A Friend Who Trusts Me
by Fr. David M. Knight
Saturday, January 13, 2024
Week 1 in Ordinary Time
Lectionary No. 310
1Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1; Psalm 21; Mark 2:13-17
"I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." Mark 2:17
The Responsorial—“Lord, in your strength the king is glad”—celebrates God’s promise to work with and through Saul: “The Lord anoints you commander… You are to govern… and to save.”
God knew Saul would fail later (1Samuel 15:11); nevertheless, he anointed him and used him to do great things. God knew Peter would fail too, but that he would repent (Luke 22:31), and he made him the rock of the Church’s unity. He knows we will fail also—many times—but he has anointed us to do his work as prophets, priests, and stewards of his kingship. And he will keep working with us, in us, and through us as his living body on earth.
What kind of friend does that make Jesus? Who else puts that much trust in us? Could anyone else inspire us with the confidence to do what Jesus trusts us to do?
Trust empowers. Jesus’s trust in us empowers us. Our trust in him empowers us. Jesus is a friend who trusts and can be trusted.
Because of this, and because he “did not come to call the righteous but sinners,” we know he will enable us, who are sinners, to do great things.
Friendship is interaction. Interact with Jesus and he will make you trustworthy.
ACTION: The next time you are tempted to say “I can’t,” try trusting in Jesus.
PRAYER: “Lord, do this with me, do this in me, do this through me.”
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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