It is 17th January 2020. We celebrate the memorial of St Antony, Abbot. The readings are from 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22 and the Gospel from Mark 2:1-12. We all make choices as people of God. There are choices affect beyond the generation. Freedom and independence are engraved in the human minds and it is placed by God in us for a purpose. We all need those pillars of human existence yet we cannot afford to exclude God being free and independent. Moving from theocracy to democracy was the choice made by people of Israel in the first reading. A clear way of moving away from God’s guidance to human control and oppression. It is a visible sign of lack of God faith in God. We most of us think that God and religion are opposed to freedom and independence. The fact is that when we have become slaves to sin, there is a challenge to love. God always wants us to be liberated and live a life of freedom and freewill with dignified choices. The worst choices bring pain and sadness through out the generation and beyond. God never kept grudge against God’s people or abandoned them when they made a choice that displeased God. But God expects us to acknowledge Him, life and integral growth in our personal life. We need to be extremely careful about the forces that play a vital role in pulling us away from God. The voice of the people is the voice of God as the voice of our consciences are the voices of the Holy Spirit. We need to balance them. The people of Israel who saw their neighbours were blessed more than them, they made their consciences to hear a voice that was convenient for them. They believed that human personnel are able to provide the security, law and order and social and individual welfare tangibly and powerfully than God. What do we do in our life, when we see people talking and believing the theology of prosperity? Are we with God or looking for a human consolation and promises? The responsorial Psalm acclaims, “I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.” (Ps.88:2). The Gospel teaches us that Jesus alone can bear our burdens and sickness. He alone can give us the inner healing and freedom we all are looking for. The 21st century sickness is to believe that there is no connection between sin and sickness as that of body and soul. When our consciences are sharpened, we make decisions that we never regret. When our minds are at peace with God, there is no way we could suffer from any spiritual or mental ailments. May we trust the Lord to deal with the urgency to make choices that we never regret. May God bless you and have a good day.