RELIGION AND ART

'T ake nothing for the journey' St. Agatha, Virgin and Matryr First Reading 1 King 1-4, 10-12 David's dying exhortation to Solomon As David’s life drew to its close he laid this charge on his son Solomon, ‘I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man. Observe the injunctions of the Lord your God, following his ways and keeping his laws, his commandments, his customs and his decrees, as it stands written in the Law of Moses, that so you may be successful in all you do and undertake, so that the Lord may fulfil the promise he made me, “If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack for a man on the throne of Israel.”’ So David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the Citadel of David. David’s reign over Israel lasted forty years: he reigned in Hebron for seven years, and in Jerusalem for thirty-three.   Solomon was seated upon the throne of David, and his sovereignty was...

Wednesday, Week 4 in Ordinary Time. ‘Where did the man get all this?'  First Reading 2:Samuel 24,2,8-24  David takes the guilt on himself to save Israel King David said to Joab and to the senior army officers who were with him, ‘Now go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and take a census of the people; I wish to know the size of the population.’ Having covered the whole country, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Joab gave the king the figures for the census of the people; Israel numbered eight hundred thousand armed men capable of drawing sword, and Judah five hundred thousand men. But afterwards David’s heart misgave him for having taken a census of the people. ‘I have committed a grave sin’ David said to the Lord. ‘But now, Lord, I beg you to forgive your servant for this fault. I have been very foolish.’ But when David got up next morning, the following message had come from the Lord to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, ‘G...

Tuesday Week Four in Ordinay Time “Who touched me?” First Reading  2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30-19:3  David mourns Absalom Absalom happened to run into some of David’s followers. Absalom was riding a mule and the mule passed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom’s head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on. Someone saw this and told Joab. ‘I have just seen Absalom’ he said ‘hanging from an oak.’ Joab took three lances in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive there in the oak tree. David was sitting between the two gates. The lookout had gone up to the roof of the gate, on the ramparts; he looked up and saw a man running all by himself. The watch called out to the king and told him. The king said, ‘If he is by himself, he has good news to tell.’ The king told the man, ‘Move aside and stand there.’ He moved aside and stood waiting. Then the Cushite arrived. ‘Go...

THE LORD'S PRESENTATION: 'My eyes have seen the Salvation' First Reading Malachi 3:1-4 The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old. Responsorial Psalm:  Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory. Second Reading Hebrews 2:14-18  He took to himself descen...

4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR A God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise First Reading Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13  In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger. But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them. Responsorial Psalm:  Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs! Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many wer...

“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Saint John Bosco, Priest First Reading 2samuel 12:1-7a.10-17 David's penitence over Uriah The Lord sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him, Nathan said: «Judge this case for me! In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor. The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers. But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children. She shared the little food he had and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom. She was like a daughter to him. Now, the rich man received a visitor, but he would not take from his own flocks and herds to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and made a meal of it for his visitor». David grew very angry with that man and said to him: «As the Lord lives, the man who has done this merits death! He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he...

‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like?  First Reading 2 Samuel 11:1-4,5-10,13-17  David and Bathsheba At the turn of the year, the time when kings go campaigning, David sent Joab and with him his own guards and the whole of Israel. They massacred the Ammonites and laid siege to Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem. It happened towards evening when David had risen from his couch and was strolling on the palace roof, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David made inquiries about this woman and was told, ‘Why, that is Bathsheba, Eliam’s daughter, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ Then David sent messengers and had her brought. She came to him, and he slept with her. She then went home again. The woman conceived and sent word to David, ‘I am with child.’    Then David sent Joab a message, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite’, whereupon Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came into his presence, David asked after Joab and the arm...