January 23, Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Daily readings: 2 Samuel 6: 12b-15. 17-19, Mark 3: 31-35
David makes a second attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, his citadel. When he hears that God has blessed the household of Obed-Edom, a Levitical family, he makes a swift decision to shift the Ark. During the solemn procession with music and dance, David makes special sacrifices to the Lord after every seventh pace to avert the anger of the Lord.
These seven paces could point to Sabbath rest. David's wearing a linen ephod suggests that he is performing a priestly function. David confirms his priestly function by giving a blessing at the end of the event. The idea of a priest-king could have emerged in pre-Israelite Jerusalem. In the old enthronement liturgy, the Davidic king is addressed as “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 110:4). Melchizedek is a Canaanite king in Jerusalem (Gen 14:18). In ancient Near Eastern countries, kings were heads of the cult and presiding priests.
In the Gospel reading of today, Jesus gives us a new definition of the members of his family. We find two important teachings here. (i) Anyone who does the will of God can qualify themselves as the mother, brothers and sisters of Jesus. They become members of Jesus’ family. (ii) It is by listening to Jesus that one discerns the will of God. Jesus created a new social world. There is a boundary that divides those who are inside (listeners of the Word of God) and those who are outside (his mother, brothers and sisters). One has to overcome familial ties in order to create a new web of relationships based on the Word of God. This family can become a universal family and an all-inclusive family.
Holy Mother Church honours St. Emerentiana, Virgin and Martyr. This foster sister of St. Agnes received a baptism of blood as a catechumen while praying at the tomb of St. Agnes.
Call to Action for Catholic Living: David honoured the Ark of the Covenant with deep devotion. Jesus asks for such devotion to his word. Our contribution to his task will be the creation of a new social order where every living being becomes connected to our lives. What will be your contribution to his task?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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