Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the calling of David whom God had chosen to be the new king over His beloved and chosen people, Israel. We heard how the prophet Samuel was sent to David’s family for him to be chosen and then anointed as the new king of Israel. We heard the Lord’s words telling Samuel why He has chosen David to be the new king of Israel in replacing Saul, who has disobeyed Him. Then, we have also heard from our Gospel passage today of the account of the moment when the Pharisees questioned and likely even criticised the Lord because His disciples had been picking the grains of the field on the day of the Sabbath, which according to the very strict interpretation of the Law by the same Pharisees, was forbidden and against the Law.

In our first reading today, as mentioned, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel of the moment when God told Samuel to seek the one chosen by Him to replace Saul as the King and ruler over the people of Israel. At that time, God’s favour had left Saul because of his disobedience and refusal to obey God’s Law which led the people of God into the path of sin, and hence, God chose another person who would be more worthy in his heart and mind than Saul in carrying out His commandments and Law, and in doing His will, namely that of David, the youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem in Judah. David was chosen not because of his stature and might, his influence and power, or his intellect and greatness, or his family connections and lineage, but rather, because in him, God saw a true love and dedication which few others have.

We heard how Samuel went to the house of Jesse and told the man of the tribe of Judah to show his children as one of them had been chosen by God to be His anointed one, and hence king over His people. And we heard how at first, Samuel thought that the eldest son of Jesse, who had eight sons, namely that of Eliab, must have been the chosen one of God because of his age, stature and appearance. Yet, God told Samuel that He did not choose by appearances, and the same happened for all of the seven elder sons of Jesse. It was David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, who was still relatively young and lesser in stature that God had chosen to be His new ruler and king over all of His people. This can be contrasted to Saul who was chosen earlier on as king, for Saul was truly tall and was head and shoulders over all the others.

This contrast between Saul and David, in how the former would have indeed been physically and apparently ideal for kingship and leadership, and yet, it was this same Saul who led the people of God into sin, as he disobeyed the Lord and disrespected Him, choosing to follow his own decisions and did not show humility to God unlike that of David later on. David himself was not perfect as king, as Scriptures showed that he did make mistakes and wrong choices as king, and yet, he showed humility before God, as well as the realisation and understanding that he had sinned against God. While Saul was very proud and arrogant, and did not humble himself before God, continuing to walk down the path of sin, David was humble and willing to seek the Lord’s forgiveness, turning himself back once again on the path of righteousness and virtue.

Essentially, what we have seen is the contrast between the ones who have chosen to follow their own path, their greed and desire, as compared to those who placed their trust and faith in the Lord. If we allow worldly temptations and ambitions to distract us and to mislead us down the wrong path, then like that of king Saul and many others who had fallen into sin, we too may end up in the path towards our downfall because of our inability to resist the temptations of our greed, desire and ego, and of the various worldly attachments and pleasures out there, all of which are the ways how Satan and all those seeking our destruction sought to bring about our downfall and end. We must remind ourselves not to be tempted and to remain strong in our faith in the Lord, at all times.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, as mentioned, we heard about the Lord and His disciples being criticised and questioned by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were likely following and shadowing them, as those disciples were picking upon the grains of the crops in the field, which was forbidden and taboo according to the way the Law of God was practiced and interpreted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Those people who had been entrusted with the guardianship over the Law and commandments of God strictly perceived the Law and customs, which were expanded and modified over the centuries, such that by the time of the Lord and His ministry, the original purpose and intention of the Law had become forgotten and altered.

Therefore, the Lord rebuked those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for their folly and their rigidity, by quoting the examples from the same King David, the one whom the prophet Samuel had anointed and whom God had chosen to be the king over all of His people, the Israelites. The much revered and honoured king David himself did not obey the Law of God to the letter when he and his men were on the move, at that time, during days of conflict between him and king Saul. They were all hungry and without food, and High Priest Abiathar allowed him and his men to eat from the bread of offering which were reserved only for the priests. Had the Law been followed to the letter without understanding its true intent and meaning, then king David and his men would have starved to death, there and then.

The Lord Jesus highlighted the fact and truth that the Law of God was meant to show all of us mankind how we should all love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and minds, with all of our might and strength. But it was never meant to make our lives miserable and difficult, or to make the Law, its customs, details, precepts and rituals to rule over us and to make us forget of the true and most important purpose of the Law, that is to bring our focus back towards the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our Creator and Master. We must not allow our own prejudices and worldly attachments, desires and all those things from leading us down the slippery slope towards our downfall and damnation through sin.

We must not be like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who thought that they were better than anyone else, superior and more worthy, and yet, failed to realise and understand the true meaning and purpose of God’s Law, on top of making it difficult and challenging for those who are actually in greatest need of God’s help, love and mercy, by making it so difficult and a great chore indeed in following and obeying God’s Law. Let us all instead do our best so that our lives may truly be attuned to the Lord, and be willing to listen to Him humbly like David, who truly loved the Lord and dedicated himself and his life to serve Him.

May all of us be like David and all of our holy predecessors, in how we live our lives in each and every moments, that through us, more and more may come to know the Lord and believe in Him, and this is how we, as Christians, evangelise and spread the Good News of God to the whole world. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.