Today’s readings place before us a hard but necessary truth:

God cannot be used.

And when He is treated as something to be managed,
rather than obeyed,
the results are devastating.

In the first reading, Israel is defeated in battle.

Instead of asking why,
instead of examining their faithfulness,
they reach for something religious.

They bring the Ark of the Covenant into the camp.

This is the most sacred object they possess.
The sign of God’s presence.
The place where His glory dwells.

And they treat it like a weapon.

The logic is simple and deadly:

“If God is with us,
we cannot lose.”

But God is not summoned by objects.
And He is not manipulated by rituals.

Israel does not repent.
They do not listen.
They do not change.

They simply use the Ark.

And the result is catastrophic.

The Ark is captured.
The priests are killed.
The army collapses.

The lesson is brutal but clear:

Religious signs without obedience
become empty.

This reading is not about ancient Israel only.

It is a warning for anyone who is religious.

It is possible to:

possess holy things

speak religious language

perform religious actions

and still refuse conversion.

The Ark did not fail Israel.

Israel failed God.

The Gospel gives us a striking contrast.

A leper comes to Jesus.

He does not demand.
He does not assume.

He kneels and says:

“If you want to, you can make me clean.”

That sentence contains humility and faith.

The leper does not try to control Jesus.
He entrusts himself to Him.

And Jesus responds — not with ritual,
but with compassion.

He touches him.

The one no one touches
is touched by God.

Jesus does not treat God’s power as something to wield.

He acts in perfect obedience to the Father.

That is why His power heals.

This is the difference between the Ark and Christ.

The Ark is treated as a tool.
Christ is trusted as Lord.

One leads to defeat.
The other to restoration.

But the Gospel does not end comfortably.

Jesus gives the healed man a command:

“Say nothing to anyone.”

And the man disobeys.

Not out of malice,
but enthusiasm.

And the result?

Jesus can no longer move freely.
His mission is hindered.

Even gratitude can become disobedience
if it ignores what God asks.

Both readings warn us about the same temptation.

Trying to use God
instead of obeying Him.

Wanting the outcome
without the conversion.

The power
without the surrender.

God is not a charm.
The sacraments are not magic.
Prayer is not leverage.

They are encounters
that demand obedience.

Israel lost the Ark
because they treated God as a means.

The leper was healed
because he entrusted himself to Christ.

The question today is simple:

Do we obey God —
or try to manage Him?

If we want His power to heal us,
we must accept His authority to command us.

That is where grace flows.

That is where freedom begins.