The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary cite the commitment of God to Israel and David that resonates with the wisdom of Jesus about living fully.
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| Living Fully in Public |
The passage from the Second Book of Samuel presents David’s prayer and thanksgiving to God.
* [7:16] The unconditional promise made here, and reflected in Ps 89:34–35, stands in contrast to the tradition in Ps 132:12, where the continuation of the line of David depends on their fidelity to the Lord; cf. also 1 Kgs 2:4; 6:12; 8:25.1
Psalm 132 declares God’s promise of favour to the Davidic dynasty and to Zion.
* [Psalm 132] A song for a liturgical ceremony in which the ark, the throne of Israel’s God, was carried in procession to the Temple. The singer asks that David’s care for the proper housing of the ark be regarded with favor (Ps 132:1–5), and tells how it was brought to Jerusalem (Ps 132:6–10). There follows God’s promise of favor to the Davidic dynasty (Ps 132:11–12) and to Zion (Ps 132:13–17). The transfer of the ark to the tent in Jerusalem is described in 2 Sm 6.2
The Gospel of Mark shares Jesus Wisdom through the parable of the lamp under a bushel basket. The Sacred Space ministry of the Irish Jesuits reflects on the Gospel of Mark.
Jesus' saying about ‘the measure you give' seems like a variation on ‘you only get as good as you give.' What Jesus means is that the person who seeks to gain some spiritual insight into what he is saying will have that insight increased by exposure to his parables, whereas whoever does not listen to Jesus will end up in spiritual ignorance.3
Larry Gillick, S.J. shares that whatever is good, especially if very good, we are oriented to desire more of it.
Early in Mark’s Gospel four fishermen were called out of their boats and away from their nets. These cookies were being formed by their listening to Jesus, to be distributed, shared. They hear many things, are given much and more is coming, but only depending on how they reveal outwardly all they have inwardly received. Jesus’ relationship with them, and of course, with the readers or listeners to this Gospel, is oriented for display, for showing up and out and not showing off. His giving is for their living and the more will be given depending on its being lived.4
Don Schwager quotes “Called to shine in the midst of darkness,” by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Why does the Lord call us the light of the world? Why has he compared us to a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14)? Are we not called to shine in the midst of darkness, and stand up high for those most sunk down? If you hide your lamp beneath a bushel (Matthew 5:15; Luke 8:16, 11:33), you will soon notice that you yourself will be in the dark. You will find others bumping into you. So what can you do to illumine the world? Let your faith produce good works. Be a reflection of God's light. The good is not preoccupied with darkness. It rejoices in being seen (John 3:21). It exults over the very pointings which are made at it. Christian modesty not only wishes to be modest, but also it wishes to be beheld as what it actually is." (excerpt from ON THE APPAREL OF WOMEN 2.13)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29 comments with a résumé like David’s, it’s a bit surprising to read David’s prayer in today’s first reading. It’s a beautiful reflection of his humility and his desire for God’s glory to be made known. David shows no signs of pride in his own work or the dynasty that he is establishing. He sees only what God has done, and he gives God the glory for it. In addition, he is overwhelmed that God is promising even more: that David’s kingdom will last forever.
Today, take some time to thank the Lord, both for your gifts and for the opportunities you have had to use them for his glory. Then offer these gifts back to him, and ask him to use them in whatever way he chooses. Remember, you have a part to play in the kingdom that God is establishing. He needs you—and the gifts he has given you—to do it!6
Friar Jude Winkler reminds us of the Davidic Oracle of Nathan that precedes the thanksgiving prayer of David. The public presentation of good works in the Gospels is an example of Jewish tradition in teaching between the tension of extremes. Friar Jude reminds that our motivation for publicly presenting our good works is important.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Augustinian priest, Fr. Martin Laird, an author, retreat leader, and professor of early Christian studies at Villanova University. He is a gifted teacher who makes the history and practice of Christian contemplation accessible to people of all backgrounds. Here he relates the insights of The Cloud of Unknowing to the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430), the great theologian and bishop.
St. Augustine, the great teacher of love that knows and knowledge that loves, reflects on his own experience of looking for God as an external object, a thing—just huge—that could be located and fixed in space and time. In his Confessions, he relates how all this changed when he at last forgot himself.
But when unknown to me you caressed my head,and when you closed my eyes lest they see thingsthat would seduce me,I began for a little while to forget about myself,and my madness was lulled to sleep.When I awoke in you, I saw very differently,infinite in a very different sense.But what I saw was not seen with the eye of the body. [4]
For decades Augustine searched for God where God cannot be found—outside himself in conquest, career, and ambition. Only when God casts him into sleep (Genesis 2:21) does something immensely creative happen.7
Our contemplation is a path to thanksgiving and wisdom about our actions in public view.
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