God's Time and Reign

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday of 1st Week in Ordinary Time, Year 11, January 14th, 2022
Texts: 1Samuel 8:4-7.10-22a; Psalm 89:16-19;  Mark 2: 1- 12
Biblical prophets have a way of introducing God's time and reign. They introduce the time and reign of God with the theme of reversal, new order or new beginning, salvation, mercy and judgement. They often talk about events never happened before, events that are not common and have no parallel in history to announce the time and reign of God. Virgin Mary announced in her magnificat God's visitation with the themes of mercy, reversal and new order. Zechariah announced the time and reign of God with the themes of mercy and salvation. Prophet Isaiah announced the time and reign of God with the themes of salvation (25:6-10), new beginning and reversal (43:19; 54:1-10). Prophet Jeremiah announced the time and reign of God with the theme of new beginning (31:31-34).
St. Mark announced to us, today, the reign of God in Jesus Christ. He uses the themes of mercy and unparalleled events to inform us that the time of God has come in Jesus, that God reigns in Jesus Christ, that God lives among us in Jesus Christ, that the announcements of God's time and reign by the prophets, Virgin Mary and Zechariah are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Son of man is also the Son of God; the Son of God has become the Son of man and now He forgives sin. He introduces the theme of unparalleled events thus: "And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!'" This is to tell us that the events that characterized the time of Jesus Christ are unparalleled and it is God visiting man in Him.
We are the products of the unparalleled actions of Jesus Christ, so we are to be unparalleled in our ways of lives. No wonder He says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mtt. 5: 43-48).
Today's first reading reminds us of how often we prefer the reign of man to the reign of God. It is said, "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.'”
We are also made to know that when we reject God, we sell ourselves into slavery, slavery to man. It is said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your menservants and maidservants, and the best of your cattle and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” How come that we choose slavery instead of freedom, evil over good, sinfulness over holiness! We need help. Just because we want to be like others, we prefer slavery to freedom, evil to good, sinfulness to holiness.

Lord our God, help us Your children to live life worthy of Your name. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke