King David really acted without thinking in today’s first reading for mass. To us, his actions seem harmless enough. Most countries take a census in modern times, in order to make more accurate plans in how to provide for their people. However, in King David’s time, God was the ultimate ruler, not King David. There is a passage in the book of Exodus that says, “The Lord spoke to Moses: When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, at registration all of them shall give a ransom for their lives to the Lord, so that no plague may come upon them for being registered.” Ex 30:11-12 King David regretted his actions because he did not take the census at God’s command. It may have been the sin of pride that caused him to do this. The Israelite people were not his, but God’s.
It’s a shame that 70,000 people died because of King David’s actions. Before we get too disturbed about it though, we should realize that the leaders of many countries in the world jump into war without a period of prayer and consulting God about the matter too. Many people die in war because of the country’s leader who may have made a bad decision because he didn’t take the proper time to discern God’s will for the situation and gather all the facts before acting.
It does seem like King David was a bit selfish when he considered the three punishments that God offered him to choose from. He was given the choice of a three year famine, to be pursued by his enemies for three months, or a pestilence to come upon the land for three months. It makes you wonder why he didn’t choose his enemies pursuing him for three months? It would have surely cost less deaths than the 70,000 who died in the plague. The plague affected other people, not himself. This just goes to show you that King David was not perfect or without sin, but God still loved him.
The people who lived in Jesus’ hometown sure were not perfect either. It sounds like they were jealous of Jesus’ wisdom and the abilities he had to perform miracles. He was just a man like themselves, born in their midst. They knew him well and yet they were jealous of him and took offense at him because he had abilities that they did not.
The first reading for mass could be viewed through the lens of the sin of pride, and the gospel today through the perspective of envy. Pride and envy are two of the Seven Capital Sins for a reason. God punished King David because of his sin of pride and Jesus did not perform any miracles in his hometown because of the townspeople’s sin of envy.
The readings for mass today really do not need a lot of explanation when they are looked at through the perspective of pride and envy. These sins are pretty clear to us. Everything we have, all that we have been given in life, are gifts from God. We did not acquire these gifts by ourselves, even if we do have a high degree of intelligence, talents and determination. God gave us the intelligence, talents and determination to do the things we have accomplished in life. When we become envious of others, it may very well be that we have not used our own intelligence, or developed our own talents, or put out the effort to better ourselves according to the means that have been at our disposal.
We should try to counteract the sins of pride, by acknowledging that everything we have been given in life are gifts from God and we should ask His will first, in whatever course of action we would like to take. Then, we should develop and use our gifts to the best of our ability, to serve God and to serve His people. Sometimes we are too focused on ourselves to think about God, or His people.
Daily Readings for Mass:
2 Sm 24: 2, 9-17 / Ps 32: 1-2, 5, 6, 7 / Mk 6: 1-6
