Today, the Hong Kong Diocese celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph Freinademetz (1852-1908). Though his feast may not be universally celebrated by the Catholic Church, his contributions to the Chinese believers have been great. He was born in Italy and ordained a priest in 1875. Fr. Fredinademetz had always been thinking of serving as a missionary. In 1879, he departed from Netherlands and worked his way to China. On the way, he stayed in Hong Kong for two years. In 1881, he arrived at South Shantung. He loved the Chinese and had expressed the wish to die and be laid to rest among them. In 2003, the late Pope John Paul II canonized him and two other Blessed's.
St. Joseph Freinademetz, pray for us. Amen.
St. Joseph Freinademetz, pray for us. Amen.
We continue reading the adulterous story of David in 2 Samuel 11 today.
The story ends with this line.
And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD (2 Samuel 11:27).
What was "the thing" that David had done that displeased the Lord? His adultery with Bathsheba? His murder of Uriah?
As a king, nothing could stop David from taking any woman he liked. It seemed to be something a king was entitled to do in ancient time. Of course, a king should obey the Ten Commandments himself, if not to please God, to set a good example for his subjects to follow.
What about Bathsheba? Was she a defenseless victim, like the little ewe lamb in Nathan's parable (2 Samuel 12:3)? Or was she an ambitious temptress, abandoning her husband Uriah to seek a higher status? It is difficult to pass judgment on Bathsheba. In fact, she mothered Solomon and worked with Nathan to bring Solomon to the throne. She is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew as the wife of Uriah (Matthew 1:6). God has a complicated plan!
Poor Uriah. He must have heard something about the affair between his wife and the king. Bathsheba was pregnant with David's child (2 Samuel 11:5). When King David sent Uriah home to sleep with Bathsheba so as to cover his own sin, Uriah slept outside the house instead. He did not want to touch the King's woman. He preferred to stay loyal to his comrades in the battlefield.
Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." (2 Samuel 11:11)
Uriah was truly a man and he paid his life for that. David wrote his death warrant and told Uriah to bring it to the executioner Joab in person. Joab followed the instructions and sent Uriah to the most lethal location in the battlefield. Uriah died in action together with several unintentional casualties. How a loyal man fell!
In reading the story, I admire the candour of the author. He did not embellish the sins of David. He left us in stark details how a holy king such as David fell from grace. The son of adultery later died seven days after birth (2 Samuel 12:18). Rape and bloodshed took place among David's children. The kingdom split into two after the death of Solomon. God's plan ran its course in history. David, Bathsheba, Uriah, Joab, Nathan, Solomon were players in God's drama. All of us are.
The story ends with this line.
And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD (2 Samuel 11:27).
What was "the thing" that David had done that displeased the Lord? His adultery with Bathsheba? His murder of Uriah?
As a king, nothing could stop David from taking any woman he liked. It seemed to be something a king was entitled to do in ancient time. Of course, a king should obey the Ten Commandments himself, if not to please God, to set a good example for his subjects to follow.
What about Bathsheba? Was she a defenseless victim, like the little ewe lamb in Nathan's parable (2 Samuel 12:3)? Or was she an ambitious temptress, abandoning her husband Uriah to seek a higher status? It is difficult to pass judgment on Bathsheba. In fact, she mothered Solomon and worked with Nathan to bring Solomon to the throne. She is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew as the wife of Uriah (Matthew 1:6). God has a complicated plan!
Poor Uriah. He must have heard something about the affair between his wife and the king. Bathsheba was pregnant with David's child (2 Samuel 11:5). When King David sent Uriah home to sleep with Bathsheba so as to cover his own sin, Uriah slept outside the house instead. He did not want to touch the King's woman. He preferred to stay loyal to his comrades in the battlefield.
Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." (2 Samuel 11:11)
Uriah was truly a man and he paid his life for that. David wrote his death warrant and told Uriah to bring it to the executioner Joab in person. Joab followed the instructions and sent Uriah to the most lethal location in the battlefield. Uriah died in action together with several unintentional casualties. How a loyal man fell!
In reading the story, I admire the candour of the author. He did not embellish the sins of David. He left us in stark details how a holy king such as David fell from grace. The son of adultery later died seven days after birth (2 Samuel 12:18). Rape and bloodshed took place among David's children. The kingdom split into two after the death of Solomon. God's plan ran its course in history. David, Bathsheba, Uriah, Joab, Nathan, Solomon were players in God's drama. All of us are.
Dear Lord, let us play our parts well in Your drama. Amen.
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