Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

“David with the Head of Goliath”
by Guido Reni, c. 1605

 
Readings for Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
 
David spoke to Saul:
“Let your majesty not lose courage.
I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine.”
But Saul answered David,
“You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
 
David continued:
“The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine.”
Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”
 
Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag.
With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine.
 
With his shield bearer marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
“Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?”
Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
and said to him, “Come here to me,
and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field.”
David answered him:
“You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.
Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;
I will strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will leave your corpse
and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves.
For the battle is the LORD’s and he shall deliver you into our hands.”
 
The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head.
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Commentary on 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
 
We are presented with one of the more famous bible stories from the Old Testament as Samuel relates the defeat of Goliath by David. In this somewhat condensed version, an alternative account of how David came to undertake the combat is omitted (1 Samuel 17:12-31). What is important for salvation history is that David had the support of God, which gave him strength and courage to conquer a foe against great odds. This event demonstrates how in preparation David is faith-filled, giving him courage. And in victory, he praises God. His motives were morally sound.
 
"Morally, the scene depicts two kinds of life squaring off against each other, the old life and the new. The five stones are the five books of Moses [1 Samuel 17:40], and their laws are lifted from the stream of human weakness to the bag of divine grace. David relies on this grace, but Goliath relies on himself and his own strength.  And because pride carries itself on the brow, he is brought down by a stone hurled at the forehead." [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 144:1b, 2, 9-10
 
R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
 
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
 
My refuge and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under me.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
 
O God, I will sing a new song to you;
with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,
You who give victory to kings,
and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
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Commentary on Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10
 
Psalm 144, taken in its entirety, is difficult to classify as it opens with a lament. However, seen in the strophes given in this passage, it concludes in thanksgiving (v. 9-10).  In these strophes, we find that David’s faith provides the courage needed to be victorious in battle. The Lord’s support is celebrated with song, as God provides the victory over his foes. It also carries with it the martial theme of heavenly conflict, seen in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:10ff, and in Jesus' vision of the impending passion in Jerusalem from St. Luke’s Gospel (Luke 13:31ff). 
 
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Gospel: Mark 3:1-6
 
Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
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Commentary on Mk 3:1-6
 
Mark’s Gospel again shows a picture of Jesus in contention with the scribes and Pharisees. This time they use bait. A man with an affliction is apparently used to trap Jesus into doing something that, by Pharisaic law, was considered “labor.”
 
“Their [the Pharisees’] rigorist interpretation of the Law so consumes all their energies that this has quite blinded them to the existence in the world of notable realities such as unbearable human suffering and the power to heal it. Their sole motivation in asking Jesus the question concerning healing on the sabbath is ἵνα ϰατηγοϱήσωσιν αὐτοῦ, that is, ‘that they might publicly denounce him’. How ironical that the very same deed of goodness that brings glory to God and relief to a suffering man and that signals the arrival of messianic times should be construed by the Pharisees as grounds for a public denunciation of Jesus!” [5]
 
Jesus tries to show them the flaw in their logic with a question: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they will not respond because the answer is obvious. With his opponents reduced to silence, he cures the man (see also John 5:17-18). Their attempt foiled, they run to the minions of King Herod to continue their plotting.
 
CCC:  Mk 3:1-6 574; Mk 3:4 2173; Mk 3:5-6 1859; Mk 3:5 591; Mk 3:6 574, 591
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Reflection:
 
The Gospel of St. Mark describes another instance in which the Lord must try to differentiate between the correct observance of the sabbath and the spirit of the Law.  It is always difficult and dangerous to understand when to apply the law as stated in Scripture and when one must look past the words to the spirit of the law.  Nowhere is this more obvious than in the differences between the doctrines of the various Christian denominations.  Too frequently, the schisms that have occurred are because an individual or group decided that the laws and precepts of our faith were too difficult to follow as written, and therefore must be overturned or rewritten.
 
For us, we have basic guidelines for the practice of our faith.  These are called the “precepts” of our faith and are the basic rules we are called to follow.
 
You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
 
There are other rules in the Church contained in the Code of Canon Law and the General Instructions of the Roman Missal.  These rules govern how the members of the Church behave in the secular world and how we behave in worship.  Coupled with the teaching magisterium of the Church, which reflects on the practical implications of what and how we believe, these works constitute the general norms under which all one billion of us relate to each other and God.
 
When we think about the size and scope of the universal Church, this is not really a lot.  But it’s enough to stimulate tension.  There are those among us who do not think the Church should condemn abortion, infanticide.  There are those who believe the Church should bring women into the ordained ranks and there are those who believe that all the Church has done to change itself since the Second Vatican Council ended in 1964 is a travesty.
 
What we hear in the Gospel today is the story of a group of individuals so focused on the rules that they have forgotten the spirit of the Law.  In our own Code of Canon Law this lesson is not forgotten.  The last words in it are: “Canon 1752 …servata aequitate canonica et prae oculis habita salute animarum, quae in Ecclesia suprema semper lex esse debet “ (“the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes”).
 
The problem that most often surfaces is the belief, on behalf of some, that traditions which have developed in the local church community are somehow the perfect reflection of the Church’s precepts, laws, and dogma.  As a consequence, when changes are made (such as recent changes in the translation of the Roman Missal) we become uncomfortable and sometimes even indignant.  This cannot be what we are about, lest we fall into the trap of the Pharisees.  We must focus on the spirit of God’s Law, perfectly exemplified by His Son.  Jesus said first and foremost, love one another.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “David with the Head of Goliath” by Guido Reni, c. 1605.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] St. Augustine, Sermons 32.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume II, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2003 p. 67.