20200130
GOD’S
GENEROSITY CANNOT BE OUTDONE
30 January,
2020, Thursday, 3rd Week of Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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2 Samuel 7:18-19,24-29 ©
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'The house of your servant will be blessed for ever'
After Nathan had
spoken to him, King David went in and, seated before the Lord, said: ‘Who am I,
O Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this? Yet in your
sight, O Lord, this is still not far enough, and you make your promises extend
to the House of your servant for a far-distant future. You have constituted
your people Israel to be your own people for ever; and you, Lord, have become
their God.
‘Now,
O Lord, always keep the promise you have made your servant and his House, and
do as you have said. Your name will be exalted for ever and men will say, “The
Lord of Hosts is God over Israel.” The House of your servant David will be made
secure in your presence, since you yourself, Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, have
made this revelation to your servant, “I will build you a House”; hence your
servant has ventured to offer this prayer to you. Yes, Lord, you are God
indeed, your words are true and you have made this fair promise to your
servant. Be pleased, then, to bless the House of your servant, that it may
continue for ever in your presence; for you, Lord, have spoken; and with your
blessing the House of your servant will be for ever blessed.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 131(132):1-5,11-14 ©
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The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
O
Lord, remember David
and
all the many hardships he endured,
the
oath he swore to the Lord,
his
vow to the Strong One of Jacob.
The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
‘I
will not enter the house where I live
nor
go to the bed where I rest.
I
will give no sleep to my eyes,
to
my eyelids I will give no slumber
till
I find a place for the Lord,
a
dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.’
The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
The
Lord swore an oath to David;
he
will not go back on this word:
‘A
son, the fruit of your body,
will
I set upon your throne.
The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
‘If
they keep my covenant in truth
and
my laws that I have taught them,
their
sons also shall rule
on
your throne from age to age.’
The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
For
the Lord has chosen Zion;
he
has desired it for his dwelling:
‘This
is my resting-place for ever;
here
have I chosen to live.
The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ph2:15-16
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
You
will shine in the world like bright stars
because
you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Your
word is a lamp for my steps
and a
light for my path.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 4:21-25 ©
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A lamp is to be put on a lampstand. The amount you measure out is
the amount you will be given
Jesus said to the
crowd, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed?
Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it
must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone
has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
He
also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure
out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who
has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be
taken away.’
GOD’S GENEROSITY
CANNOT BE OUTDONE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 7:18-19. 24-29; Ps 132:1-5, 11-14; Mk 4:21-25]
In the first reading, we
read of David’s plan to build a house for the Lord after he finally managed to unite the
Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. At
last, Israel became once again a united kingdom. “Now when the king was
settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his
enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am
living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.'” (2 Sm 7:1f) Partly out of guilt and
partly out of gratitude, King David thought he should repay the Lord for seeing
him through all the battles, military and political, and for providing
stability and peace to the kingdom. So he thought of building a
house for the Lord so that he would not feel so uncomfortable as he was living
in a house whereas the Lord was living in the Tent.
But God would never
allow us to outdo Him in generosity. Instead of King David building a House for Him,
the Lord instructed Nathan to tell him that He does not live in a house because
he moves with His people. He could not be domesticated as He is the Lord
of humanity and all of creation. On the contrary, God would build a house
for David instead. He said, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie
down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall
come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build
a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever.” (1 Sm 7:12f) When
David heard of it, he was humbled and amazed at God’s mercy and love.
Sitting before the Lord, he said, “Who am I, Lord, and what is my House, that
you have led me as far as this? Yet in your sight, Lord, this is still
not far enough, and you make your promises extend to the House of your servant
for a far-distant future. You have constituted your people Israel to be
your own people for ever; and you, Lord, have become their God.” Such was
the greatness and generosity of God towards David and Israel. Not only
did God cut off his enemies so that Israel could live undisturbed but He also
ensured their continued existence.
Are we conscious of His
blessings for us too? God has not only blessed David but He has blessed
us all in different ways. Have
we sat down before the Lord like King David to recount all the blessings He has
given to us? David was always conscious that his success in his military
and political campaigns was due solely to God’s divine assistance and mercy,
and not because of his ingenuity and strength. All through his life, he
sought to obey the Lord, and turned to Him for help in his battles against his
enemies. So it behooves us to spend some quiet time before the Lord to
consider where we were and where we are today, who we were and who we are in
life. Unless, we learn from David to be conscious of God’s blessings, we
will always remain resentful, envious and ungrateful.
Although our blessings
differ from each other, we are blessed the way we need to be blessed. We are given gifts for a purpose and
not just for ourselves. Gifts are given to us so that we can use them for
the good of others. In the process, we ourselves could partake of the joy
of others. Only when we share our gifts and blessings with others, can
our joy increase and make us truly happy and fulfilled in life. If we
just use our blessings and resources for ourselves, we might satisfy our needs,
but our hearts will be empty and we will be deprived of the joy and love of God
which comes from the fact that God gives and shares Himself with us without
reserve. God is pure love and joy simply because He is pure giving and
pure loving. He loves and gives out of His abundance. We who
receive His blessings will also be so filled with joy and love that out of
gratitude to His unconditional love and mercy to us, we too share ourselves and
all we have with others. We do it not because we are guilty like
King David but simply because we who receive freely also want others to receive
it freely as well.
Indeed, the Lord warns
us, “the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who
has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be
taken away.” Only when we share with others what we have, not necessarily
from our abundance but even from our poverty, that our blessings will grow and
double. When we share from our abundance, those without will feel blessed
because they are the beneficiaries. But when we share from our
poverty, even the rich will be blessed because when they see our generosity and
magnanimity in sharing with others the little resources we have, they will be
moved to help even more since they have plenty. Even if they could not be
generous like the widow who gave her only mite, they would be inspired to give
more; and those who have less would also be encouraged to give as generously.
This explains why charitable organizations could collect lots of money for
their cause simply because people could see the genuineness of such
organizations in giving whatever they have to the poor.
But there is also a
warning as well. Jesus
also demands accountability for the blessings and graces we have received from
God. He said, “Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub
or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lampstand? For
there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to
be brought to light.” If we do not handle responsibly or make use of the
gifts the Lord has blessed us with, we would be liable for judgement and
condemnation. That is why transparency in public funds is required today.
Public funds must be used in such a way that it is open to scrutiny and
accountability. As the Lord said, what is hidden must be disclosed and
what is secret be brought to light. Whatever the Lord has given to us is
meant for the community, society and the good of humanity. We must not
keep God’s blessings and gifts given to us for our personal use and lavish
living only, but we need to use them for the greater good of all.
So all gifts, whether personal gifts or gifts donated by the public for a particular
cause, must be used for the common good. Those in charge must exercise proper
stewardship.
This was the same
judgement and warning given to King David. Whilst God is always faithful to His
covenant, He is also just. And
so the Lord warned David with regard to his descendants to the throne, “I will
be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I
will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human
beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it
from Saul, whom I put away from before you.” (2 Sm 7:14f) The responsorial psalm
reiterates this point, “The Lord swore an oath to David; he will not go back on
this word: ‘A son, the fruit of your body, will I set upon your
throne. If they keep my covenant in truth and my laws that I have taught
them, their sons also shall rule on your throne from age to age.'” We
must be responsible for the gifts that the Lord has given. Abuse of these
gifts will lead to our self-destruction.
The failure to develop
what we have been given will lead to the loss of the gifts. Indeed, “the man who has not, even
what he has will be taken away.” It is just like those who have the gift
of writing, painting or music. If they do not continue to write, paint or
sing or play music, they will lose them eventually. The best way to
keep anything is to give them away. The best way to keep our faith is to
share it. The reason why we Catholics are so weak in our faith is because
we do not share our faith with others. We do not evangelize. As a
consequence, we cannot remember the scripture texts. We do not speak
about our beliefs. Unless we share, teach and explain to others our faith
and beliefs, we will forget about what we believe.
So let us make ourselves
a dwelling place of God, like King David. We need to allow the Lord to
fill us with His love, wisdom and His presence. King David says, “I will not enter the
house where I live nor go to the bed where I rest. I will give no sleep to
my eyes, to my eyelids I will give no slumber till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.” Like David, we too must see and
hear clearly what the Lord asks of us. “If anyone has ears to hear, let
him listen to this. Take notice of what you are hearing.” Only when we
contemplate on His word and His love, can we grow in true wisdom and in
generosity in love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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