FIRST READING
“You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel. ”
A reading from the second Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 5:1-7. 10)
In those days: All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’ “So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off’ — thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Sion, that is, the city of David. And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 89:20.21 -22.25-26 (R. 25a)
R/. My mercy and my faithfulness shall be with him.
Then you spoke in a vision.
To your faithful ones you said,
“I have set the crown on a warrior,
I have exalted one chosen from the people. R/.
“I have found my servant David,
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him,
and my arm shall make him strong. ” R/.
R/. My mercy and my faithfulness shall be with him.
“My mercy and my faithfulness shall be with him;
by my name his might shall be exalted.
I will stretch out his hand to the Sea,
and his right hand upon the Rivers.” R/.
ALLELUIA 2 Timothy 1: 10
Alleluia. Our Saviour Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Satan is coming to an end.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 3:22-30)
At that time: The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house. “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiving the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but who ever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit”
The Gospel of the Lord
TODAY’S REFLECTION
When God has great plans for you, nothing and no one can frustrate them. God sees you through and the outcome tells the story. That was David’s experience. I pray that would be your experience as well. Just as David cooperated with God’s plan despite his difficult journey, so also must we work with God always. Recognizing what God is doing in our lives is part of that journey. Unlike the people in today’s gospel, who failed to acknowledge the hand of God at work in Jesus, we must always recognize the fact that God is truly in charge. That is true even when we think that the narrative is going in the wrong direction. Our openness to Christ is what changes the narrative for the better. Lord, teach me your paths. Amen.