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2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6-7
Mark 6:1-6
Summary
In the first reading for today, King David orders Joab to census his kingdom, so
that he might know the strength of his armies. Later, David regrets his decision,
and asks the Lord to inflict a punishment upon him; the Lord gives him a choice
of three punishments, and David chooses a three day pestilence. When the time
comes to inflict the punishment, it begins, and thousands die, but the Lord can-
not continue to punish the people, then he relents, forgiving David his hubris.
This reading, and the responsorial and gospel readings that follow it, seem to
emphasize that, as man, we are often shallow in our faith, but that God’s for-
giveness of that shortcoming is boundless. David need not have counted his
armies; he should have shown faith that the Lord would provide him with the
things that he needed, and yet he felt compelled to “check up” on what God
would provide.
Reflection
How often do we “check up” on God’s
providence? We are often given proof of
how blessed we are by God, yet the very
definition of faith is that we not require proof
at all! Our very lives, indeed, our souls and
our humanity are the only proof we need that
God loves us and lives within us. But being
flawed and human leaves us with our empiri-
cal needs and so we write our lists, our
“haves” and “have nots”. In the first read-
ing, God admonishes and tries to teach us
this lesson but in His overwhelming love for
us cannot burden us with this punishment.
We try to learn that God will give us every-