20220129 THE LORD CARES FOR THE WEAK AND THE OPPRESSED
29 January, 2022, Saturday, Week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Samuel 12:1-7,10-17 © |
David's penitence over Uriah
The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said:
‘In the same town were two men,
one rich, the other poor.
The rich man had flocks and herds
in great abundance;
the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb,
one only, a small one he had bought.
This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children,
eating his bread, drinking from his cup,
sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him.
When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man
refused to take one of his own flock or herd
to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him.
Instead he took the poor man’s lamb
and prepared it for his guest.’
David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’
Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”
‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’
David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home.
The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):12-17 © |
A pure heart create for me, O God.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
A pure heart create for me, O God.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps26:11 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn3:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:35-41 © |
'Even the wind and the sea obey him'
With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
THE LORD CARES FOR THE WEAK AND THE OPPRESSED
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SAM 12:1-7.10-17; PSALM 51:12-17; MARK 4:35-41]
All of us go through storms in our life. These storms could have been caused by us or by unseen circumstances. Sometimes, we are the victims and sometimes we are the oppressors. Whether victim or oppressor, all of us would have to suffer the consequences of the sins of others or those of our own. When we suffer innocently, like the Prophet Nathan who must have been incensed at the injustice done to vulnerable men like Uriah and his men, or vulnerable women, like Bathsheba who could not resist the sexual demands of King David, the question at the back of our mind would be, how could the Lord allow innocent people to suffer and powerful evil men get away with their crimes? In a nutshell, the question is, does God care? Even sinners and offenders of the law, when facing their penalty, also ask the same question, “Does God care?” Where is the mercy of God?
So, too, the apostles who were facing physical dangers. They were annoyed with the Lord who “was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep.” Jesus was asleep in the pilot’s seat and hence the danger was even more real despite the fact that four of them were experienced fishermen. The wind was strong, the waves were beating over the boat, and the boat was filling up with water. However, the person sitting in the pilot’s seat was fast asleep. If those who were fishermen thought they were in trouble, the rest would have been even more fearful.
So they cried out, “Master, do you not care? We are going down!” This was the same cry of the early Church as well, when the Church was undergoing persecution. Many Christians were tortured, imprisoned, and some martyred by the Romans. Even today, in some places, Christians are still being physically persecuted. And throughout the history of the Church, whenever the Church was in crisis, the same cry went out to the Lord. Even now, as we face the pandemic, we too ask the same question, does the Lord care that so many are dying from Covid-19?
Of course, the answer is clear. The Lord does care for us. He cares in His own way, and He responds in His wisdom and goodness. We might not be able to understand His ways but whether we perceive it as a lack of response or tardiness in answering our prayers, the Lord answers all the prayers of His people, the vulnerable, the suffering, those who suffer unjustly and those who repented and asked for mercy. The Lord would not be pressured into answering our requests according to our beck and call. He always chooses the right time to let us know of His care and love for us.
In the case of King David, when the time was opportune, the Lord confronted him through the prophet Nathan. Because he murdered Uriah and caused his men to perish with him, the Lord decreed that disasters would come upon his family. Thus the Lord spoke, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.” Indeed, David’s family eventually suffered much violence. Four of his sons experienced premature death – an unnamed son (cf. 12:18), Amnon (cf. 13:29), Absalom (cf. 18:14-15), and Adonijah (cf. 1 Kgs 2:25). Indeed, the first concrete punishment was the death of the child conceived by Bathsheba. Even though he repented, fasted and did mortification, the Lord did not spare him the punishment. (2 Sm 12:15-23) Whilst we should all be personally responsible for our crimes, yet collectively, we suffer the mistakes of our leaders. While we accept the principle of individual responsibility, the truth cannot be denied that we are in solidarity in sin or in grace, in joy and in sorrow. Hence, Jeremiah 31.29 is still held to be valid, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
Yet, we must give credit to David for his continued faith in God even though he was punished severely by Him. He acknowledged without excuse his sins. In humility and contrition, he pleaded for mercy and forgiveness. Even though the Lord did show His mercy by not requiring him to be put to death for the abominable sins he committed, God did not remove all the consequences resulting from his sin. Nevertheless, he did not give up on God nor lose faith in Him. Even when his child died, he accepted the punishment calmly. He said, “‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.’ Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon.” (2 Sm 12:22-24)
Indeed, when we cry to the Lord, it could be because we lack faith or because we trust that He would help. David cried out to the Lord in faith. He never doubted the power of God to heal and to save. Even when punishment was already meted out, he never gave up on God. And even when the child died, he moved on in faith. He did not dwell on the past but looked ahead. We read, “Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, and sent a message by the prophet Nathan; so he named him Jedidiah, because of the Lord.” (2 Sm 12:24f)
In the case of the apostles, their cries were rooted in fear. In this story, the emphasis was not that they doubted our Lord but that their fear overwhelmed them. In spite of the fact that they saw the miracles of our Lord, in casting out the Evil One, in healing all kinds of diseases, they still did not know His identity. Their faith was still not strong enough for them to trust in the Lord and surrender their lives to Him. Nevertheless, they were rescued even though they lacked faith. What the Lord was asking of them was to overcome their fear with a growing faith in His identity. Only faith can overcome fear in the face of trials and troubles.
Today’s miracle foreshadows the cross of our Lord and the suffering of the apostles ahead of them. The imprisonment of John the Baptist (Mk 1:14) and the plot to destroy our Lord (Mk 3:6) were indications of Calvary waiting Him. Jesus warned His disciples that following Him was risky and would involve taking up their cross and following Him to Jerusalem. Being with Jesus involved risk and could cost them their lives. At the same time, the Lord was challenging the apostles to confront their fear of death. But yet, this miracle was an assurance to the apostles that in spite of the risks they were taking, they could rely on Jesus to overcome their trials. Faith in Jesus’ power would grow as they became clearer over the identity of Jesus. This tension between fear and faith is a process in our spiritual growth. The greater the faith, the lesser the fear. When faith is lacking then our fears are exaggerated.
Forgetfulness is also another factor for the lack of faith. If David was irresponsible, it was because he forgot the undeserved blessings he had received from the Lord, with respect to his position as king, the protection from Saul when he was persecuting him, the possessions and privileges he took over from Saul when he gained control of Saul’s house and the opportunity to unite the house of Israel and Judah. All these would not have been possible without His grace and divine assistance. But he took them for granted and forgot His mercy. Just like the apostles, if only we remember His love, mercy and power over evil, we will not fear.
Let us come to the Lord who will give us His peace when we trust in Him. He gives us hope in times of sorrow and suffering. We must cling on to Jesus as the disciples did when they were dealing with the storms of life. Even when we suffer death, we are consoled that we will be with the Lord in heaven. The Lord always gives us new hope and new perspectives in life. We can overcome our fears and anxiety by knowing the Father who provides us and cares for us. When we no longer fear death, we will find peace in our anxiety, living as fully as we can at every moment of our life, believing that even death cannot destroy us but fulfil us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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