| READINGS: B Cycle
2 Sm 7, 1-5. 8-11. 16 – God calls David to be a king.
Rom 16, 25-27 – Gospel reveals the mystery of Christ.
Lk 1, 26-38 – God calls Mary to be the mother of Jesus.
God’s Method Of Choosing David And Mary
On this Sunday before Christmas we contemplate the mystery of divine election. We hear today the stories of the choice of David to be a king and Mary to be the mother of God. God chooses an unknown poet from a remote shepherd family to be a king. God chooses an unknown woman from an obscure village to be the mother of the messiah. God seeks out humble origins for his exalted purposes.
We are well familiar with the selection of Mary. We are less acquainted with the call of David. Let his story claim our attention this morning.
God had made Saul the first king of Israel. Saul did not turn out well. God determined to select the next king from a different family. God sent his representative, Samuel, to the city of Bethlehem. There Samuel visited the house and family of Jesse. Samuel’s arrival alarmed them, for he was the most revered man in the country. Why would he come to their home? “Do you come peaceably?” they asked him cautiously. (Read I Sam 16) Samuel reassured them that his mission had no threat. Quite the opposite, for he had come to select the next king of Israel from among the sons of Jesse.
Samuel told Jesse that he wished to meet each of his sons, so he could determine which one to choose. One by one the sons met Samuel. Each time Samuel looked carefully at the young man and listened in his heart for the Voice of confirmation. When he had seen them all, he found himself moved to pick Eliab, the tallest, strongest and most attractive of the sons. But then he heard God’s Voice, “Do not look only at his appearance. Man sees the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart.” Samuel questioned the Lord about the other six. “No” to all of them. Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons.
“Yes, I have one more, a shepherd boy. I’m not sure you want the likes of him. He’s a dreamer. He makes up songs and poems. He plays music on tubes fashioned from reeds and sweet strings fastened over a block of hollowed wood.”
“Bring him here.”
So they brought in the dreamy David. He stood before Samuel, suddenly alert and quizzical. As Samuel looked at his red hair shining like copper, he heard God say, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Samuel quietly asked him, “What is your name? Will you agree to be anointed king?” “My name is David. My answer is yes.” And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. He would become the most famous ancestor of Christ.
Three similar details surround the choice of David and Mary:
(1) They come from humble origins. How frequently the famous and powerful in Church history are said to be “of rich and noble families.” David and Mary come from good stock, but not families in the power centers. God identifies with the humble and the poor.
(2) They must personally agree to the mission. God is not about to force his will on anyone. He negotiates with David and Mary. Questions are asked. Invitations extended. Their freedom to accept or refuse is left intact. The success of their mission depends both on God’s grace and their heartfelt commitment. Hence David’s “Yes” and Mary’s “Fiat.”
(3) God’s Spirit envelops them. Once there is an agreement, an ecstasy of Spirit floods their souls. Far deeper than a diplomat’s handshake, this is a divine embrace of love. David thus becomes a charismatic king. Mary becomes the exalted mother of God.
All of us have also been elected by God. Most of us in the humble state of infancy. We made our personal agreement through our godparents, and later on at our confirmation by our own lips. We have known the Spirit’s power from time to time. Let us live again today in the story of David and Mary our own personal pact with God. What better way is there to get ready for Christmas?
PRAYER
God of our fathers, you picked David and Mary from humble origins. You left them in their freedom to accept your invitation. And when they agreed you flooded them with your holy Spirit. We see that we also have had this threefold plan in your selection of us to be missionaries of your love. Once again today we reaffirm our “yes” to your generous call. Give us the grace to say that yes with conviction and generosity. Amen.
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