Reading 1 2 Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19
David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom
into the City of David amid festivities.
As soon as the bearers of the ark of the LORD had advanced six steps,
he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
Then David, girt with a linen apron,
came dancing before the LORD with abandon,
as he and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD
with shouts of joy and to the sound of the horn.
The ark of the LORD was brought in and set in its place
within the tent David had pitched for it.
Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
When he finished making these offerings,
he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
He then distributed among all the people,
to each man and each woman in the entire multitude of Israel,
a loaf of bread, a cut of roast meat, and a raisin cake.
With this, all the people left for their homes.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10
R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Gospel Mk 3:31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.
Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
Meditation: 2 Samuel 6:12-15,17-19
“David and all the Israelites were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy.” (2 Samuel 6:15)
Having captured the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital, King David was eager to bring into the city the ark where God met his people. His first attempt met with tragedy when the people ignored God’s instructions for transporting the ark, but David didn’t let that stop him. Three more months of waiting only intensified his desire to establish the ark in a suitable resting place. Finally, the day came—and nothing went wrong. Unable to contain his joy, David sang and danced before the Lord “with abandon” (2 Samuel 6:14).
If bringing the ark to Jerusalem was a cause for great celebration, imagine how much more reason we have to celebrate. The ark contained the Ten Commandments and other mementoes of the Exodus, but the tabernacles in our churches contain Jesus himself. Only one priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year, but any one of us can slip into a church at any time and linger in God’s presence. At every Mass, we can take God into our own bodies, where his love feeds and transforms us.
When you look at it this way, it’s a wonder that we don’t raise the rafters with exuberant praise at every Mass! It can be easy to let our minds wander, criticize the homilist, or spend the time planning what we’ll do as soon as Mass is over. We can even brush by our fellow parishioners, other temples of God, without recognizing how awesome they are and what a gift they are to us.
The psalmist invites us: “Lift up your heads, O gates … that the king of glory may enter” (Psalm 24:7). The next time you go to Mass, think about taking a different approach. Sometimes we need to make room for God to come into us by literally or figuratively raising our hands in praise. And on those days when we don’t feel like praising God, deliberately choosing to speak words of praise can align our feelings with reality. Then, as you come to receive Communion, bow before the wonder of Christ’s presence, just as Moses did in the presence of Yahweh (Exodus 34:8). God is among us! We have every reason to celebrate!
“Jesus, how awesome is your self-giving presence! Open my eyes to see you and my mouth to praise you.”
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother."
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