Between David and Mary

I enjoy listening to Fr. Milanese's homilies. He is well-trained and very knowledgeable in his interpretation of the Bible. Moreover, his homilies are concise and to the point. He is very disciplined and efficient in celebrating Sunday masses within one hour. In his homily tonight, the 4^th Advent Sunday, Year B, he contrasted the two Biblical characters, King David and Mary of Nazareth. Both of them were people after God's heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Luke 1:30).

King David was elevated from a shepherd boy to a giant slayer and subsequently a king that was able to unite the 12 tribes of Israel. He was truly powerful and everything was within his reach. As a sign of his charisma, David already had six wives before he moved into Jerusalem! His greatness was matched with his passion for the Lord. He wrote psalms and danced half naked to welcome the Ark of Covenant even when he was already a king (2 Samuel 6:14). Despite his greatness and passion for the Lord, he was also flawed. He coveted Bathsheba and killed Uriah (2 Samuel 11). Bathsheba later gave birth to Solomon! Everything unfolds according to God's plan. God alone sees the whole picture. Perhaps it was God's plan to humiliate a powerful king.
In contrast, the Mary of Nazareth was a nobody. She was not even in control of her own life because she was betrothed to Joseph who, on the discovery of her pre-marital pregnancy, intended to annul the marriage contract. We do not have any reliable information about her life in Nazareth. Historicity is overwhelmed by devotional piety. No matter what, we can safely conclude that her life was very much like any other ordinary peasant teenage girls in Nazareth. With such a lowly humble girl, God's plan can fully unfold and the Son of God may assume human nature to redeem mankind. Perhaps it was God's plan to elevate a humble girl. Reading the lives of these two Biblical characters together, we may appreciate what kind of God our God is.

Between David and Mary, we tend to act like David though in our heart, we have been told that we should follow the humility of Mary. David was already very good though not impeccable. He has already shown us how, by relying on God, a little shepherd boy was able to defeat a Goliath. Yet, when he himself became more powerful and was able to control more of his own and others' lives, he relied less on God and fell from grace. If we still regard him as a holy king, it is not because of his military successes but his immediate repentance and his intense love of God. David is honoured as a beloved sinner! In this perspective, David was our model.
On the other hand, Mary has never had the opportunity to wedge any power over anybody, not even her son Jesus. She could only tell Jesus a situation but could not control Jesus to do her will (John 2:3, 5). In the Biblical world, Mary is more successful than David because of her submission and cooperation to God's will so that through her, God's salvation is brought to this world. It was the BVM who clothed the divine Son of God with humanity. She is always our exemplar as a carrier of God's grace in this world.

Hail Mary. Full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.