Reflection on Today's Readings Monday of 2nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year 11, and the Memorial of St. Anthony, January 17th, 2022
Texts: 1 Samuel 15:16-23; Psalm 50:8-9.16bc- 17.21. 23; Mark 2: 18 - 22
Today we are presented with the story of Saul's disobedience and why God rejected him. God sent him on a mission to "utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed." They were not to loot but destroy everything, both living and nonliving. The understanding of this utter destruction was that they dedicated everything to the Lord; it was a way of showing that they were not fighting for themselves but for the Lord. Against this background, taking something in the name of offering it to God was a sabotage; it had impure motive. It was a disobedience to God who commanded them to utterly destroy everything. Mind you, God also sent you and me to destroy sins. We begin with ourselves by living life of holiness, by not cooperating with those who are doing evil, by not perpetrating evil, by living daily the gospel values, by keeping the commandments of God. We  are to preach and teach the gospel values to others too. We are to be good to one another, be ready to forgive, be ready to help, be ready to intercede for others.
Sacrifice and fasting are remedies for sins. We make sacrifices to atone for our sins and also to thank God for His benefits. The best way to thank God is to keep His commandments. If there had been no sins, there would have not been any need for sacrifice for sin. Sacrifice is needless. It is the reality of human corruption. If man had been one with God, there would be no need of sacrifice. Hence, in today's first reading, Samuel says, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." Listening and obedience are necessary to success in one's mission. We have to listen to instructions and obey commandments, if we are to succeed on the mission God has sent us.
Today's gospel reading borders on the importance of fasting. Fasting is a form of penance, showing a genuine repentance. It  is a way of atoning for one's sins and training oneself in righteousness. We do not fast to atone for sins alone but to also control the passions of the body. The passions of the body are the reality of human corruption caused by sin. This means fasting deals with sin and its consequences. This also goes to say that if there had been no sin, there would have been no need for fasting.
Jesus Christ is challenged in today's gospel reading by John's disciples and the pharisees, saying, "Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” The answer given by Jesus Christ are in two parts. The first is this: “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom is with them, they cannot fast. The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day."  Jesus Christ is the bridegroom whose merit is enough for His disciples; He provides their holiness according to the richness of His holiness. Jesus once said, "You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me" (John 15:3-4). Since the presence of Jesus Christ cleansed them, they did not need to fast. This reminds us that those who are in Christ have no holiness of their own but the holiness of Christ. We are in Christ when we love Him and keep His commandments.
The second part of the answer is this: "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins ; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but new wine is for fresh skins.” This shows that Jesus Christ has brought renewal, a new awareness of fasting. He once said, “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (6:16-18). The disciples of Jesus Christ are not going to fast like the disciples of John and the pharisees.
Today is the memorial of St. Anthony. He was born in Egypt. He was a man whose desire to live Christian life to the full made him to leave everything and withdraw into desert. It is said of him thus: "His example of constant prayer, penance, work and charity attracted thousands of people to the desert" (Daily Missal, p.1543). His ways of life brought renewal to the people of God. We should always ensure that our ways of life draw souls to God, not sending them away.
Today we are called to walk closely with Jesus Christ, listening to His instructions and obeying His commandments. That is what God wants from us. We should always prefer listening to God and obeying His commandments to sacrifice and fasting.

Lord our God, thank You for Your love, strengthen our wills to obey Yours, that we may always be in good standing with You. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke