By Melanie
Rigney
With his whole being (David) loved
his Maker and daily had his praises sung; he set singers before the altars and
by their voices he made sweet melodies, he added beauty to the feasts and
solemnized the seasons of each year so that when the Holy Name was praised,
before daybreak the sanctuary would resound. The Lord forgave him his sins and
exalted his strength forever; he conferred on him the rights of royalty and
established his throne in Israel. (2
Sirach 47:8-11)
King
Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were saying,
“John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are
at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still others, “He is a
prophet like any of the prophets.” But when Herod learned of it, he said, “It
is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
(Mark 6:14-16)
Piety
Lord, may
our praises of you add beauty to this world and soften the hearts of those who
have rejected you.
Study
David loved
God. There can be no question of that. He messed up, royally messed up, on more
than one occasion. Yet his love was lived out on an equally large scale: in his
confidence the Lord would protect him in the face-off against Goliath, in the
beautiful psalms that he wrote for the Father, in the delivery of the Ark of
the Covenant.
David
understood that people were watching him as a warrior and a ruler and a
follower of the Lord, and attempted to live in a way pleasing to the Lord. Often,
he succeeded. David also understood that some outward evidence of faith and
praise—the music of his psalms, the beauty of the feasts, the resounding of the
sanctuary—would not only reinforce and unite the believers but attract the
curiosity of those who had not yet come to God. People respond that way to
beauty; it stirs our souls, and once we’ve found it, we want more of it.
What exactly
were those “rights of royalty” bestowed on David by the Lord? His kingship,
certainly. But I’d like to think it was more than that, that it included the
honor and responsibility to introduce others to God and to reflect the joy of
life with him to all. The honor and responsibility didn’t end with David, or
John the Baptist or Jesus, for that matter. In that way, we all have been
blessed with the rights of royalty.
Action
What can
you do today at home or in your parish to make a celebration of the Lord more
inviting to all?
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