Con người chúng ta luôn nhận biết sự liên hệ giữa nhân và quả: nếu không có nguyên nhân thì chắ sẽ không bao có hậu quả. Mặc dù thế nhưng đôi lúc chúng ta không thể hiểu được nguyên nhân. Kinh thánh được viết qua nhiều thời đại, khi con người vẫn còn cái nhìn về thế giới với những giải thích về khoa học rất đơn giản khi giải về nguyên nhân của những dữ kiện.đã xảy ra trong thế giới
Nói một cách khách quan thì vấn đề hành chính trong việc kiểm tra dân số chỉ rất đơn giản không phải là việc làm nên tội. Tuy nhiên, khi Joab báo cáo số người nam "thích ứng để phục vụ trong quân đội", thì vua David dường như đã nhận ra rằng việc tìm biết được sức mạnh của quân đội là một việc làm tự cao và coi thường việc đặt hết sự tin tưởng của mình vào Thiên Chúa và vì vậy ông ăn năn, hối hận về những iệc làm của mình . Ông ta cần nên phải nghĩ đến những hậu quả của những việc làm của mình.
Trong việc Vua David chọn lực một trong ba sự lựa chọn, Bài đọc nà đã dạy cho tắt cả chúng ta biết là Thiên Chúa là người luôn biết xót thương và đối xử với chúng ta một cách tử tế hơn là những người đồng loại của chúng ta.
Lạy Chúa Cha ở trên trời, xin ban cho chúng con những ân sủng của sự khôn ngoan để giúp chúng con luôn luôn biết nghĩ đến hậu quả của những việc làm và những hành động của chúng con trước chúng con bắt đầu hành động.
Wednesday 4th Ordinary Time
We human beings have always realized that there is a relationship between cause and effect: there is no effect without a cause, even though the cause may not be totally intelligible to us. The Bible was composed during ages when human beings still had a very pre-scientific view of the world and produced rather simplistic explanations of the cause of events. Taking the story of David’s census too literally will make God seem cruel in punishing the people merely because of David’s census. To understand a story like this we must get beyond the details to the teaching. Objectively speaking a mere administrative matter like holding a census would not be a grave sin. However, when Joab reported the number of men “fit for military service”, David seems to have realized that knowing the strength of his army was a matter of pride and a failure to put all his trust in God and so he immediately regretted his action. He should have thought of the consequences of his action.
In having David choose between three options, the writer wishes mostly to teach that God is most merciful and deals with us in a kindlier way than our fellow human beings do.
Father in Heaven, grant us the grace of prudence that we will always think of the consequences of our actions before we act.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:4–6
It’s an old expression that “familiarity breeds contempt.” It is often easier to harbor contempt for those closest to us than to offer admiration. This dynamic frequently manifests itself among relatives, neighbors, and friends. The “contempt” might remain subtle, without clear outward expression. Yet, when those close to us are honored, it is often easier to call to mind their faults than to join in their praise. These feelings, if left unchecked, not only harm human relationships but also blinds us to the workings of grace in those closest to us.
Today’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth after beginning His public ministry. Soon after He was baptized and emerged from the desert, Jesus began gathering disciples, preaching authoritatively, and performing miracles. Though His ministry began in Capernaum, about twenty miles northeast of Nazareth, word spread quickly about Him, leaving the people of Nazareth uncertain about what to think.
When Jesus returned to Nazareth for the first time, He entered the Synagogue and read from the Prophet Isaiah, declaring that the “Spirit of the Lord” was upon Him (cf. Luke 4:18). Mark’s version of the event, which we read today, tells us that “many who heard him were astonished.” They asked one another, “‘Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary…?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:2–3).
Their refusal to believe stemmed not from Jesus but from their inability to reconcile the Jesus they thought they knew—a carpenter, a local boy—with the Jesus who now spoke with divine wisdom and authority. The reaction of the people of Nazareth reveals the danger of clinging to preconceived notions about others, which blinds us to God’s presence in the ordinary.
When you consider the people with whom you are familiar, do you exhibit a similar tendency? Do you struggle to recognize Christ at work in family members, friends, or even within yourself? Familiarity can make us dismissive, but it also invites us to look more deeply for the divine, even in what appears humble and mundane. We must approach everyone we know with eyes of faith, searching for the presence of Christ, despite their weaknesses and sins. As Jesus reminds us, “Seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). This exhortation extends to seeking Christ in the people around us, especially those closest to us.
This can be difficult. We are often tempted to focus on faults rather than goodness in others. The tendency is well illustrated in social media. Sensational and shocking posts draw our attention far more than uplifting and inspiring ones. This reveals the fallen human inclination, much like the people of Nazareth, to reject goodness and the deeper truth we are called to see. We often want others to fail as a way of feeling better about ourselves. Among the people of Nazareth, despite Jesus’ perfection, those who knew Him allowed their preconceived judgments to blind them, leading to their rejection of Him as the Messiah. This reaction challenges us to examine our own hearts. How often do we fail to recognize Christ’s presence in those closest to us?
Reflect today on those closest to you and ponder how easily you seek and find Christ in them. Everyone you know—including yourself—is a sinner. It’s easy to find fault and dwell on it, even sometimes when there is no fault to be found—such as with Jesus at Nazareth. Prayerfully reject that fallen human tendency and embrace the mission of seeking Christ in others, for “the one who seeks, finds.” Seek Jesus everywhere and celebrate the Good News of His ongoing presence in our world, especially in the lives of those with whom you are most familiar.
My omnipresent Lord, You reveal Yourself to me in countless ways—through the Sacraments, Your holy Word, and the lives of those around me, especially those closest to me. Grant me the grace to seek You each day with faith and love, that I may find You in the hearts and actions of those You have placed in my life. Transform my vision, Lord, so that I may see Your presence even in the ordinary and humbly respond with gratitude and trust. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Astonishment in Nazareth: Today’s Gospel records a visit of Jesus to his hometown of Nazareth. Yesterday, we heard about two stories of deep faith. Today, we have a contrasting story of a lack of faith. When Luke tells the story of Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Nazareth, it ends with the people trying to throw Jesus off the hill. They rejected his message of mercy for the Gentiles. In Mark’s Gospel, the people of Nazareth cannot fathom how Jesus, the carpenter and son of Mary, can teach with wisdom and accomplish such mighty deeds. In Luke, they were amazed at Jesus’ gracious words, but also questioned, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” (Luke 4:22). In Mark, the people of Nazareth were astonished at his teaching, but also questioned Jesus’ ordinary origin and upbringing. They knew Jesus didn’t study in Jerusalem and wasn’t trained as a Rabbi. So, how could a simple carpenter teach with such wisdom? In Nazareth, Jesus is ultimately rejected, and the rejection results in little or no miraculous activity and mighty deeds. The two accounts in Luke and Mark emphasize the same basic truth: those who think they know Jesus best fail to recognize who he really is.
“Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Mark 6:3
After traveling throughout the countryside performing miracles, teaching the crowds and gaining many followers, Jesus returned to Nazareth where He grew up. Perhaps His disciples were excited to return with Jesus to His native place, thinking that His own townspeople would be overjoyed to see Jesus again because of the many stories of His miracles and authoritative teaching. But the disciples were soon to have quite a surprise.
After arriving in Nazareth, Jesus entered the Synagogue to teach, and He taught with an authority and wisdom that confounded the locals. They said among themselves, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him?” They were confused because they knew Jesus. He was the local carpenter who worked for years with His father who was a carpenter. He was Mary’s son, and they knew His other relatives by name.
The primary difficulty Jesus’ townspeople had was their familiarity with Jesus. They knew Him. They knew where He lived. They knew Him as He grew up. They knew His family. They knew all about Him. Therefore, they wondered how Jesus could be anything special. How could He now teach with authority? How could He now do miracles? Thus, the townspeople were astonished, and they allowed that astonishment to turn into doubt, judgment and criticism.
The same temptation is something we all deal with more than we may realize. It is often easier to admire a stranger from afar than one whom we know well. When we hear of someone for the first time who is doing something admirable, it’s easy to join in that admiration. But when we hear good news about someone we know well, we can easily be tempted to jealousy or envy and to be skeptical and even critical. But the truth is that every saint has a family. And every family potentially has brothers and sisters, cousins and other relatives through whom God will do great things. This should not surprise us—it should inspire us! And we should rejoice when those close to us and with whom we are familiar are used powerfully by our good God.
Reflect, today, upon those whom you are familiar with in life, especially your own family. Examine whether or not you struggle with an ability to see beyond the surface and accept that God dwells within everyone. We must constantly seek to discover the presence of God all around us, especially in the lives of those whom we know very well.
My ever-present Lord, thank You for the countless ways in which You are present in the lives of those all around me. Give me the grace to see You and to love You in the lives of those closest to me. As I discover Your glorious presence in their lives, fill me with deep gratitude and help me to acknowledge Your love that comes forth from their lives. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Jesus’ Four Cousins: Who are the “brothers of Jesus”? The Gospels of Mark and Matthew identify James and Joseph, here mentioned, as the sons of “the other Mary” (see Mark 15:37, 40-41, 47; 16:1; Matthew 27:55-56, 59-61; Luke 24:10). After the death of Jesus, James eventually became the leader of the Church in Jerusalem and was known as “James, the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19). The Gospel of John refers to “the other Mary” as “Mary, the wife of Clopas.” Clopas is identified by tradition as the brother of Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This means then that the so-called four “brothers” of Jesus are not his blood brothers, but rather his close relatives. They are his cousins and are the children of Mary and Clopas. Two of these four cousins, James and Simon, became the first bishops of Jerusalem. Eusebius writes: “After James the Just had suffered martyrdom [in A.D. 62] for the same reason as the Lord, Simon, his cousin, the son of Clopas, was appointed bishop, whom they all proposed because he was another cousin of the Lord.” Like his brother James, Simon suffered martyrdom during the reign of the Emperor Trajan.
1. The Sin of David’s Military Census: David wanted to know how strong his military was and asked Joab to take a military census. The Bible tells us that God was testing David and permitted Satan to tempt David (1 Chronicles 21:1). The census was sinful because it showed that David was placing his trust in military strength rather than in God. David’s sin of counting his soldiers has many parallels with his sin with Bathsheba. For example, David uses Joab in both to carry out his command. In both, many innocent people are killed. In both, David expresses his penance by prostrating himself on the ground. In both, David repents and simply says: “I have sinned.” The pestilence triggered by David’s military census killed 70,000 men. The punishment fits the crime. David foolishly trusted in military might and the number of his soldiers. The pestilence reminded David how weak human beings are compared to the awesome power of God.
2. David and the Petition for Divine Mercy. When David sees the angel approaching Jerusalem, he recognizes that he, as the shepherd, has sinned and that the people, like sheep, should be spared. He was willing to offer himself on behalf of the people. Ultimately, David showed that he was a man who trusted in God’s mercy. He planned to offer sacrifice on the site designated by God. The threshing floor that David bought would one day become the site of the Temple of Solomon, where millions of lambs would be offered in sacrifice and where one day, outside the walls of Jerusalem, Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed for our sins.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you brought the members of your earthly family into the family of the Church. I too am a member of that family. You have done wondrous things for me. I pledge to heed your Word and fulfill the Father’s will today.
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