Readings for Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13
Recall that Nathan had said that the Lord would put enmity in the House of David for the sins of murder and adultery he had committed when he took Bathsheba. Following this prediction, the child born to David and Bathsheba died in spite of David’s contrite attempt to convince God to spare it. In addition, David’s eldest son Amnon was killed by another son Absalom after he (Amnon) had raped Absalom’s sister and then further dishonored her by casting her out.
These actions ultimately led to the situation we hear about today. King David goes to the Mount of Olives, once more to beg for God’s mercy. Even though God has promised that David himself will not be killed, nothing good will come of this and he is humiliated even further as he goes on his penitential pilgrimage.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
The third psalm is an individual lament, clearly an echo of Kind David’s sorrow as all that the Lord has given to him seems to be at risk with no sign that God will come to his aid. In spite of this apparent abandonment, the singer has faith that God will continue to defend his servant.
Gospel Mark 5:1-20
We are given St. Mark’s version of Jesus casting out the multitude of demons and sending them into the heard of swine. It is important to note that this is a pagan region so what the Lord is doing in helping the man with unclean spirits is ministering to non-Hebrews indicating the breadth of his mission. Also in this story the demon addresses him as “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” a title that identifies him clearly and without equivocation.
Reflection:
As we fast approach the Lenten Season we find the story of Kind David’s reign instructive. We are especially drawn to the contrast between David’s relationship with God and what we see revealed in Christ as he casts out the unclean spirits of “Legion”.
King David has earned God’s wrath (actually it just seems that way) because of what he did in taking Uriah’s wife Bathsheba for his own. His free will coupled with his political power allowed him to commit selfish and sinful acts, first adultery and then, essentially, murder, that the normal person could not have accomplished. Now, with has faithfulness no longer above reproach we see where his selfish example leads.
First, the product of that union, an innocent child (unnamed and known only in scripture as “it”) dies. This tragic loss, thinks King David (and supported by a prediction from Nathan, the King’s prophet), is the result of his sinful actions. The guilt over his sin is a destructive force, eating at him from the inside. Time and again he dresses in the mourning cloak of the penitent thinking that his sin will be expiated. But, the gift had not yet been given. Christ was to come to open those gates but the grace of salvation was not available to David in life.
Rape and murder erupt among his children as his eldest son rapes the sister of another of his sons and is murdered for his actions. David suffers the loss of his eldest and most beloved (according to scripture) and the enmity of Absalom, another son because of the way the first act was handled. The fall from grace seems doomed to end in utter destruction of the whole blood line. But these actions are not those of a vengeful Father, but of individuals who have walked away from God and indulged in their own passions, unbridled by God’s Law. Unlike us, they had no hope for salvation, forgiveness, and peace because the one who grants these things had not yet revealed the true love of God.
The Lenten Season comes for us in just a few days. As we reflect upon poor David and his family, let us give intense thanks for God’s gift of the Lord who is with us to help us turn aside the temptations of the evil one. Let us pray today that through our observance of the coming season we might be completely freed from our sins in wonderful reconciliation, joining the Lord at the end in our Easter joy.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Miracle of the Gadarene Swine” by Briton Rivière, 1883
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13
Recall that Nathan had said that the Lord would put enmity in the House of David for the sins of murder and adultery he had committed when he took Bathsheba. Following this prediction, the child born to David and Bathsheba died in spite of David’s contrite attempt to convince God to spare it. In addition, David’s eldest son Amnon was killed by another son Absalom after he (Amnon) had raped Absalom’s sister and then further dishonored her by casting her out.
These actions ultimately led to the situation we hear about today. King David goes to the Mount of Olives, once more to beg for God’s mercy. Even though God has promised that David himself will not be killed, nothing good will come of this and he is humiliated even further as he goes on his penitential pilgrimage.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. Lord, rise up and save me.
The third psalm is an individual lament, clearly an echo of Kind David’s sorrow as all that the Lord has given to him seems to be at risk with no sign that God will come to his aid. In spite of this apparent abandonment, the singer has faith that God will continue to defend his servant.
Gospel Mark 5:1-20
We are given St. Mark’s version of Jesus casting out the multitude of demons and sending them into the heard of swine. It is important to note that this is a pagan region so what the Lord is doing in helping the man with unclean spirits is ministering to non-Hebrews indicating the breadth of his mission. Also in this story the demon addresses him as “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” a title that identifies him clearly and without equivocation.
Reflection:
As we fast approach the Lenten Season we find the story of Kind David’s reign instructive. We are especially drawn to the contrast between David’s relationship with God and what we see revealed in Christ as he casts out the unclean spirits of “Legion”.
King David has earned God’s wrath (actually it just seems that way) because of what he did in taking Uriah’s wife Bathsheba for his own. His free will coupled with his political power allowed him to commit selfish and sinful acts, first adultery and then, essentially, murder, that the normal person could not have accomplished. Now, with has faithfulness no longer above reproach we see where his selfish example leads.
First, the product of that union, an innocent child (unnamed and known only in scripture as “it”) dies. This tragic loss, thinks King David (and supported by a prediction from Nathan, the King’s prophet), is the result of his sinful actions. The guilt over his sin is a destructive force, eating at him from the inside. Time and again he dresses in the mourning cloak of the penitent thinking that his sin will be expiated. But, the gift had not yet been given. Christ was to come to open those gates but the grace of salvation was not available to David in life.
Rape and murder erupt among his children as his eldest son rapes the sister of another of his sons and is murdered for his actions. David suffers the loss of his eldest and most beloved (according to scripture) and the enmity of Absalom, another son because of the way the first act was handled. The fall from grace seems doomed to end in utter destruction of the whole blood line. But these actions are not those of a vengeful Father, but of individuals who have walked away from God and indulged in their own passions, unbridled by God’s Law. Unlike us, they had no hope for salvation, forgiveness, and peace because the one who grants these things had not yet revealed the true love of God.
The Lenten Season comes for us in just a few days. As we reflect upon poor David and his family, let us give intense thanks for God’s gift of the Lord who is with us to help us turn aside the temptations of the evil one. Let us pray today that through our observance of the coming season we might be completely freed from our sins in wonderful reconciliation, joining the Lord at the end in our Easter joy.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Miracle of the Gadarene Swine” by Briton Rivière, 1883
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