Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Thursday of the first week in ordinary time, January 15th, 2026

Delivered by Eva Glenn Robert from the Church of St. Augustine Kinarut in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. 1 Samuel 4: 1-11; Rs psalm 44: 10-11.14-15.24-25; Mark 1: 40-45.GOD RESTORS US The title for ourmeditation today is: God Restores Us. The need for recovery in life isabsolute. God Himself wishes to heal us and the world, and we are commanded tocontinue the act of healing in our lives. God restores us from our sinfulness,difficulties and illness. We also oblige to restore ourselves and our neighborswho need to be restored. There is a father whorealizes that he is so focused and occupied to five days work a week. He has onlyvery little time with his wife and children. He is so tired from all the worksin the office that makes him so helpless at home to spend time with his belovedones. Every time he thinks and ponders about this, he suffers in silent andfeels so sorry fo his wife and children. And so, he recoveres this suffering byspending full time of weekends to be with the family. And he loves it. The reading in the firstbook of Samuel tells us on how the Israelites lost the war against thePhilistines and the the ark of the covenant indicating the presence of the Godwith them was seized by the opponent. They experienced being ignored andalienated from their land. They were like people who did not own their ownland. They became like lepers who are thrown away, like trash and so useless inthe midst of their fellow nations. They yearned for a restoration from God. Jesus' healingmiracle to the leper who earnestly asking for healing was part of His duty asthe Savior, to cleanse His chosen people from the various sickness, which madethem suffer for so long. For us today, the restoration of a personal life,family, group, and nation becomes a real necessity. Efforts to achieve arestoration of life in this world can only be successful if they are done withthe power of God, with the act of love and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask for theintervention of the Lord Jesus to cleanse or restore our lives in all aspects.Someone personally begs for recovery from physical or spiritual pain that causehis or her a lot of setbacks in life. Perhaps recovery is very much needed in afamily at present moment in a village, town, city, or region. Perhaps a needfor recovery is more evident to a nation because of its economic conditions orsecurity threats that increase fear and distrust from the citizens. God has the power torestore our lives. But we also must have faith to beg to him what we mostlyneed. When we are already recovered or restored, we can get back to work,regain enthusiasm for life, wake up from falling desperately, and experiencenew life. In this beginning of 2026, we should ask for God's grace ofrestoration, thay we may experience a life better than before. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Almighty Lord, here we are who implore your blessing and loving-care to protect us from all dangers of thisworld, and come to renew us according to your will. Our Father who art inheaven ... In the name of the Father ...