Live a life of integrity

Follow through on commitments to others and yourself.Be true to your word.

building inner wholeness, earning trust, and becoming the person you know you should be.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

There was a man

Fom the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish.

He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a valiant Benjaminite.

Kish had a son named Saul, a handsome young man who had no equal among the Israelites,

for he was a head taller than any of them. It happened that the asses of Kish were lost.

 

So he said to his son Saul, "Take one of the boys with you and go look for the asses."

They went all over the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah but did not find them.

They passed through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but the asses were nowhere to be found.

 

So, when Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh told him, "Here is the man I spoke to you about!

He shall rule over my people." Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and said, "

Tell me, where is the house of the seer?" Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer.

Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me.

 

In the morning, before you leave, I will tell you all that is in your heart."

Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head.

And kissing Saul, Samuel said, "Yahweh has anointed you to rule over and to lead his people Israel.

And this will be Yahweh's sign to you that he has anointed you."

 

Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊   

 Mark 2:13-17

When Jesus went out again, beside the lake, a crowd came to him, and he taught them.

As he walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi,

the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, "Follow me!" And Levi got up and followed him.

And it so happened that, when Jesus was eating in Levi's house,

tax collectors and sinners sat with him and his disciples;

 

there were a lot of them, and they used to follow Jesus.

But Pharisees, men educated in the law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors,

said to his disciples, "Why does your master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

Jesus heard them, and answered, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do.

I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

Live a life of integrity.

St. Anthony the Abbot, the saint we honor today, once said, "Actions speak louder than words.

Let your words teach and your actions speak."

This serves as a valuable reminder for all of us to live a life of integrity,

where our words align with our actions. We are also challenged to embody what we profess in our faith and beliefs.

Behind the powerful story of Levi's call and conversion lies a God rich in mercy and compassion.

May we also radiate that kind of God – of mercy and compassion – in our manner of speaking, doing, and even deciding.