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Today’s Responsorial Psalm is taken from Psalm 119 which repeatedly mentions the commands of God, the statutes of God, the Word of God. So often we want to have God in our lives, but we aren’t too fond of his teachings, or at least not all of them. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus and his apostles are utterly exhausted, unable to even find the time to eat, but when Jesus observes the crowd that has gathered to see him, “…his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

Sometimes Jesus healed bodies, but he always wanted to heal souls. One of the primary ways he did this healing work was to teach and to preach. To explain to his friends and to the crowds how the commandments were to be lived out in their everyday lives. Jesus knew that if the people of his time could only understand that God’s laws were designed to help them to thrive, they could find the healing they craved and avoid destructive pitfalls. The same pitfalls we modern day folk create for ourselves by doing things our way instead of God’s way. 

And good, kind Jesus didn’t pull any punches. He set the bar high, exhorting his listeners to forgive enemies, to honor God’s purpose and plan for marriage and sexuality, to serve the poor and the needy. Sometimes they were even asked to leave everything behind and literally follow him. Knowing their weakness, he promised to send them the Holy Spirit so that they could do what he commanded them to do! (Aka without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible!) 

From the time my four sons were very young, I had them learn and recite the first line of the Responsorial Psalm from today’s Mass readings, (RSVRC translation), “How can a young man keep his way pure, by guarding it according to your word.” I wanted my sons to internalize the concept that fidelity to the teachings of Christ brings a purity of heart and mind that empowers them to avoid selfishness, lust, and greed. A freedom that fosters health in mind, body, and spirit. I wanted them to recognize what is good when they see it and to have the desire to be good themselves. 

Jesus Christ, the very Word of God made flesh, is moved with pity for us and wants to teach us how to live out his commandments. When we follow his commandments—when we follow him and do whatever he tells us to do—we live in Him and He in us.

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Today’s readings offer us something that we in this current age of television, movies and mystery novels are pretty familiar with — the flashback. In the First Reading, Sirach flashes back to the glory of King David hundreds of years before the writer of Sirach picked up his pen. In the Gospel of Mark, King Herod flashes back to his own killing of John the Baptist as he tries to figure out who this Jesus is that he is hearing about. Two kings — David and Herod — two flashbacks, at least two very interesting lessons for us today.

Not that many days ago, our daily readings told us about David’s big sins, the taking of Uriah’s wife and the sending of Uriah to die in battle, and the prophet Nathan confronting him with the truth. Adultery and murder, of course, are Ten Commandment-level bad, yet Sirach hails him as Israel’s greatest, “like the choice fat of the sacred offerings.” Numerous great things are attributed to David, things previously chronicled in the books of Samuel. Perhaps the most important for our purposes is that “With his every deed he offered thanks to God Most High, in words of praise” and “With his whole being he loved his Maker and daily had his praises sung.” Sirach admits David was not perfect, because “The Lord forgave him his sins.” 

Sirach reminds us that kings can be just like the rest of us, sinful and in need of forgiveness. And David reminds us of what we need to do: to love God with our whole being, to thank and praise Him always, to repent of our sins and turn to God’s mercy.

And then there’s Herod. Mark reminds us that kings can be just like the rest of us, refusing to see the wrongs we have done, committed to our own pride instead of the will of God. Herod had John arrested because he didn’t like the truth John told him; he killed John to impress others. And when he heard of Jesus, he couldn’t comprehend that there would be one ever greater, one whom John wasn’t fit to untie His sandal straps. Instead of trying to hear the Lord’s message, he dismissed it as some sort of supernatural hocus-pocus.

Sirach’s flashback shows us that God can forgive our sins and exalt us when we repent and love, serve and praise Him. Mark’s flashback shows us that it is up to us to want God’s forgiveness and love. If we only focus on ourselves and reject our Lord’s most loving gift, we waste that most precious love of our own accord. 

Today’s Responsorial Psalm wraps it all up very nicely. The psalmist tells us “God’s way is unerring” and “He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” Once again, it comes down to this: God, who doesn’t need us in the slightest, wants a relationship with us. He wants to be our God if we will be his people. And I know God knows it’s hard for us to overcome ourselves, but His love and grace are freely given to all who sincerely call on His name. He is more than willing to transform us commoners into kings after His own heart.

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