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| “David with the Head of Goliath” by Guido Reni, c. 1605 |
(Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time)
(Optional Memorial for Saint
Vincent, Deacon and Martyr – In the US, this feast day is transferred to
January 23, 2014) Alternate
Proper for the Memorial of St. Vincent
Alternate reading options for the Day of Prayer for
the Legal Protection of Unborn Children suggested by the USCCB:
First Reading: Genesis
1:1—2:2*, 2
Maccabees 7:1, 20-31, Isaiah
49:1-6, Romans
11:33-36, Ephesians
1:3-14, Ephesians
3:14-21, Colossians
1:12-20, 1
John 3:11-21
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9, Psalm
139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
Gospel: Matthew
18:1-5, 10, 12-14, Mark
9:30-37, Luke
1:39-56, Luke
17:11-19, Luke
23:35-43, John
1:1-5, 9-14, 16-18, John 6:24-35
Or: Lectionary for Ritual Masses (IV) Masses for Various
Needs and Occasions, II. For Public Needs, 14. For Peace and Justice #887-891
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
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
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 in the first
reading 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
144:1b, 2, 9-10
Psalm 144 is a
song of thanksgiving and praise. In
these strophes we find 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk
3:1-6
Mark’s Gospel
today again shows us a picture of Jesus in contention with the scribes and
Pharisees. This time they use bate; a man with an affliction is apparently used
to trap Jesus into doing something that by Pharisaic Law was considered
“labor”. 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, the cures the man (see also John
5:17-18). Their attempt
foiled, they run to the minions of King Herod to continue their plotting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The
Gospel of St. Mark describes another instance
in which the Lord must try to differentiate between the correct observance and
the spirit of the Law. It is always
difficult and dangerous to understand when 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 the result of an individual or group deciding that the laws and
precepts of our faith were too difficult to follow as written and therefore
must be over turned or re-written.
One of the most divisive
positions taken by the Catholic Church is her unswerving dedication to the
sanctity of human life. Today, on the anniversary
of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Roe v. Wade, we are called to a
day of prayer. The basis for the Church’s
position has been laid out eloquently in the Teaching Magisterium entrusted to
it. The court’s decision in this case
placed the entire country on what can only be called a slippery slope to
ultimately devalue human life at all its stages.
Is it a difficult stretch to
go from legalizing the killing of unborn infants to reducing unwanted
populations of persons, such as the elderly and infirmed in assisted suicide?
Oh, wait, that has already happened in Oregon.
Is it difficult to get from abortion on demand to selective fertilization
of human eggs to produce only the gender and physical make-up of an in-vitro offspring?
Oh, wait that is already happening too.
The direction established by Roe v. Wade is the turning point from a
position in which there can be no monetary value placed on human life to liking
human life to economic outcomes. Ultimately,
is there any real difference between the current legal status of the unborn and
slavery in the pre-Civil War South?
Today we pray for our
legislators and judges to see the gift of life as God intended it to be, our
share in his creative power. We pray
that they turn back the forces of evil that threaten to cheapen human life to a
point where it has no value. And we pray for ourselves that the Holy Spirit may
guide us to be effective voices for justice in our world.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture is “David with the Head of Goliath” by Guido Reni, c. 1605
[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 re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
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