First Reading I Samuel 16:1-13 Gospel Mark 2:23-28

This saint lived to be 105 years old! At the age of eighteen, after his parents had died, he provided for his sister and then withdrew from the world to find solace, silence, and solitude in the desert. An ancient story says that a raven fed him each day with a morsel of bread. In our times, some youth seek the silent meditation of the Orient and withdraw from the noise of the West. Others of us are afraid of silence; we need some “noise” at all times. We need to realize the value of silence in order to contemplate the awe of God.

The weekday readings: The first reading today describes the anointing of David as king. Samuel is sent to Bethlehem. He has been told by the Lord that the king will be one of Jesse’s sons. The sons line up, from oldest and strongest to the youngest; but God says that the king is none of these. Samuel asks Jesse if these are all he has. Jesse replies that there is one other, and he is tending the flocks. David is summoned, and Samuel anoints him as king. This is a reminder that we should never act solely on appearances. God may chose the insignificant in order to do his mighty works.
The disciples of Jesus are hungry. They pick heads of grain on the Sabbath to eat. The Pharisees are scandalized; they admonish Jesus that he has broken the Sabbath rest. Jesus quotes an incident from the time of David to justify the action. He concludes by saying that the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. For the Pharisees, this would be blasphemy, for they thought that the Torah was ultimate and eternal.