All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah
and said to him, "Now that you are old,
and your sons do not follow your example,
appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us."
Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them.
He prayed to the Lord, however, who said in answer:
"Grant the people's every request.
It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king."
Samuel delivered the message of the Lord in full
to those who were asking him for a king.
He told them:
"The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows:
He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses,
and they will run before his chariot.
He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups
of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers.
He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting,
and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers.
He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves,
and give them to his officials.
He will tithe your crops and your vineyards,
and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves.
He will take your male and female servants,
as well as your best oxen and your asses,
and use them to do his work.
He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves.
When this takes place,
you will complain against the king whom you have chosen,
but on that day the Lord will not answer you."
The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel's warning and said,
"Not so! There must be a king over us.
We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles."
When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say,
he repeated it to the Lord, who then said to him,
"Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them."
R./ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O Lord, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R./ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
For you are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the Lord belongs our shield,
and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.
R./ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
"Child, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
"Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
–he said to the paralytic,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
“Get Up”
Contrary to what many think, God does not want to subdue us; He wants to liberate us. He doesn’t want subjects on their knees; He wants children who learn to walk on their own. God’s call is not to slavery, but to true freedom.
The anti-monarchy current present in the Old Testament (of which the first reading is a very clear example) is a protest against seeking security in exchange for losing freedom. It’s not that God is jealous of a rival king; rather, He sees this movement for a monarchy “like the other nations” as a rejection of God’s sovereignty—the very sovereignty that freed them from slavery in Egypt. God challenges them to an authentic, and therefore risky, freedom.
If God finally gives in to the people’s desires, it is because He uses our weakness to guide us pedagogically toward that freedom the people seem to reject. Saul won’t be the true king of Israel, nor even David. It will be Jesus. He brings the Kingdom of God—which is not a political reign based on power, but a reign of love realized in service. That is why Jesus is always in the midst of the people, always in an attitude of service: teaching, forgiving, healing. Jesus doesn’t found a political regime; He founds a family: the children of God.
But doesn’t this religious attitude fall into a kind of childishness that prevents us from reaching true autonomy and maturity? If we put aside prejudices and simplistic views of the Christian faith and look at how Jesus acts, we will see that is not the case at all.
What enslaves us most is inside us: sin. And Jesus liberates us by forgiving us. Furthermore, if we are paralyzed for any reason, He doesn’t tell us to be resigned or passive. On the contrary, He calls us to stand up and walk on our own—to be autonomous.
It is curious that today Jesus tells the paralytic to stand up, pick up his mat, and go home. Why did he need the mat anymore? On one hand, the mat is a sign of true freedom, which is responsibility, and responsibility carries weight. But since God calls us to freedom for the sake of good, it’s also possible that, just as compassionate, faith-filled men carried the sick man to Jesus on that mat, Jesus was indicating that he should now go and do the same for others.
José María Vegas, cmf
Opening Prayer
God, our Father,
we are your people,
at times paralyzed by our fears
and our fascination with sin.
Let your Son speak among us
his mighty words of forgiveness and courage,
to raise us above ourselves,
above our cowardice and compromises,
that we may go resolutely
the way to you and to one another
by the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading Introduction
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells the Jewish Christians, dispersed on account of their faith, not to seek to return to the city of rest, Jerusalem and to Palestine, but rather to seek the rest and peace of living in the love of God; they are on the march to the promised land of heaven. They should not seek the "rest" of being installed securely in their home country. Likewise, we should not seek our "rest" and security in the things we have, the place we live, but be constant seekers of the rest of being at peace with God and people.
Gospel Introduction
Miracles are called "signs" in the Bible. They are, like the cure of the paralytic, visible manifestations that something has happened inside the person. The paralytic can walk. He can stand up and move as a human being, as a person who is forgiven and can get up from the paralysis of sin. Could not we, too, give "signs" to the people around us by raising them above their miseries, that God is alive in us?
General Intercessions
– That the Church, aware of its own shortcomings and missed chances, may humbly offer forgiveness and new chances to all who err, and become in the world a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation, we pray:
– That our homes may be places of mutual understanding and reconciliation; that the young may learn from their parents and each other to forget injuries and hurts, we pray:
– For all Christian communities, that we may be less concerned about our rights and injured pride and learn Christ's way of reconciliation and creating one another anew, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
let your Son come here among us
to take us by the hand
and to order us to get back on our feet
with joy and courage.
Renew us, with his body and blood,
that we too, may be to one another
his uplifting word and helpful hands,
that people may praise you,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
your Son was attentive to people,
to their ills and their needs.
May he live in us today
and make us his voice
that brings reconciliation and peace,
his heart that loves without boundaries,
his hands that build up a world
of justice, dignity, and service.
We ask you all this, in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Blessing
Let us try with all that is in us to put back on their feet those paralyzed by their own fears, limitations, and condemnations and to accompany them on their journey to God and to one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
