4th Week, Wednesday
2 Sam 24:2, 9-17 / Mark 6:1-6
David numbers the people: David repents his lack of
trust.
The great Philippine leader Carlos
Romulo used to say that his people had an expression that covered a great
multitude of needs and situations. They would simply say Bahala na, which
means “Put your trust in God.” David showed a lack of “Bahala na,” or trust
in God, in today’s reading. The purpose of counting the people was to see how
many were available for military service. In biblical times, such a census
reflected an inadequate trust in God. It showed a reliance on human resources
for protection, rather than on God. Even Joab, David’s general, tried to
dissuade him from taking the census. (2 Samuel
24:3) Later, David himself repented his lack of trust.
***
How is our own trust in God? “Trust
in the Lord.
Have faith, do not despair. Trust
in the Lord.” Ps 27:14
****
If we had listened and reflected on the 1st reading,
we might have asked this question: what is the problem with doing a census of
the population? That is a logical thing to do so as to know the size of the
population and especially the size of the army. Yet it was David himself who
called for the census; it was a form of pride. Already in his time, Israel was
the most powerful nation in the region. In counting the people, and especially
the army, David wanted to show-off his might to other nations. But he forgot he
was counting God's people, and God's people is not about numbers but rather
their faith and trust in Him.
In a way, we could also see in the gospel how the people of Jesus' hometown
"counted" Jesus and He fell short of their opinions, and hence, they
did not accept His wisdom and abilities. We too, should not just count our
blessings but also give thanks and praise the Lord at all times.
With grateful and thankful hearts, we will not be thinking about what we have
done for the Lord but rather what the Lord has done for us.
*****
Wednesday, 4th
Week: Liturgy
WHO DOES HE THINK HE
IS?
Introduction
In the mind of God’s people, God was their defender; by
creating an army through conscription, David was as if usurping the power of
God, taking upon himself what was properly the task of God himself.
A man or woman like us from down the street, whose parents
we know, how dare he or she speak God’s word to us – if it is God’s word!
Jesus, the town carpenter whom everyone knew, how could he work miracles and
where did he get this strange message? The Church with all its faults and the
priest who is not any better than we are, how dare they speak to us in the name
of God? God speaks through ordinary people. God’s word and message are stronger
than the weak messengers he sends to speak his prophetic word. The people of
Nazareth did not accept Jesus. Do we accept those who speak out for what is
right and good?
Opening Prayer
God, our Father without equal,
your Son, your living Word, came among us
as one of our own, our own flesh and blood.
Dispose us to welcome him always
and to listen to what he tells us,
also when his word upsets and disturbs us.
And give us too, the courage
to pass on his word to one another,
that it may liberate us all
and lead us to you as your one people.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Commentary
Today we see how the Lord gets angry with David for
conducting a census of his people that includes counting the number of
able-bodied men who can serve as soldiers. We may ask, “What’s wrong with
taking a census?” Nothing, in and of itself. God is opposed to this census
because it reflects the belief that the strength of David’s kingdom is due to
its own size, not the result of God’s favor. Human forces are not the reason
for Israelite success. The Israelites triumph because God has strengthened his
people. When they rely on their own strength, they meet defeat.
In today’s Gospel we see how Jesus’ contemporaries in his
home region were unable to accept him. His family and his occupation were well
known. Prophets are not found among hometown boys! But the truth is that many
valuable insights into our character and conduct come from people who are close
to us.
I have personal experience of this. On one occasion I
received a valuable insight from some young seminarians who were part of my
charge. They had to perform some ministry in a neighboring city. In granting
them permission to travel, I sternly insisted that they be back in the seminary
for evening prayer. On their way back home, running late, they saw an elderly
man on the road who was struggling to change a tire. They passed him but got
home on time. However, they felt that they had failed in a serious
responsibility. They brought the case to my attention and in doing so taught me
a very valuable lesson. Discipline is not the only value, nor, in this case,
was it the principal one.
Points to Ponder
Relying on God’s help
Prophets in our lives
Being open to change
Intercessions
– That our Church may keep listening to the prophets among
us, for the Spirit speaks through them, we pray:
– That God’s people may keep listening to the words Jesus
speaks in our assemblies as a word spoken to each of us today, we pray:
– That in the silence of the voiceless, God’s people may
hear the voice of the Lord crying out for justice and compassion, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
you ask of us to accept with faith
your word spoken by your messengers
and above all by your living Word, Jesus Christ.
Make us truly recognize and welcome
the humble coming of your Son
in these simple signs of bread and wine.
Let his word and that of his prophets
take root in us and change us
into a community in which prevail
the love, the justice and the forgiveness
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after
Communion
Lord God, loving Father,
you let us share in your strength
through Jesus, your Son in our midst.
Let his word that we have heard
come true in our lives
and give us the courage to proclaim it
without false shame or fear
to anyone willing to listen.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Blessing
We have heard Jesus: let his word not fall on deaf ears. And
may we not keep it for ourselves, but pass it on as a challenge to create
together a community in which justice and love rule with the blessing of
Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
***
Saint John Bosco
Feast day January 31
When John Bosco lived in Europe, many boys were orphaned and
poor. Without families and religious training, these boys often got into
fights, used bad language, and stole, hurting others. John Bosco might have
been like that, too, if it hadn’t been for his devout mother.
John was the youngest son of a peasant family. His father
died when John was two, and the family became very poor. As a youngster, John
taught religion to other boys and got them to go to church. His acrobatics and
magic tricks fascinated them. Encouraged by a priest, John entered the seminary
wearing clothes provided by charity.
Priests at the seminary saw that John was a natural leader
and encouraged him to use his gifts to keep other young people out of trouble.
John started gathering boys together on Sunday for a day in the country. They
would begin with Mass, followed by breakfast and games. The afternoon would
include a picnic, a catechism lesson, and evening prayers. The group grew
larger because John Bosco loved the boys. He made each one feel important. He
had a gift for handling difficult boys.
John was able to get a house for himself and forty boys. His
mother became the housekeeper. In the first six years, the number of boys at the
house grew to 150. John Bosco gave a father’s care to rowdy, neglected boys. He
is known as the “friend of boys” and is often called Don, which means Father.
Don Bosco opened workshops to train boys to be shoemakers
and tailors. He saw that in addition to getting a religious education, the boys
learned to play musical instruments, perform in plays, and engage in sports. He
also wrote and printed books on the Christian faith for boys.
At that time the state did not favor the Church, and for
four years men tried to assassinate John Bosco. Once they tried to shoot him
while he was teaching. At other times they tried to poison him and attacked him
on the street. Eventually, however, because of his good work, even his enemies
began to support him.
John Bosco knew God wanted him to work with boys because of
a dream he had when he was young. In this dream, boys who had been playing
roughly suddenly began playing together as happily as lambs. John heard a voice
saying, “Teach them right from wrong. Teach them the beauty of goodness and the
ugliness of sin.” When John told his mother about his dream, she said it might
mean God wanted him to be a priest and care for some of the sheep in his flock.
John Bosco spent so much time working that people who knew
him well became worried about his health. They said he should take more time
for rest and sleep. John replied that he’d have enough time to rest in heaven.
“Right now,” he said, “how can I rest? The devil doesn’t rest from his work.”
In 1859 John began a religious community of priests which is
still active today, caring for boys who have been neglected. Because John
admired Francis de Sales, he named the group the Salesians. Later, with St.
Mary Mazzarello, he began a community of Sisters called the Daughters of Our
Lady, Help of Christians, to help girls.
When John died, 40,000 people came to his wake.
