20260130 WHERE SIN INCREASES, GRACE INCREASES ALL THE MORE
30 January 2026, Friday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Samuel 11:1-4,5-10,13-17 |
David and Bathsheba
At the turn of the year, the time when kings go campaigning, David sent Joab and with him his own guards and the whole of Israel. They massacred the Ammonites and laid siege to Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem.
It happened towards evening when David had risen from his couch and was strolling on the palace roof, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David made inquiries about this woman and was told, ‘Why, that is Bathsheba, Eliam’s daughter, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ Then David sent messengers and had her brought. She came to him, and he slept with her. She then went home again. The woman conceived and sent word to David, ‘I am with child.’
Then David sent Joab a message, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite’, whereupon Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came into his presence, David asked after Joab and the army and how the war was going. David then said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and enjoy yourself.’ Uriah left the palace, and was followed by a present from the king’s table. Uriah however slept by the palace door with his master’s bodyguard and did not go down to his house.
This was reported to David; ‘Uriah’ they said ‘did not go down to his house.’ The next day David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk. In the evening Uriah went out and lay on his couch with his master’s bodyguard, but he did not go down to his house.
Next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Station Uriah in the thick of the fight and then fall back behind him so that he may be struck down and die.’ Joab, then besieging the town, posted Uriah in a place where he knew there were fierce fighters. The men of the town sallied out and engaged Joab; the army suffered casualties, including some of David’s bodyguard; and Uriah the Hittite was killed too.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 50(51):3-7,10-11 |
Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may thrill.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
Have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make me grasp the way of your precepts,
and I will muse on your wonders.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:26-34 |
The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’
Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
WHERE SIN INCREASES, GRACE INCREASES ALL THE MORE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 11:1-10, 13-17; PS 51:3-7, 10-11; Mk 4:26-34]
Human beings are a strange mix of sin and grace. On one hand, man is a sinner regardless of how good and holy he may be. He is never perfect or free from faults, no matter how much he tries. He falls into temptation easily, even though he knows it is not the right thing to do. He is ignorant and foolish, short-sighted and weak when it comes to the desires of the flesh. Even if he does not sin in words or deeds, he sins in thought. We do not always think charitably of others. We are often judgemental because we are limited by our understanding and experience. As a result, we tend to judge in a very narrow, often partial and prejudiced way. We are proud and overly confident in our judgements, and we are quick to dismiss or shoot down anyone who disagrees with us.
On the other hand, we are also graced creatures. God gives us the grace to become like Him, for we are created in His image and likeness. He entrusts us with stewardship over His creation and calls us to be His co-creators in developing creation, including ourselves. We possess unimaginable potential. Just consider the progress humankind has made over the last fifty years. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, so much so that the world today is very different from the world of yesterday in terms of communication, lifestyle, work, and migration. We have great potential to change the world for better or for worse, and also to develop ourselves. This grace has been given to us. We can be saints. We can make this world a better place and transform it into a paradise.
This was precisely the case with David in today’s Scripture reading. By the grace of God, David eventually became king of Israel. He united the ten tribes in the north and the two tribes in the south into one nation. He also managed to overcome all his external enemies. Hence, he could now take things a little easier. Yet the truth of life is this: an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. When we are too free in life and have nothing urgent or important to do, the devil comes to offer suggestions that draw us away from a life of discipline and meaning. We begin to indulge in mundane and sensual matters, allowing our minds and eyes to be enticed by the non-essential things of life. We become lazy and unprepared, as St Peter warns us in his letter: “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith” (1 Pt 5:8f).
Indeed, in his idleness, David stayed behind in Jerusalem when it was “the turn of the year, the time when kings go campaigning.”Instead, “David sent Joab, together with his own guards and the whole of Israel. They massacred the Ammonites and laid siege to Rabbah.” He was not with his men in battle. Weakened by his lack of discipline, he was tempted by the beauty of Bathsheba, whom he saw from the roof while she was bathing. Even after discovering that she was the wife of one of his officers, he sent for her and slept with her. Soon, “the woman conceived and sent word to David, ‘I am with child.'” We can see how sin grows from temptation to action and then to consequences. The sin of laziness and complacency leads to the sin of lust, then to adultery, and finally to an unplanned pregnancy.
From then on, sin grew even stronger, for the Evil One tempted David to protect his pride by prompting him to conceal his wrongdoing.With sin comes shame, and shame seeks to hide. To hide our sin, we often commit further sins to cover it up, as in David’s case. He tried to get Uriah back from the battlefield so he could sleep with his wife, but Uriah was a loyal soldier who would not abandon his duty to the battle. Failing to entice him, David sent word to his army commander to place Uriah in the thick of the fighting, then withdraw, leaving him to be killed.
How cruel and unkind David acted toward his faithful and loyal army officer, all to cover up his sins! As a consequence, “The men of the town sallied out and engaged Joab; the army suffered casualties, including some of David’s bodyguard; and Uriah the Hittite was killed too.” This is truly an unforgivable sin, especially considering that David, as king, was meant to protect his men and serve as a model of leadership for the people. Instead, he abused his office, position, and power, repaying good with evil. Of course, we later read that God punished David with the death of the child born to Bathsheba.
The story of King David’s adultery with Bathsheba shows how sin grows from strength to strength if we do not stop it early. As St. James warns, “One is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death” (Jas 1:14f). Similarly, St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans that when we persist in sin, God allows us to follow the consequences of our wrongdoing: “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves. God gave them up to degrading passions. God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done” (Rom 1:24,26,28).
Conversely, it is also true that if we allow grace to enter our lives, grace will triumph over sin. St. Paul writes, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20). This victory comes through the grace given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. Comparing the sin of Adam with the grace of Christ, he continues, “If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:17).
This, precisely, is what today’s parables in the Gospel seek to underscore: the growth of sin and the growth of grace. In the parable of the seed growing by itself, Jesus teaches us that the seed–whether of sin or of grace–will grow in stages according to its own timetable. What about us, who often feel helpless in the face of sin? Just as the farmer does not make the seed grow, we cannot create the kingdom of God by our own efforts. It is true that we can hinder or delay it, but we cannot prevent the grace of God from working in our lives. Growth will come; growth is a mystery. Yet, more positively, this parable gives hope to those of us who struggle with sin: if we try to be receptive to grace, somehow God will write straight on crooked lines. Ultimately, the kingdom will come more because of His grace than our obedience. His kingdom will not arrive suddenly, but it will come, and grace will triumph in the end. We must therefore learn to be patient in our struggles against sin. We might not be able to overcome our sins of lust, greed, anger, impatience, or envy immediately, but if we remain patient, God will eventually grant us the grace to overcome our imperfections. In this, we can remain hopeful.
Secondly, the parable calls us to recognise the surprises of grace at work in our lives. We can never fully imagine how the grace of God operates within us. Like the mustard seed, it begins small and seemingly insignificant. Yet a time will come when that little goodness in us overcomes and outgrows our selfishness and pride. Just as the mustard seed grows into a large tree where the birds of the air take refuge in its shade, so too does God’s grace grow within us. Even in our sinfulness, we must acknowledge that grace is at work–beginning with small victories over sin, and gradually leading us from grace to grace and toward holiness.
This is why we should never be daunted by small progress on the path to holiness. Some of us may put in much effort yet continue to fall into sin. However, if we persevere, grace will continue to work in us. Eventually, we will bear the fruits of holiness and, in turn, be able to embrace all people–both saints and sinners–in our lives. We will become truly the family of God and the living presence of His love and hope for others. Let us therefore cooperate with the grace of God at work in us, while striving to overcome sin and avoid occasions of temptation. Let us, like David, confess our sins and rely solely on His grace.
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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