12/01/2024

In the Old Testament IAMIAM spoke to His People, to Israel, through his prophets. Their seemingly random utterances were usually made when the Chosen People were in great need of help or chastisement. 

Moses lead them out of slavery into the freedom of the Promised Land and today Samuel has to seek God's help for the People are not at ease in the freedom and responsibility that they have to live their own lives governed directly by God's Law and adherence to the Temple. God makes it perfectly clear to the People that what they are requesting will not bring the benefits that they are anticipating.

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar". There is also nothing ambiguous  about Jesus' separation of Church and State. Jesus makes it quite clear that his Father does not have favoured races or nations and our human freedom has the sole purpose of allowing us  to choose Holiness as our aim in life. Politics is not intrinsically evil but God's warning through Samuel has even more facets today when political man seeks to deny both the moral and physical laws of God.

"You cannot serve God and Mammon". Thus he teaches us to turn our backs on the material temporal things of our lives. Towards the conclusion of his Mission in his tortured bloodstained human body he emphasises very publicly before Caesar's representative that he is a King but not of this world and becomes the mocked and spat upon perfect Sacrifice of Calvary.

Similarly at the beginning of his mission in Capernaum he horrifies some of the witnesses by "My child your sins are forgiven you" . Ironically the silent protests of the scribes who  witnessed this miracle are the absolute truth about Jesus for he is indeed Father, Son and Holy Spirit, "God who can forgive sins" and to prove it he, three years later, poured out his life's blood to create the Mercy that is always available for us to choose and be cleansed by.

Dear Lord send us holy priests who can show by their lives on earth that it is possible for mankind to live in a state of holiness. I feel that I am in need of a penance as a punishment for all my sins but also know that forgiveness can only come by your gift, "Your only Son" crucified for my sins. Let my soul become fed by your grace and let me share in your Spiritual Body which is the only one true Church. May Mary's and all the Saints' prayers help to save all of us who are held firmly in the sinful grip of this World that we might resist the Flesh and secure in the care of Jesus, face the archenemy without fear.