Straying from the path

Readings for Friday January 29, 2010

First Reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34


At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign, David sent out Joab along with his officers and the army of Israel, and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem. One evening David rose from his siesta and strolled about on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. David had inquiries made about the woman and was told, “She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Joab’s armor bearer Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers and took her. When she came to him, he had relations with her. She then returned to her house. But the woman had conceived, and sent the information to David, “I am with child." (2 Sam 1-5)

In today's first reading, we read about David's sin. Now, we all know that David was a man after God's own heart, and that David was certainly a great king and a great man of faith, but even he was not without fault. David's sin against God involving Bathsheba and Uriah is certainly something that makes us cringe at the mere reading of, but as we look at this situation, let us ask how did David even get himself into this situation? The obvious answer is that he gave in to lust, but David's problem actually begins even before he sees Bathsheba. David's first problem is straying away from his routine. At the beginning of chapter 11 of 2 Samuel, we read, "at the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign ... David, however, remained in Jerusalem." So David first mistake was to stray from his normal course of action and from his typical responsibilities. If David would have been out doing his normal duties, then he would have never even been in the situation to give in to his lust in the first place.

We too have a tendency to sin whenever we stray from our typical routine or normal responsibilities. It is when we are in unfamiliar territory that we often get the most distracted and the most likely to stray away from God. We each have a typical routine in our day, especially in regards to our faith (prayer, scripture, mass, etc); and we each have responsibilities as men and women of God. As soon as we move away from these things then we are more open to the temptation and pressure to give in to something else, just as David was. Perhaps it is going to a place you wouldn't normally go, watching a movie that you wouldn't normally watch, visiting a website that you wouldn't normally visit, etc. It is in these times when we stray that we are most likely to sin.

It is important to stay on the path that God has laid down for us. His path and His ways are perfect, and it is good for us to realize that He truly does have our best interests in mind. He is not calling us to a certain way of life or giving us rules in order to make our lives miserable, but in fact He is giving us a path in order that our lives will be full of peace and joy.

May God bless you in your day as you strive to do His will!

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you so much for all that you have given and blessed us with. You are so loving and merciful, much more than we deserve, but you still choose to give us the very best of you. Lord, help us to give the best of ourselves, and to hold nothing back. Help to keep us on the path that you have chosen for us, and help us to desire nothing else. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.