TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)
Mystery of the day: Sorrowful
Celebration: Blessed Cyprain Michael Iwene Tansi (Priest) - Feast
đź“– Table of the Word
First Reading:1 Samuel 16:1–13
Gospel: Mark 2:23–28
Theme: Choice beyond human logic.
Reflection
The anointing of David overturns human logic. Jesse presents strong and impressive sons, yet God rejects them all. The divine criterion is clear:
“Not as man sees does God see… the Lord looks at the heart.”
David, forgotten in the fields, is chosen. God’s election is not based on appearance, status, or human approval, but on interior disposition (cf. 1 Samuel 16:1–13). True vocation often begins in obscurity. Though it is latent, with time it becomes obvious mysteriously, for God desires disposition and docility.
It is against this backdrop that the Church teaches that holiness is first an interior response to grace before it becomes a visible mission (cf. Lumen Gentium, 40).
In today's Gospel pericope, we see God's unfathomable attribute - mercy above observance (cf.Mark 2:23–28). Jesus challenges a rigid interpretation of the Sabbath. The law, He teaches, exists for life, not oppression: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”
Here Christ reveals that authentic obedience is animated by love and mercy, not fear. The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath, authority rooted in compassion.
The Church understands moral law as ordered toward the dignity of the human person. True obedience always protects life and leads to freedom.
In the same spirit, the Church in Nigeria rolls out drums alongside the Mother Church to celebrate the solemn feast in honour of Our own Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi: A Heart God Chose. A man who embodies today’s readings. Like David, he was chosen not for prominence but for purity of heart. As a diocesan priest and later a Trappist monk, his life was marked by radical obedience, deep prayer, and pastoral charity.
He embraced silence, sacrifice, and humility, convinced that holiness is found in doing God’s will faithfully, even when unnoticed. His monastic life echoed Christ’s teaching: obedience that is rooted in love, not mere rule-keeping.
Today, Blessed Tansi stands as a model of African Christian holiness, showing that sanctity is possible in every culture when the heart is surrendered to God.
Finally, let us be concious od the fact that God still chooses hearts others overlook. He sustains those He anoints. And then desires obedience that gives life, not legalism that burdens.
+ Peace of Christ be with you!
© ARCHIVE 20012026*
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