THE POWER OF TRUST. (OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE). (Homily for January 18, 2016. 2ND Monday Ordinary Time, Year C.)


Bible Study:  1st Samuel 15, 16 to 33. And Mark 2, 18 to 22.


Good morning my dear friends. Let us thank God Almighty for the gift of a brand new day and a brand new week. In the course of this week, our readings will take us on a journey of deepening our trust in God. Already, yesterday we read about how Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. That miracle was prompted by Mary’s deep trust, a trust that we must develop if we must maintain our marital relationship with God.

Today, we read about how Saul having been appointed the first king of Israel FAILED God all because he did not trust God enough to obey his instructions fully. Just like we noted yesterday, trust goes side by side with obedience. It is to the extent that we trust God that we also obey him. If we do not trust that he means good for us, we always find it difficult to follow his instructions.

At times, we begin to debate God’s commandments, we pick and choose, we start wondering if these commandments are meant for us even in our own day and time or for those people who gathered under the foot of Mount Sinai with Moses. Like Saul, we tend to REASON things out. We have a thousand and one excuses as to why we feel we cannot obey God to the latter.

Just look to the conversation between Saul and Samuel.

Samuel: “Why then did you not OBEY the voice of the Lord?

Saul: “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord…BUT the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

Samuel: “Behold, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

The strong words of Samuel to Saul are not meant for him alone. They are meant for us as well. Refusal to obey God is a sin equal to idolatry. We tend to disobey because we lack trust. Every time we do things simply because “everybody does it,” we reject God’s words and make the world our god. At times, we read the bible and just laugh as if the instructions contained therein are not practicable. We think we know how to enjoy life better than the one who gave life to us.  

Trust is such a powerful virtue. When you trust God completely like Mary, you don’t argue with God. Even when his instructions DO NOT MAKE SENSE to you, like having to fetch water when you know it is wine that is lacking, you just obey! Or like in the case of Saul, it didn’t make sense to destroy completely all those beautiful eye-catching loots they saw in the land of the Amalekites but all he needed to do was to obey and believe God has better things in place for him.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus says we must put new wine into new wineskins. Having left the world behind, having rejected Satan and all his works and empty promises on the day of our baptism, we cannot afford to live anymore according to the standards of the world. We cannot afford to trust people more than we trust God. The problem with Christianity today is that many are Christians only in name and not in practical actions. There is a contradiction between what we say and what we do. We are like new wineskins with old wine inside.

Start today to trust God to the full and then you will enjoy life as God intended. If Adam and Eve had trusted God enough and not listened to Satan who made them think God was keeping something away from them, they would never have ate the forbidden fruit. God’s commandments are not restrictions to us, God is not trying to keep anything from us. In fact, the reverse is the case. Trust with your heart, then Obey with your actions and you will forever be glad.

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, teach me to trust more and obey completely. Amen.


God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy new week.

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