20260131 THE LORD CARES FOR THE WEAK AND THE OPPRESSED
31 January 2026, Saturday, 3rd Week 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 SM 12:1-7,10-17; PS 51:12-17; MK 4:35-41]
All of us go through storms in our lives. These storms may be caused by our own actions or by circumstances beyond our control. At times, we are victims; at other times, we are oppressors. Whether as victim or oppressor, all of us must bear the consequences of the sins of others or of our own. When we suffer innocently–like the prophet Nathan, who must have been incensed by the injustice done to vulnerable men such as Uriah and his soldiers, or to vulnerable women like Bathsheba, who could not resist the sexual demands of King David–the question that arises in our hearts is this: how could the Lord allow innocent people to suffer while powerful and evil men seem to get away with their crimes? In a nutshell, the question is: does God care? Even sinners and offenders of the law, when facing the consequences of their actions, ask the same question, “Does God care?” Where, then, is the mercy of God?
So too were the apostles, who were facing real physical danger. 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 thus the danger seemed 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 with water. Yet the one seated in the pilot’s place was fast asleep. If even 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 also the cry of the early Church when it was undergoing persecution. Many Christians were tortured, imprisoned, and some were martyred by the Romans. Even today, in some parts of the world, Christians continue to face physical persecution. Throughout the history of the Church, whenever it has found itself in crisis, the same cry has been raised to the Lord. Even now, as we face the disintegration of global structures that once ensured justice and peace, and the threat of artificial intelligence taking away our jobs, we too ask the same question: does the Lord care that so many are dying, and jobless?
Of course, the answer is clear: the Lord does care for us. He cares in His own way and responds in His wisdom and goodness. We may not always understand His ways, and what we perceive as silence or delay in answering our prayers is not a lack of concern. The Lord hears the prayers of all His people–the vulnerable, the suffering, those who suffer unjustly, and those who repent and ask for mercy. He is not pressured into responding according to our timetable or at our beck and call; rather, He always chooses the right time to reveal 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 David murdered Uriah and caused his men to perish with him, the Lord decreed that disasters would come upon his household. Thus the Lord declared, “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 later suffered much violence. Four of his sons met premature deaths–an unnamed son (cf. 2 Sm 12:18), Amnon (cf. 2 Sm 13:29), Absalom (cf. 2 Sm 18:14-15), and Adonijah (cf. 1 Kgs 2:25). The first concrete punishment was the death of the child conceived by Bathsheba. Even though David repented, fasted, and performed acts of mortification, the Lord did not spare him the consequences of his sin (cf. 2 Sm 12:15-23).
While we must each take personal responsibility for our crimes, it is also true that we suffer collectively from the mistakes of our leaders. Although the principle of individual responsibility remains valid, we cannot deny that we are bound together in solidarity–in sin and in grace, in joy and in sorrow. Hence, the words of Jeremiah still ring true: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Jer 31:29).
Yet, we must give credit to David for his continued faith in God, even though he was punished severely by Him. He acknowledged his sins without excuse. In humility and contrition, he pleaded for mercy and forgiveness. Although the Lord showed 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, David did not give up on God or 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.'”
Indeed, when we cry out to the Lord, it may be because we lack faith, or because we trust that He will help us. David cried out to the Lord in faith. He never doubted God’s power to heal and to save. Even when punishment had already been decreed, he did not give up on God. And when the child died, he moved on in faith. He did not dwell on the past but looked ahead. “Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba and went to her; 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 account, the emphasis is not that they doubted the Lord, but that their fear overwhelmed them. Despite having witnessed His miracles–casting out demons and healing all kinds of diseases–they still did not fully understand His identity. Their faith was not yet strong enough for them to trust Him completely and surrender their lives to Him. Nevertheless, they were rescued, even though their faith was weak. What the Lord was calling them to was to overcome their fear through 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 that lay ahead for the apostles. The imprisonment of John the Baptist (Mk 1:14) and the plot to destroy Jesus (Mk 3:6) were already signs that Calvary awaited 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 danger and could cost them their lives. At the same time, the Lord was challenging the apostles to confront their fear of death. Yet this miracle was also an assurance to them that, despite the risks they were taking, they could rely on Jesus to overcome their trials. Faith in Jesus’ power would grow as they came to a clearer understanding of His identity. This tension between fear and faith is part of our spiritual growth: the greater the faith, the less the fear; when faith is lacking, our fears are magnified.
Forgetfulness is another cause of weak faith. If David was irresponsible, it was because he forgot the undeserved blessings he had received from the Lord–his position as king, the protection he received from Saul during persecution, the possessions and privileges he inherited when he took over Saul’s house, and the opportunity to unite Israel and Judah. None of these would have been possible without God’s grace and divine assistance. Yet David took them for granted and forgot God’s mercy. Likewise, if only we, like the apostles, remember the Lord’s love, mercy, and power over evil, we would not fear.
Let us come to the Lord, who gives us His peace when we trust in Him. He gives us hope in times of sorrow and suffering. We must cling to Jesus as the disciples did when they faced the storms of life. Even in the face of death, we are consoled by the promise that we will be with the Lord in heaven. The Lord continually offers us new hope and new perspectives in life. We can overcome our fears and anxieties by knowing the Father who provides for us and cares for us. When we no longer fear death, we will find peace amid our anxieties, living life fully in every moment, believing that even death cannot destroy us but will ultimately fulfil us.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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