Mystery of the day: Joyful
Celebration: St Anthony, Abbot
(251-356) - Optional Memorial.
Called the Patriarch of Monks, St. Anthony retired to the desert when he was eighteen years old. He was the first abbot to form a stable rule for his family of monks dedicated to the divine Service. He led an austere life which was always consciously directed to the better service of God.
📖 Table of the Word
First Reading:1 Samuel 9:1–4, 17–19; 10:1a
Gospel: Mark 2:13–17
Theme: Follow me!
Reflection
In the ordinary things of the world that we find what God condiders extraordinary. In strength, He chose the weak, among the knowledgeable in the eyes of men He picks up the fools so as to prove the fact that in nothingness lies something extraordinary.
In the first reading, Saul is seen searching for lost donkeys when God is preparing him for kingship. The divine lesson is subtle: God’s purposes often unfold within ordinary duties. Saul does not present himself as king; he is found by God. (cf.1 Samuel 9:1–4, 17–19; 10:1a)
Yet this anointing also carries a warning, stressing that calling does not guarantee faithfulness. What God gives must be continually sustained by obedience.
That is why, the Church reminds us that vocation is both gift and task. As Lumen Gentium teaches, divine election demands daily cooperation with grace.
As the Psalmists echoes as the king whose joy flows from God is being celebrated: “You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.” (see Psalm 21:2-3.4-5.6-7 (R. 2a)
True honour is not seized but received. Life, glory, and blessing come from the Lord, not from self-assertion.
In the gospel pericope, Jesus calls Levi from the tax booth, a place of profit and social compromise to where his soul will find eternal rest (cf. Mark 2:13–17). He with haste and no argument rose and followed. The call is personal, disruptive, and liberating. Jesus’ words define His mission:
“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Grace does not wait for perfection; it creates it.
The Church further see in Levi’s call the foundation of conversion: leaving behind systems that enslave in order to embrace mercy that frees.
In the same spirit that the Witness of St. Anthony the Abbot when heard the Gospel command “Go, sell what you have” he took it literally. Retreating into the desert, he became a father of monasticism, teaching generations that silence, fasting, prayer, and spiritual combat are paths to freedom.
Anthony’s battles were not political but spiritual. He taught that the greatest warfare is against disordered desires and interior distractions. His life confirms today’s Gospel: the call of Christ is radical, but it leads to true life.
Finally, let us be attentive as God still whispers in the silence of surrendering and obedience.
+ Peace of Christ be with you!
© ARCHIVE 17012026
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