance the new life of Grace Christ has granted us. Trust and obey is the only way to be happy in Jesus as one song writer says it.
As we step into a new week, let us be determined to live out our faith in trust and obedience to the teachings of the Church, the moral values as taught by the church and instructed for our wellbeing. Such trust and obedience to God and the church will inevitably enhance our new life of grace in Christ and help us abide in him, do his will and follow his steps to the glory of our God.
Heavenly Father, we begin this new week trusting in your providence and love. Lord, Lead us and guide us in this new life of grace as we entrust ourselves, our lives and our wellbeing into your care. Help us to be obedient to your calls, your teachings and to trust in your Grace working through and with us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
