In today’s first reading, the Israelites beg Samuel for a king. He tries to resist them to no avail. Nothing changes. Why are people obsessed with the need for authority? Why are we obsessed with authority: kings, presidents, prime ministers. Samuel warns his people that they will be oppressed once they have their precious king, to no avail. Even now, newspapers are obsessed with ‘leaders’. Where is the virtue of Republican Rome before corrupted by the Caesars?