January 16, 2004, Tuesday of the second week in ordinary time.

A reading from the first book of Samuel.

The Lord said to Samuel,

How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as King of Israel?

Fill your horn with oil and be on your way.

I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.

But Samuel replied, How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me.

To this the Lord answered, take a heifer along and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.

Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do.

You are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.

Samuel did as the Lord had commanded him.

When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came

trembling to meet him and inquired, Is your visit peaceful, O Seer? He replied, yes, I have come to

sacrifice to the Lord. So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet. He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves and invited them to the sacrifice.

As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,

Surely the Lord's anointed is here before him.

But the Lord said to Samuel, do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,

because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance,

but the Lord looks into the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said,

The Lord has not chosen him. Next, Jesse presented Shama, but Samuel said, the Lord has not

chosen this one either. In the same way, Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel.

But Samuel said to Jesse,

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