20220127 GRATITUDE IN GIVING PRAISE TO GOD
27 January, 2022, Thursday, Week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Samuel 7:18-19,24-29 © |
'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.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 131(132):1-5,11-14 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation | Ph2:15-16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Ps118:105 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:21-25 © |
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.’
GRATITUDE IN GIVING PRAISE TO GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 7:18-19, 24-29; Ps 131:1-5,11-14; Mk 4:21-25]
David was in stupor, amazed at the mercy and graciousness of God. He thought he could build a House for the Lord to repay Him for all that He had done for him. But through the Prophet Nathan, God instead told David that He did not need any house because He lived in the midst of His people. “After Nathan had spoken to David, the King went in and, seated before the Lord, said: ‘Who am I, Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this? You have constituted your people Israel to be your own people for ever; and you, Lord, have become their God.” Indeed, David was full of gratitude and humility that God was so gracious to him; not only did He help him to unite Israel and built a strong army to defend themselves from their enemies, but “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.”
With God on his side, David was confident that his kingdom would be made secure. “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, 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.'”
This gratitude of King David made him humble because he knew he did not deserve God’s blessings because he was not a perfect man or a perfect king. He was a sinner. Indeed, David was not that innocent as we thought him to be. He was conniving and ambitious and ready to use whatever means he could to protect himself. His marriage to Saul’s daughter was not because of love but one of convenience so that he could be part of the royal family. When fleeing for his life, he took the sacred bread from Ahimelech for himself and his men because they were hungry. (1 Sm 21:1-6) He avenged the Gibeonites by handing over seven of the sons of Saul to them to be slaughtered to appease the them. (2 Sm 21:1-14) Because he needed the military leadership of Joab, he overlooked his treachery and his crimes.
Yet, in his quiet moments, David was a man whose heart was with God. He knew his weaknesses and when challenged, he was quick to admit his failings, as in the case of his adultery with Bathsheba, without excuse or being defensive. He composed the psalm of contrition admitting his sins and asking for God’s forgiveness. (Ps 51) When he was punished with the death of his child, he accepted God’s decision calmly without resentment. (2 Sm 12:1-23) When he was punished for taking the census of the tribes, he was ever ready to assume responsibility for this disobedience. David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep–what have they done? O Lord my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people.” (1 Chr 21:17)
In spite of all his sins, David was seen as a model of a true King. He was not perfect, yet the scriptures glorify David as the greatest king of Israel. He had his weaknesses but he was sincere even though weak and easily tempted. He showed his great love for God when he danced ecstatically and unashamedly before the Lord when the Ark arrived in Jerusalem. He was always conscious of God and he knew all his successes and victories over his enemies was because the Lord was with him. He did not claim any credit but he sought obedience to the Lord in everything. He was humble to acknowledge God in his life. He spared the life of Saul twice, simply because he was the chosen one of the Lord, even though Saul was unjust to him. He could surrender himself to the Lord in reverence.
The life of King David is a reminder to us all of the necessity to remain humble and grateful for the blessings we have received, and to make the best of them in spite of our weaknesses and human frailty. Jesus 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.” Indeed, if God has blessed us with a lamp, we must let it shine so that people can see. We do not hide a lamp under the bed because it would be useless and it does not serve its purpose. Our task is to help others make full use of their gifts the Lord has given to them. We should not display our gifts to the extent that we overshadow and stifle the gifts of others. The gift of leadership is to empower others to be leaders as well, according to the talents and gifts the Lord has blessed them with. That is why we have nothing to boast about our blessings except gratitude and humility.
Secondly, as leaders, we must be attentive to the Word of God. Jesus said, “Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides.” Insofar as King David listened to God, he prospered and God was with him in his expeditions. King David was blessed and so too was the kingdom. Insofar as David did not listen to God, he suffered the repercussions of his infidelities. This is why, leaders have a greater need to pray and listen to the Word of God more than anyone else. The temptation for leaders is to work and neglect prayer, simply because they have many tasks to fulfil and too busy to pray. However, our ability to lead wisely is so much dependent on prayer. Unless we follow our Lord to spend time before His Father, we will not act wisely and calmly in the face of adversities and challenges.
Thirdly, we must also realize that success and apostolic fruitfulness depend on how we give ourselves to the Lord and to the tasks He has assigned us. It is just like the Eucharistic celebration. Indeed, how much we get is dependent on how much we are willing to put into it. This is true for everything in life. In order to succeed in a project, we must be willing to invest time, energy, effort and commitment. Otherwise, we will fail. All great success requires hard work, sacrifices and sweat. The more we are willing to give ourselves to God, the more the Lord will guide us and bless us. Often, people come to church and complain how dull the Mass was, how lifeless the congregation, how bad the choir sang and of course, how boring the homily was. They came as spectators and they never prayed with their heart and soul. As observers, they contributed nothing. They were outside the threshold of worship and hence they experienced nothing. In the final analysis, it is seldom because of the situation but because we are not willing to give ourselves completely to the Lord. If we have fully contributed and participated in every celebration, we will gain as much.
Fourthly, the reward of giving ourselves to the Lord and His people is to be blessed with greater gifts and blessings. Jesus said, “The man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” The reward for doing well is that more work will be given to us and with it also more blessings as well. When we give ourselves and expend ourselves in service and in giving, we also improve in our skills, knowledge, work, as we gain new experiences. The more we give, the greater the capacity we can give in future because knowledge and experience is cumulative, not just through study alone.
Finally, there is a warning. For those of us who are irresponsible with the gifts we have been given and blessed with, we will lose whatever little we have. Alas, it was also the case for King David when he became complacent after his many achievements. He fell into grievous sins of adultery and killing. Later his son, Solomon followed the same path. All the other kings imitated their bad examples. As the Lord said, “if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” What is said of King Ahaz could also be said of most of the kings of Israel after David. “He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done, but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made cast images for the Baals.” (2 Chr 28:1f) Eventually, they were exiled and the kingdom fell, the kings were made captives and Jerusalem and the Temple was in ruins. So, be careful how we hear.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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