Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: January 2024

Wednesday, 31 January 2024

SEEKING CONTROL

20240131 SEEKING CONTROL

31 January 2024, Wednesday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time

First reading

2 Samuel 24:2,8-17 ©

David takes the guilt on himself to save Israel

King David said to Joab and to the senior army officers who were with him, ‘Now go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and take a census of the people; I wish to know the size of the population.’ Having covered the whole country, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Joab gave the king the figures for the census of the people; Israel numbered eight hundred thousand armed men capable of drawing sword, and Judah five hundred thousand men.

But afterwards David’s heart misgave him for having taken a census of the people. ‘I have committed a grave sin’ David said to the Lord. ‘But now, Lord, I beg you to forgive your servant for this fault. I have been very foolish.’ But when David got up next morning, the following message had come from the Lord to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, ‘Go and say to David, “The Lord says this: I offer you three things; choose one of them for me to do to you.”’

So Gad went to David and told him. ‘Are three years of famine to come on you in your country’ he said ‘or will you flee for three months before your pursuing enemy, or would you rather have three days’ pestilence in your country? Now think, and decide how I am to answer him who sends me.’ David said to Gad, ‘This is a hard choice. But let us rather fall into the power of the Lord, since his mercy is great, and not into the power of men.’ So David chose pestilence.

It was the time of the wheat harvest. The Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning till the time appointed and plague ravaged the people, and from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of them died. The angel stretched out his hand towards Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord thought better of this evil, and he said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough! Now withdraw your hand.’ The angel of the Lord was beside the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was ravaging the people, he spoke to the Lord. ‘It was I who sinned;’ he said ‘I who did this wicked thing. But these, this flock, what have they done? Let your hand lie heavy on me then, and on my family.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 31(32):1-2,5-7 ©

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,

whose sin is remitted.

O happy the man to whom the Lord

imputes no guilt,

in whose spirit is no guile.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

But now I have acknowledged my sins;

my guilt I did not hide.

I said: ‘I will confess

my offence to the Lord.’

And you, Lord, have forgiven

the guilt of my sin.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

So let every good man pray to you

in the time of need.

The floods of water may reach high

but him they shall not reach.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

You are my hiding place, O Lord;

you save me from distress.

You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt4:4

Alleluia, alleluia!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 6:1-6 ©

'A prophet is only despised in his own country'

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

SEEKING CONTROL

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 24:2, 8-17; PS 32:1-2,5-7; MK 6:1-6]

In the first reading, King David ordered a census of his people. Joab, his military commander, did his bidding and reported to him the figures for the census. However, “afterwards David’s heart misgave him for having taken a census of the people. ‘I have committed a grave sin,’ David said to the Lord.” What was this sin? For us, it is not too clear because in our times, census is important for policy planning. But during the time of King David, taking the census of the people was tantamount to assuming the authority that was not given to him. The people of Israel belonged to Yahweh. Only He alone knew the number of people He had. But more than just going beyond the authority vested in him, this action was an expression of David seeking to control the situation instead of trusting in God. He should have trusted in God to protect His people. He thought that with numbers, he would be able to defend the nation against his enemies. But in truth, God does not need numbers. During the time of Moses and the judges, God showed His power in helping Israel to fend off her enemies with just a small number of men. God showed Himself as the Commander-in-Chief of Israel.

In the gospel, the townsfolk of Jesus also could not accept Him. He was too ordinary and only the son of a carpenter. Furthermore, they knew Him as a child. They said, “‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him.” Once again, they sought to measure Jesus according to human reckoning. Yet, they could not deny what they heard about Him. They were astonished when they heard Him preach so eloquently. They heard about His miracles and wisdom. Instead of taking Jesus as He is, they considered Jesus as He was.

The truth is that God is in control. This is the lesson we can learn from their mistakes. We cannot control every situation in life. Every life is open to God’s grace. And if we are open to God’s grace, miracles can happen. Indeed, many of us came from unfortunate backgrounds, or dysfunctional families, yet, we turned out to be better than what sociologists and psychologists often say of such people. Then there are many who came from rich, influential and educated backgrounds, but they turned out to be failures in life, suffer broken marriages, fragmented families, and some, although successful in business and work, landed in jail for the crimes they committed. Nothing is fated in life. We do not need to feel that our past or our disadvantaged background or upbringing will constrain us from being happy and fruitful in life. It is a matter of responding to the grace of God, which is within our capacity. We are in control within the plan of God. But God wants us to cooperate with His grace. He will supply us the necessary graces to do much more that we can imagine.

This was certainly the case of our Lord. He was an ordinary man. He was a common man because He lived as a common worker. He operated within the limits of His humanity. But He was receptive to the grace of God. The Holy Spirit worked in and through Him. As a consequence, He was able to do things, perform miracles, read the hearts of people, and the capacity to know the heart of His Father. The gospel tells us that He grew in age and wisdom. He began by asking questions of the religious leaders in the Temple when He was only twelve years old. He was willing to learn like any normal child. He prayed and contemplated in the desert. He spent time regularly with His Father in the desert and in the mountains to seek His will and to bask in His love. Jesus surrendered His life to His Father. He sought to do His will and allowed His Father to determine His life and His fate, even to die on the cross for the salvation of humanity. Jesus, knowing that the cross was the will of His Father, accepted it in obedience, even unto death.

However, when we do not trust God and cooperate with His grace, we bring consequences, firstly for ourselves. We read that because of their lack of faith, Jesus “could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them.” They lost the opportunity to learn about the mercy of God and, most of all, the healings they could have received. Indeed, at the end of the day, we must remember that to reject the prophet of God, to reject the grace of God, we are the ultimate losers. Pride will cause us to lose the blessings of God destined for us through His appointed agents. This is why Jesus was not affected by the rejection of His people. He lost nothing except to feel sad for His townsfolk. They were the losers because Jesus came to offer them the Good News which they rejected. In saying these words, “A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house”, we can feel Jesus’ regret for them.

But our decisions also have repercussions beyond ourselves to those people under our care. David, upon realizing his mistake, knew it was too late. He had to face the consequences of his actions. God asked David to choose one of the three penalties. “David chose pestilence.” Regardless of his choice, he suffered much, not just personally, but it pained him to see the people suffering with him because of his arrogance. He came to realize that as a leader, his mistake would not just cause him to suffer but all under him as well. As leaders, our decisions and actions have consequences for the larger community. We must never forget that the decisions we make will affect all those under our care, now, and those in the future. This is particularly true of political and religious leaders, including parents and guardians. Leaders and guardians must therefore consider carefully their words, actions, decisions and conduct, as these have untold consequences.

Yet, the final word in today’s scripture readings is that in spite of our ignorance, lack of faith and trust in God, He is always merciful. David, for all his mistakes, never doubted God’s mercy, and even when he suffered the consequences of his sins, he continued to believe in God’s mercy. When asked to choose the punishment from God for his sin, he was offered three years of famine, or three months under the pursuit of his enemy, or three days of pestilence, he chose the last. This was because David reasoned out, “This is a hard choice. But let us rather fall into the power of the Lord, since his mercy is great, and not into the power of men.” David knew that whilst men could not be trusted, and he knew how evil men could become, he preferred to rely on God’s mercy and surrendered his life to Him than to men.

David of course was not wrong. God’s mercy was revealed later. “The Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning till the time appointed and plague ravaged the people, and from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of them died. The angel stretched out his hand towards Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord thought better of this evil, and he said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough! Now withdraw you hand.” God is always merciful. He is a God of mercy and compassion. He is ever ready to relent and forgive when we repent, when our hearts are truly remorseful. God does not desire our death but He wants us to live. His punishment is meant to awaken us to the truth and walk the way of love and faith. God does not desire us to suffer, just as no parent wants their children to suffer even when they punish them for their mistakes. The punishment is to help them to repent of their mistakes.

Hence, today, if we come to realize our mistakes, whether present or in the past, all we need to do is to be like the psalmist who said, “Forgive, Lord, the guilt of my sin. But now I have acknowledged my sins; my guilt I did not hide. I said: ‘I will confess my offence to the Lord.’ And you, Lord, have forgiven the guilt of my sin. So let every good man pray to you in the time of need. The floods of water may reach high but him they shall not reach.” Truly, God is ultimately in control of our lives. He will write straight in crooked lines. He will bring good out of evil. He will give us a new beginning. All our past is forgotten. He wants us to trust in His love and mercy. We must surrender our lives into His hand, cooperate with His grace, trusting in His mercy and love when we fail. But we should not fall into despair.

EARTHEN VESSELS HOLDING GOD’S TREASURE

20240201 EARTHEN VESSELS HOLDING GOD’S TREASURE

01 February 2024, Thursday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Kings 2:1-4,10-12 ©

David's dying exhortation to Solomon

As David’s life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son Solomon, ‘I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, as it stands written in the Law of Moses, that so you may be successful in all you do and undertake, so that the Lord may fulfil the promise he made me, “If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack for a man on the throne of Israel.”’

So David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the Citadel of David. David’s reign over Israel lasted forty years: he reigned in Hebron for seven years, and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.

Solomon was seated upon the throne of David, and his sovereignty was securely established.

Responsorial Psalm

1 Chronicles 29:10-12 ©

You, Lord, are the ruler of all.

May you be blessed, O Lord,

the God of Israel, our father,

for ever, for ages unending!

You, Lord, are the ruler of all.

Yours, Lord, are greatness and power,

and splendour, triumph, and glory.

All is yours, in heaven and on earth.

You, Lord, are the ruler of all.

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;

you are supreme above all.

Both honour and riches come from you.

You, Lord, are the ruler of all.

You are the ruler of all,

from your hand come strength and power;

from your hand come greatness and might.

You, Lord, are the ruler of all.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mk1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 6:7-13 ©

'Take nothing with you'

Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

EARTHEN VESSELS HOLDING GOD’S TREASURE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12; 1 Chronicles 29:10-12; Mk 6:7-13]

We have come to the end of the story of King David and his reign over Israel in today’s first reading. We hear him giving his final instructions to his chosen son, Solomon, who would succeed him to the throne. How do we assess his reign as King of Israel and Judah? In the bible, he was regarded as the model king, the best that Israel had. Often, he was portrayed as a good king, obedient to God and faithful to Him. But was he really? From the perspective of faith and in comparison with the rest of his successors, he seems to be so. He was considered a great king.

Of course, this does not mean that he was a perfect king. There were moments when he was weak. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and even dispatched her husband, Uriah, a devoted army officer to be killed in the battle so that he could cover up his crime. Perhaps David never forgave his enemies, or was it done to protect the future king from having to deal with potential troublemakers? He instructed Solomon to eliminate his loyal commander, Joab for killing two commanders of the armies of Israel. He also asked him to kill Shimei, the man who cursed him when he was running away from Absalom who was plotting to kill him.

Furthermore, his choice of Solomon might have been the best possible, but surely, he was also not a great king. In spite of the instructions given to Solomon to “be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, as it stands written in the Law of Moses, that so you may be successful in all you do and undertake”, yet history showed Solomon to be a weak king. He did well initially, but later also because of lust, he took pagan wives from the surrounding nations, causing idolatry to creep into the nation. He was also not a wise ruler because he over-taxed the people to sustain his lavish lifestyle.

In the gospel, we also read how the Lord “summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits.” The choice of the Twelve as His messengers were dubious. It was a mixed group of apostles with different backgrounds, temperaments, and self-centred motives. They were certainly not perfect disciples of the Lord, squabbling over positions, desiring power and wealth. They were cowards when it came to standing up for Jesus and one of them even betrayed Him for a few pieces of silver. Yet, they were chosen to exercise the authority of Jesus. They were given a share in His authority over unclean spirits, which is a central aspect of Jesus’ mission to wipe out the kingdom of Satan. They were also given the power to heal.

Indeed, looking back at scriptures, we know that God did not choose saints to be His leaders and missionaries. The people that God chose were weaklings, sinners, imperfect in their motives, lacking virtues of the saints, and lacking courage to stand up for what is right and true. St Paul himself described the apostolate as earthen vessels carrying the treasure of God. (cf 2 Cor 4:7) It is true that Christian leaders are weak and imperfect in many ways. We are after all human beings, having both strengths and weaknesses, whether moral or human skills. We are not gods. We do not have all the perfections that people expect of us.

But very often, people expect leaders to have the highest morals and sometimes to be perfect in their life and conduct, and even in their professional work, whether teaching, administration, or leadership. They put religious leaders on a high pedestal, which we know we are not able to reach. As the letter to the Hebrews reminds us, “Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.” (Heb 5:1-3) Indeed, both the Christian leader and also the people must be realistic that we are not perfect in every way. We must be ready to accept failures and imperfections. We must stand ready for correction and to ask for forgiveness when we sin. Otherwise, there is a danger that such unrealistic expectations of a Christian leader might cause him or her to live a hypocritical life or even a double life because he or she is not allowed to let his or her weakness be seen.

Nevertheless, it does not mean that to accept the reality of the humanity of Christian leaders is to leave the situation as it is. We must seek to live up to the great calling of our Lord using all our strength and soul. This demands that we cooperate with His grace. Hence, it is of vital importance that Christian leaders must seek to be grounded in the Word of God and strive to be obedient to His word. This was the promise that God made to King David which he relayed to his son, Solomon. “If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack for a man on the throne of Israel.” Solomon did not obey the laws. St Paul too wrote of our duty when he said, “Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.” (2 Cor 4:1-3)

Indeed, we will achieve perfection not by our own strength but by God’s grace. Because we are earthen vessels carrying the treasure of God, we can expect God to complete in us what is lacking. St Paul wrote, “We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” (2 Cor 4:7-10)

So too in today’s gospel, the Lord knew that His apostles were weak. He did not think that they were ready to be His apostles. Yet all the same, the Lord sent them out to train them because we become better apostles when we are missionary disciples. To make sure that they depend on Him alone for the mission, “he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals” but not take a spare tunic. Indeed, the apostles and missionary disciples of our Lord must depend on Him alone for their mission. They should cooperate with Him using whatever resources are available to them. But they must never think that success comes from their efforts alone. They depend solely on the authority and power that the Lord has given to them.

Finally, dependence on the Lord also means that His appointed leaders must only proclaim the message that was given to them. Christian leaders and missionaries are not to proclaim their own message or ideas. As ambassadors of the Lord, they can only teach what they have been taught and transmitted to them through the scriptures and the apostolic Church. No one has a right to change the scriptures or to teach what is contrary to the gospel. The message that the apostles were asked to preach was a message of repentance. Only when we repent, can we receive the Good News of healing and deliverance from the oppression of the Evil One and the evils of society. Hence, what the world needs today is to hear that message instead of trying to rewrite the scriptures so that we can be deluded into believing that we are obeying the gospel when in truth we are living in falsehood and selfishness. Leaders must therefore seek to be true to their calling. We are not here to serve ourselves or proclaim ourselves as St Paul reminds us, “for we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Cor 4:5)

Monday, 29 January 2024

TORN BETWEEN EMOTIONAL TIES AND PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY

20240130 TORN BETWEEN EMOTIONAL TIES AND PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY

30 January 2024, Tuesday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time

First reading

2 Samuel 18:9-10,14,24-25,30-19:3 ©

David mourns Absalom

Absalom happened to run into some of David’s followers. Absalom was riding a mule and the mule passed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom’s head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on. Someone saw this and told Joab. ‘I have just seen Absalom’ he said ‘hanging from an oak.’ Joab took three lances in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive there in the oak tree.

David was sitting between the two gates. The lookout had gone up to the roof of the gate, on the ramparts; he looked up and saw a man running all by himself. The watch called out to the king and told him. The king said, ‘If he is by himself, he has good news to tell.’ The king told the man, ‘Move aside and stand there.’ He moved aside and stood waiting.

Then the Cushite arrived. ‘Good news for my lord the king!’ cried the Cushite. ‘The Lord has vindicated your cause today by ridding you of all who rebelled against you.’ ‘Is all well with young Absalom?’ the king asked the Cushite. ‘May the enemies of my lord the king’ the Cushite answered ‘and all who rebelled against you to your hurt, share the lot of that young man.’

The king shuddered. He went up to the room over the gate and burst into tears, and weeping said, ‘My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! Would I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!’ Word was brought to Joab, ‘The king is now weeping and mourning for Absalom.’ And the day’s victory was turned to mourning for all the troops, because they learned that the king was grieving for his son. And the troops returned stealthily that day to the town, as troops creep back ashamed when routed in battle.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 85(86):1-6 ©

Turn your ear, Lord, and give answer.

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer

for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am faithful;

save the servant who trusts in you.

Turn your ear, Lord, and give answer.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,

for I cry to you all the day long.

Give joy to your servant, O Lord,

for to you I lift up my soul.

Turn your ear, Lord, and give answer.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,

full of love to all who call.

Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer

and attend to the sound of my voice.

Turn your ear, Lord, and give answer.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or:

Mt8:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

He took our sicknesses away,

and carried our diseases for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Mark 5:21-43 ©

Little girl, I tell you to get up

When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes,’ she had told herself ‘I shall be well again.’ And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, “Who touched me?”’ But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ‘My daughter,’ he said ‘your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.’

While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, ‘Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?’ But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official, ‘Do not be afraid; only have faith.’ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official’s house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha, kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

TORN BETWEEN EMOTIONAL TIES AND PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITY

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 2 SM 18:9-10,14, 24-25, 30-19:3; PS 86:1-6; MK 5:21-43 ]

In the first reading, we read of the sad end of Absalom who rebelled against his father, David. He wanted to usurp the throne and conspired with the men of Israel to overthrow the king. To avoid bloodshed, King David fled from his palace with his men, suffering the humiliation of his enemies. When they had reorganized themselves to fight against Absalom and his army, the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, his three commanders, to “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” All the people heard the king give orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom. (2 Sm 18:5)

However, his commanders did not heed the wishes of the king. As far as Joab, his top military commander, was concerned, Absalom had committed treason by gathering the people to rebel against King David. Their lives were at stake as they could all have been killed, including King David. But they fought for King David and protected him. Hence, we can feel with Joab when the opportunity came for him to avenge King David; “Absalom’s head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on”. “Joab took three lances in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive there in the oak tree.”

What was the reaction of King David when he heard what was supposedly great news for him? The Cushite shouted, “Good news for my lord the king! The Lord has vindicated your cause today by ridding you of all who rebelled against you.” But David was not thinking of revenge. He was more concerned with the well-being of Absalom. “Is all well with young Absalom?’ the king asked the Cushite. ‘May the enemies of my lord the king,’ the Cushite answered, ‘and all who rebelled against you to your hurt, share the lot of that young man.'” When he heard the sad news of the death of his son, “The king shuddered. He went up to the room over the gate and burst into tears, and weeping said, ‘My son Absalom, my son, my son!’ Word was brought to Joab, ‘The king is now weeping and mourning for Absalom.””

Whilst we can understand the sentiments of King David because his son was killed by his army commander, it certainly did not raise the morale of his men who fought so hard for him, putting their own lives at risk. “And the day’s victory was turned to mourning for all the troops, because they learned that the king was grieving for his son. And the troops returned stealthily that day to the town, as troops creep back ashamed when routed in battle.” There seems to be some injustice and lack of gratitude on the part of David for all they had sacrificed. After all, it was not just any crime or offence that Absalom committed, but the worst of all crimes, namely, treason. If he had succeeded in overthrowing King David, the entire people would have been put at risk and suffered the consequences. It was not just about King David and his throne. It was not just about Absalom. But their actions would have had repercussions on the entire country.

Indeed, sometimes we are like King David. We do not separate our personal ties from our professional duties. This is the mistake of many leaders when they allow emotional ties with someone in the office or in the organization to affect their decisions for the greater good of the organization. When we are partial in our judgements, favouring our friends, relatives and those who are good to us, we lose our objectivity in leadership. This will create mistrust, doubt and suspicion. This does not mean that as leaders we cannot be good friends with those under our charge, or those related to us. In fact, we should be friends with all, and be in good relationship with all our staff. But we must be conscious of the need to draw a line between professional responsibility and personal relationships. We must keep these two distinct so that we do not allow our judgment to skew in favour of those we like. If there exists strong emotional ties, then we must voluntarily recuse ourselves from judgment.

We see this similar tension between public duty and personal needs to a lesser degree in today’s gospel story. One of the synagogue officials, Jairus by name, upon seeing Jesus, “fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.'” For the sake of his daughter’s life, he had set aside his pride and status as a synagogue official. It no longer mattered to him what people would think of him for pleading with Jesus in such a reverential manner. For the sake of our loved ones, we would humble ourselves to great lengths to save them.

When Jesus was delayed by the crowd, and “some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, ‘Your daughter is dead: why put the master to any further trouble?'”, he continued to place his total trust in the Lord. It was his total helplessness that brought him to the feet of our Lord.

What can we learn from this event? In this instance, the official represented the synagogue. As we have read earlier, St Mark wrote about the growing opposition of the Jewish leaders, the scribes and pharisees who were hostile towards Him and were seeking to eliminate Him. They were upset by His teaching and most of all, healing on the Sabbath. Jairus could have taken this position, but he was a brave man, perhaps driven by despair to take a bet on Jesus. He knew that if he were to stick to such so-called orthodoxy, he would surely lose his daughter. What Jairus made was a pragmatic decision based on an existential situation which he deemed to warrant his departing from the line of other religious leaders. He made his own decision based on the facts of the situation.

Again, in this instance, Jairus represents a leader who is able to distinguish between right and wrong. He could have played safe and toed the line of most of the religious leaders in his days with respect to their assessment of Jesus as a true rabbi. But he was desperate to save his daughter, and he was not blind to the fact that Jesus was a healer and a man of God. Driven by his emotional ties to his daughter, he took the courage to go against what he felt was a misjudgement of Jesus by the institution. We presume that he was ready to answer for his actions. And because of his courage to not allow prejudice to blind him, he was proven right against all odds in placing his trust in Jesus that He would be able to raise his daughter back to life. Learning from Jairus, as leaders, we must always act objectively in the light of the facts presented before us and not submit to rules blindly.

Finally, we also have the example of the personal courage of a woman who was ready to break the law for the sake of a greater need and good. She understood that laws were meant for the common good of the people. However, her instincts told her that she should not allow the law to prevent her from getting healed. Having suffered terribly “from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse”, she took the courage to stealthily touch the clothes of Jesus, believing that if she could touch His clothes, she would be healed. True enough, “the source of bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.”

In order to vindicate the woman so that she would not feel guilty for her action, which was not permitted under law for she was unclean, the Lord, “immediately aware that power had gone out from him, …turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?'” Because of her honesty in owning up to her action, she was set free not just from her illness but her guilt when the Lord assured her, “My daughter, your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.” We, too, must learn from her to have the courage to act always in faith and with integrity.

Sunday, 28 January 2024

A CHRIST-LIKE RESPONSE TO BETRAYAL AND REJECTION

20240129 A CHRIST-LIKE RESPONSE TO BETRAYAL AND REJECTION

29 January 2024, Monday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time

First reading

David flees Absalom and is cursed by Shimei

A messenger came to tell David, ‘The hearts of the men of Israel are now with Absalom.’ So David said to all his officers who were with him in Jerusalem, ‘Let us be off, let us fly, or we shall never escape from Absalom. Leave as quickly as you can in case he mounts a surprise attack and worsts us and puts the city to the sword.’

David then made his way up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, his head covered and his feet bare. And all the people with him had their heads covered and made their way up, weeping as they went.

As David was reaching Bahurim, out came a man of the same clan as Saul’s family. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he came he uttered curse after curse and threw stones at David and at all King David’s officers, though the whole army and all the champions flanked the king right and left. The words of his curse were these, ‘Be off, be off, man of blood, scoundrel! the Lord has brought on you all the blood of the House of Saul whose sovereignty you have usurped; and the Lord has transferred that same sovereignty to Absalom your son. Now your doom has overtaken you, man of blood that you are.’ Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, ‘Is this dead dog to curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut his head off.’ But the king replied, ‘What business is it of mine and yours, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse. If the Lord said to him, “Curse David,” what right has anyone to say, “Why have you done this?”’ David said to Abishai and all his officers, ‘Why, my own son, sprung from my body, is now seeking my life; so now how much the more this Benjaminite? Let him curse on if the Lord has told him to. Perhaps the Lord will look on my misery and repay me with good for his curse today.’ So David and his men went on their way.

Responsorial Psalm

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

How many are my foes, O Lord!

How many are rising up against me!

How many are saying about me:

‘There is no help for him in God.’

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

But you, Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, who lift up my head.

I cry aloud to the Lord.

He answers from his holy mountain.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

I lie down to rest and I sleep.

I wake, for the Lord upholds me.

I will not fear even thousands of people

who are ranged on every side against me.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn17:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is truth, O Lord:

consecrate us in the truth.

Alleluia!

Or:

Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;

God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

Gospel

The Gadarene swine

Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – for Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.

Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

A CHRIST-LIKE RESPONSE TO BETRAYAL AND REJECTION

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13; Ps 3:2-8; Mk 5:1-20]

In the first reading, we read of the rebellion of Absalom, the son of David. He went to Hebron where he had loyal friends to support him. He had been strategizing to win the hearts of the people by his good looks, apparent care for the poor, fighting for justice on their behalf, and putting himself in the spotlight. At Hebron, he crowned himself King.

We can imagine the sadness of King David when he heard that his own son was rebelling against him. We are reminded of King Lear who said, “Ingratitude! thou marble-hearted fiend, more hideous when they show’st thee in a child than the sea-monster.” Benjamin Franklin once said, “Most people return small favors, acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones – with ingratitude.” Indeed, most of us have been hurt by ingratitude and betrayal. When it is done by our loved ones, we find it even more difficult to bear. Many parents suffer betrayal and ingratitude from their children, especially in their old age.

Not only was King David, now an old man, betrayed by his own son, but whilst fleeing from Absalom, he also received uncalled for insults, adding injury to his humiliating departure from the city of David. It was humiliating enough to have him depart from his palace for safety. “David then made his way up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, his head covered and his feet bare. And all the people with him had their heads covered and made their way up, weeping as they went.” Along the way, he was misunderstood and wrongly accused by Shimei, son of Gera. He “uttered curse after curse and threw stones at David and at all King David’s officers, though the whole army and all the champions flanked the king right and left.” In truth, David had no part in Saul’s death.

What is significant is the way David reacted to these events. Firstly, although his son, Absalom, had committed treason and deserved death, he told his officers and soldiers not to harm him in any way. “The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” (2 Sm 18:5) He was deeply wounded by his son’s evil deeds, but he continued to love him and sought for his repentance. He had no intention of taking revenge but to restore order and justice.

Secondly, David thought of his people more than himself even when he was bleeding in his heart. He put the people’s welfare and safety before his own. Instead of staying back in Jerusalem and fighting head on with Absalom, he decided to flee to avoid unnecessary bloodshed on innocent people should a civil war break out. Weighing the costs of the battle, he withdrew. David showed his wisdom by not saving his pride. He was courageous to back down from his fight with Absalom for the sake of his people. Furthermore, when he was fleeing, he even thought of those officers who were non-Jews, urging them to go back to their homeland. He said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also coming with us? Go back, and stay with the king; for you are a foreigner, and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, while I go wherever I can? Go back, and take your kinsfolk with you.” (2 Sm 15:19f)

Thirdly, in response to the curses of Shimei, his response was one of compassion and understanding. Instead of attacking his opponent in his hurt, he felt with Shimei. He knew he was hurting as much as he himself was hurting by the rebellion of Absalom. He knew that his curses were directed at him in ignorance because he needed an avenue to articulate his pains. When an officer wanted to teach him a lesson by cutting off his head, David replied, “What business is it of mine and yours, son of Zeruiah? Let him curse. If the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ what right has anyone to say, ‘Why have you done this?’ David said to Abishai and all his officers, ‘Why, my own son, sprung from my body, is now seeking my life; so now how much the more this Benjaminite?”

Fourthly, he suffered his shame as an act of repentance and atonement for his sins. He said, “Let him curse on if the Lord has told him to. Perhaps the Lord will look on my misery and repay me with good for his curse today.” He felt he was paying for his crimes of adultery and murder as predicted by the prophet Nathan. “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun.” (2 Sm 12:10f) He took his suffering as the consequence of his sins. What he sowed was what he reaped.

Finally, he continued to believe in God who is all merciful and just. He knew that in spite of his sinfulness and mistakes, the Lord would never abandon him. He knew that God would never leave him but such misfortune and trials were meant to invite him to trust in God rather than his own strength. In order to solicit God’s mercy, he refused to defend himself and rather allowed God to work accordingly. His faith was expressed beautifully in the responsorial psalm when he said, “How many are my foes, O Lord! How many are rising up against me! How many are saying about me: ‘There is no help for him in God.’ But you, Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, who lift up my head. I cry aloud to the Lord. He answers from his holy mountain. I lie down to rest and I sleep. I wake, for the Lord upholds me. I will not fear even thousands of people who are ranged on every side against me. Arise, Lord; save me, my God.”

When we compare how David handled his suffering, we give praise to God for David had certainly matured in his old age and grew to become more like Christ. In fact, the way David dealt with the events mirrored and prefigured that of Christ. The events suggest this. Like Jesus, David was betrayed not just by his son but by one of his trusted officers, Ahithophel, who became a traitor by supporting Absalom. (2 Sm 15:12) Eventually, like Judas, he hanged himself. (2 Sm 17:23) King David’s passing by the river of Kidron crying on his way to safety, (2 Sm 15:23) reminds us of how Jesus “went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden” before he was confronted by His enemies. (Jn 18:1) David, like Jesus, too was at the Mount of Olives. (2 Sm 15:30 cf Lk 22:39) Again, that David was with a small group of followers on the hill-stop, paralleled Jesus’ apostles who were with Him at the Mount of Olives. (2 Sm 15:32) Finally, just as the general sought to defend David with his sword, one of the disciples of Jesus “struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.” (Jn 18:10) But Jesus, like David, forbade them to take revenge or act in violence. Jesus said, “‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him.” (Jn 18:11) From hindsight, we can understand why David foreshadowed in many ways the kingship of Christ.

Indeed, in today’s gospel we have a glimpse of Jesus’ understanding for those who rejected Him. He too was asked to leave by the Gerasenes when He healed the man who was possessed by a powerful unclean spirit. The people were non-Jews and were fearful of such supernatural phenomenon. They could not help the man and thus he was left at a cave away from the people as he was unrestrainable. But Jesus showed that whilst the evil spirit was powerful, God was even more powerful than the legion of spirits. He demonstrated this fact by visibly allowing the inhabitants to see the power of God by sending the spirits into the pigs. Even in the act of exorcism, Jesus was merciful to the evil spirits because their time had not yet come to be totally destroyed. He gave in to their request to be sent into the pigs. Of course, the people were torn between getting rid of the evil spirit and their attachment to their livelihood. They were not ready to let go of their rice bowl to accept the God of Jesus. And Jesus understood. He did not force them to accept Him or His Father because He knew they were not yet ready. But He knew that He had already planted the seed of faith in them. It would take time for them to acknowledge the God and Father of Jesus Christ. He would wait.

In the meantime, He told the man who was healed, ‘‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.” Indeed, the seed of faith would take time to be grounded and bear fruit. We must be patient with those who are ungrateful to us, who misunderstand us even when we are good to them, and who hurt us by their words and betrayal. Let us follow David and Jesus in not retaliating but to accept our sufferings patiently for the grace of God to work. St Peter wrote, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” (1 Pt 3:17f)