2 Sam 12:1-7, 10-17 / Mark 4:35-41
Babe
Ruth drifted away from his faith during his great baseball career. Toward the
end of his life, Ruth had to undergo a serious operation. One of his closest
friends, Paul Carey, said to him one night, “Don’t you think you ought to put
your house in order?” The Babe said later: “I
didn’t dodge the long, challenging look in his eyes. I knew what he meant. . .
. I nodded, and Paul got up, called in a chaplain, and I made a full
confession. . . . As I lay in bed that
evening, I thought to myself what a comfortable feeling to be free.” Is our own
“house” in order?
****
Would
we have the courage to confront a friend as Carey did Ruth and Nathan did
David? “If you are weak enough to sin, do not be too proud to recognize the
fact.” Louis Evely
***
Just to think that one day we will have to stand
before the Lord and receive a judgment that will seal our eternity can be
rather frightening. So, we might think that it is God who will judge us and
determine how guilty we are and then send us according to where we should go. Yet,
if God is love, then why would He want to judge us and even condemn us?
In the 1st reading, it was not God who pronounced judgment on David but rather it was David who pronounced judgment on himself. Nathan, the prophet, narrated the story, but it was David who made the conclusion. Nathan held the mirror, and David saw the reflection.
Yet, we must also acknowledge that David had the humility to admit that it was his own reflection, that he was that man in the story.
We all have that God-given conscience to admit to our faults and sinfulness. Yet, with the same breath, we also must admit that we have this ability to deny guilt and responsibility.
We can even rationalize away our guilt and turn black into white. That can happen, and will happen, when we are not close to God and forget that Jesus is in our hearts.
The disciples in the gospel were frightened in the face of the storm, but that was because they have yet to realize who Jesus is. We know who Jesus is. We also know that He has made His home in our hearts.
In the face of temptations and sinfulness, let us hear His voice as He tells us: Quiet now! Be calm! Let us remember that Jesus came, not to judge and condemn us, but to save us.
In the 1st reading, it was not God who pronounced judgment on David but rather it was David who pronounced judgment on himself. Nathan, the prophet, narrated the story, but it was David who made the conclusion. Nathan held the mirror, and David saw the reflection.
Yet, we must also acknowledge that David had the humility to admit that it was his own reflection, that he was that man in the story.
We all have that God-given conscience to admit to our faults and sinfulness. Yet, with the same breath, we also must admit that we have this ability to deny guilt and responsibility.
We can even rationalize away our guilt and turn black into white. That can happen, and will happen, when we are not close to God and forget that Jesus is in our hearts.
The disciples in the gospel were frightened in the face of the storm, but that was because they have yet to realize who Jesus is. We know who Jesus is. We also know that He has made His home in our hearts.
In the face of temptations and sinfulness, let us hear His voice as He tells us: Quiet now! Be calm! Let us remember that Jesus came, not to judge and condemn us, but to save us.
****
Saturday of 3rd Week - Liturgy
WHY ARE YOU AFRAID?
Introduction
One of the most poignant, dramatic pages of the Old
Testament is read to us today. David, the faithful servant of God, has
committed adultery and murder. The prophet arouses the king’s indignation
against those committing injustice and then tells David: That is what you have
done! That man is you! The king’s acknowledgment and repentance is immediate
and deep; God’s forgiveness too is instantaneous and absolute. “That person is
you” applies often to us too; when we judge and condemn, is it not often our faults
we condemn in others? Many people are afraid today. Our times are very insecure
in many aspects, with wars, violence, and economic and moral crises. Life seems
to move too fast for many. And the Church, in its leaders and members, is often
upset and afraid. God seems far away, like a God who sleeps, a God who seems
indifferent to our fears and incertitude. Where are our faith and hope? Let us
turn to him who journeys with us and wakes us up, Jesus, our Lord and brother
here among us.
Opening Prayer
God of power and might, when we cry out to you in the
tempest of life, reassure us that you care and that you are with us, even when
you seem absent and silent. Let our faith remain calm and peaceful and deepen
it in every trial. Keep us believing that the waves obey you, and that at your
command, the powers of evil cannot harm us. Stay with us through your Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord for ever.
Commentary
“You are the man!” The moment of truth. When seen against
the background of David’s liaison with Bathsheba, today’s parable of Nathan is
not hard to decode. With the entire court at his disposal, and its plethora of
women, David took the wife of one of his soldiers for his adulterous
philandering. Yet the moment of truth is not without its salutary effect. David
crumbles beneath the weight of his guilt. He is told that his own family is
destined for great distress. The child to be born of Bathsheba will not live.
Clothed in sackcloth, David lies on the ground praying for forgiveness. The
psalmist captures his spirit: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps 51:10). At
times we are taken aback when full funeral rites are accorded someone who had
long been separated from the church. But the fact is that none of us knows the
dispositions of the human heart when faced with mortality. We leave much in the
hands of God. None of us is really worthy. And how long does it take to be
truly sorry? In fact, in many instances, contrition is present long before the
end comes. We pray daily for the grace to remain faithful. But we also want to
avoid being judgmental. With Paul, we can boast only of our weakness. And that
makes us ever grateful for the goodness of God.
Points to Ponder
Nathan’s parable
David’s repentance
God’s mercy in our lives
Intercessions
– For the Church of Jesus Christ, that its faith and love
may not waver in the difficulties and storms of our time, we pray:
– For those who doubt their faith and are afraid of facing
the future, that God may give them courage and that we may refresh their hope,
we pray:
– For sailors and fishers, that the sea may be peaceful and
generous to them; for all who travel, that they may safely reach their
destination, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Keep alive in us Lord, our God, our faith and trust in you through
the bread of love and justice of your Son, Jesus Christ. Even when we do not
know what the future will bring, keep us going to the city with foundations of
which you are the designer and builder, the city of justice, peace and lasting love
proclaimed to us by Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father, by the stirring word of your Son you have
called us, people of little faith, away from our safe security. By his bread of
life, you have restored our strength. When the waves and winds of fear threaten
to engulf us and to blow us off-course, keep us and all your people firm with
the assurance that your Son is with us and that he will never desert us, for he
is our Lord, for ever and ever.
Blessing
This has been a celebration of encouragement and trust.
Jesus has assured us: “I am with you. Do not fear. Face life and its problems,
as a Church and as persons. Trust me.” May Almighty God give you this trusting
faith and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
