The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to invoke the Holy Spirit as our guide to making decisions that support the fullness of life in fellowship with Jesus.
In the reading from the Second Book of Samuel, David is anointed King of all Israel and Jerusalem is made Capital of the Combined Kingdom.
* [5:6–12] David’s most important military exploit, the taking of Jerusalem, is here presented before his battles with the Philistines, vv. 17–25, which took place earlier. The sense of vv. 6 and 8 is in doubt. Perhaps the Jebusites boasted that Jerusalem was impregnable, using a metaphorical or proverbial expression that claimed the city was defensible even by people not suited for military action. The saying then received a different sense (v. 8), to the effect that “the blind and the lame” were David’s enemies. Mt 21:14 and Lk 14:13 seem to play off, and transform, this saying. (2 Samuel, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Psalm 89 praises God’s Covenant with David.
* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). The Psalm narrates how God became king of the divine beings (Ps 89:6–9) and how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings (Ps 89:20–38). Since the defeat of the king calls into question God’s promise, the community ardently prays God to be faithful to the original promise to David (Ps 89:39–52). (Psalms, PSALM 89, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is accused of being in league with Beelzebul.
* [3:22] By Beelzebul: see note on Mt 10:25. Two accusations are leveled against Jesus: (1) that he is possessed by an unclean spirit and (2) by the prince of demons he drives out demons. Jesus answers the second charge by a parable (Mk 3:24–27) and responds to the first charge in Mk 3:28–29.
* [3:29] Whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit: this sin is called an everlasting sin because it attributes to Satan, who is the power of evil, what is actually the work of the holy Spirit, namely, victory over the demons. (Mark, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments that we hear, today, challenging readings at a challenging time. We are called to pray for the humility to know that “I am not God.”
The Gospel reminds us that these sins unbridled are finally unforgiveable because they are the gravest form of idolatry of self. Grounded in the conviction that I am God, I will not allow God to be God for me or for the universe God is creating. I will determine who lives or dies. If any of us comes to such a place we cannot, then, allow God to rescue us from sin – we cannot see that God makes the final decision about life and I must reverence God’s desire. If I will be God for myself then there is no way that I receive the forgiveness of God and thus am unforgiveable and unforgiven. (Burke, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “The cross of Christ as victory,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"It is not difficult, therefore, to see how the devil was conquered when he, who was slain by him, rose again. But there is something greater and more profound of comprehension: to see how the devil was conquered precisely when he was thought to be conquering, namely, when Christ was crucified. For at that moment the blood of him who had no sin at all, was shed for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28, 1 John 3:5). The devil deservedly held those whom he had bound by sin to the condition of death. So it happened that One who was guilty of no sin freed them justly from this condemnation (Hebrews 2:14). The strong man was conquered by this paradoxical justice and bound by this chain, that his vessels [booty] might be taken away. Those vessels which had been vessels of wrath were turned into vessels of mercy (Romans 9:22-23)." (excerpt ON THE TRINITY 13.15.19) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10 comments that the truth is that no human leader can take the place of God. No human leader can bring deep and abiding peace to our hearts, let alone an end to war and strife. No human leader can release us from the guilt and shame caused by sin. And no human leader can bring an end to the age-old prejudices that keep people apart. Only God can do that.
Prayer is exactly the right place to start. It’s in prayer that we can beg the Lord for justice for the unborn. It’s in prayer that we can ask the Spirit to change people’s hearts. It’s also in prayer that God can give us the patience and kindness to treat those who disagree with us with love.
Jesus is the only true answer to the sin and darkness in the world—because he is the only true answer to the sin and darkness in the human heart. So let’s turn to him and pray:
“Lord, increase your love in us, and bring people everywhere to respect your gift of human life!” (Meditation on 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the process whereby David becomes king who rules all of Israel, in Jerusalem, as the capital between the northern and southern tribes. Friar Jude discusses the origin of Beelzebul as “Lord of the Flies.” He suggests the sin against the Holy Spirit is rooted in our decision to reject the forgiveness that God offers.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Otis Moss III who considers difficulties we face as individuals and in community.
When you take on the confusion and the violence and you refine them, purify them into something new, you are doing what in the vocabulary of faith we call consecrating your chaos. To consecrate is to make holy, to put it into service for good. In consecrating chaos, you engage it, tame it, name it, take what seemed out of control and charge it with a duty.
The model here is the creation itself. We read in Genesis [1:2] that in the beginning, “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep.” Scripture begins with a whole world of chaos. Then God begins to find the possibilities of design in that formless void, separating light from darkness, water from land…. God consecrates the chaos, giving it form. It is presented to us as an act of creativity and of choice. God works in the chaotic void until there is order and light, and it is good. The Genesis story reminds us that the void is not as empty as we think. Chaos is never as chaotic as we fear. (Rohr, n.d.)
We sometimes seek leaders who can relieve us of the challenge of making serious choices about the path of our journey and neglect to seek the Holy Spirit to inform our conscience of Jesus' Way for our fullness of life.
References
Burke, E. (2024, January 22). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/012224.html
Mark, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/3?
Meditation on 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/01/22/880237/
Psalms, PSALM 89. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89?20
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Consecrating the Chaos. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/consecrating-the-chaos/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Frees Us from Satan's Power. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jan22
2 Samuel, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/5?1
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