Bible
Study: 1 Samuel 9, 1 to 21 and 10, v.1.
And Mark 2, 13 to 17.
So far,
since the beginning of this week, our readings have been teaching us about
prayer. And if there is one conclusion we can draw from all we have seen so
far, it is the fact that prayer is more than words. It demands more than merely
talking. In fact, there is prayer that is called Sacrament which involve
visible materials as well as words.
Once upon
a time, a catechumen who was coming into the Catholic Church from another faith
asked me this question. He said: “I attended an ordination ceremony and I
noticed the Bishop was pouring oil into the hands of the newly ordained. Is
this in the Bible? And what is the meaning of that?”
Today’s
first reading gives us the ancient origin of the sacramental use of anointing. The
moment Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it over the head of Saul, he
instantly became the king of Israel. The pouring of the oil over Saul’s head
was in itself a prayer and this type of prayer is called a sacrament.
A
sacrament is something we see physically happening yet imparting a deep
spiritual effect in our lives. It is an outward sign of inward grace. Baptism
is a sacrament, it is a prayer in action, a prayer involves signs and symbols
with deep meanings and effect on the soul. Likewise Ordination is a sacrament
that turns a man into a priest. By his anointing at ordination, the priest is
bestowed with powers that makes him capable of standing in the place of Christ
in the exercise of his office. He becomes Christ among men yet does not lose
his humanity.
Oil is
also used at Confirmation which turns a baptised Christian into a soldier of
Christ. And at the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, oil is used to bring
about healing as St. James himself wrote: “Are any among you sick? They should
call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them
with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and
the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be
forgiven.” James 5, 14 to 15.
It is not
just the pouring of oil but the fact that God’s divine hand is upon it and upon
the one performing the anointing. Note that it was God himself who said to
Samuel, “Here is the man who shall rule over my people.” 1st Samuel
9, 17. No one can just wake up and start pouring oil on people anyhow. We should
not be carried away by people trying to make a business by taking advantage of
the vulnerability of Christians whose faith is not so strong with all kinds of
oil they hawk around the church environment such as “Back to Sender Oil”, “St.
Michael Oil”, “Holy Ghost Fire Oil” and so on. The greatest protection a
Christian has over Satan and the forces of darkness is a life of holiness. If you
like, get all the oil in the world and immerse yourself in them daily, you
would still be a victim if you do not live above sin.
In our
Gospel passage, we see the touching story of the call of Levi, a tax collector
by Jesus. Levi was not even a fan of Jesus, he was sitting in his tax office
carrying out his duty when Jesus passed by and said: “follow me.” Levi was so
happy that he invited his friends and fellow tax collectors for a dinner with
Jesus at his house.
The choice
of Levi like the choice of Saul in the first reading is something mysterious.
Jesus must have seen so many other tax collectors, but it was Levi he chose.
There were many tall and handsome young men in all of Israel, but God told
Samuel to anoint Saul. We do not merit our choice. We did not choose our parents,
neither did we choose our date of birth. We do not merit our calling, anybody
could have been chosen and anointed. But it is what we do with our anointing
that matters. While Levi became a great apostle eventually, Saul ruled Israel
in a manner that God himself regretted choosing him as king.
At times,
people may even wonder how God decides to call men and women for his work despite
their human limitations. The mysterious thing about anointing is that it does
not remove a person’s habit, thoughts or desires yet it give the person an
opportunity to grow deeper in spirit, it give the person a chance to repent.
When people
saw Jesus eating with the tax collectors, they were scandalized! Wetin concern agbero with overload? What
has the holy of holies got to do with sinful people? Jesus says to us as he
said to those who were not happy to see him in that company, “I have not come
to call the righteous but sinners.”
We all
were anointed on the day of our baptism, confirmation or Orders. Like Levi, we
were chosen not because of any special quality we had but just because God wanted
it. The question is: “How well are we making use of the anointing?”
Let us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, let your holy anointing transform me in spirit that I may constantly
turn from my sinful ways like Levi and worship you with all my heart, mind and
body. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is
well with you. Happy Weekend.
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