There can be neither humility nor holiness
without taking the path of humiliation. Francis spoke of this truth as he
recalled the story of David during Mass at Santa Marta on Monday morning, 1 February. “In
the first reading the story of King David continues”, the Pope began, referring
to the day’s passage from the Second Book of Samuel (15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13).
The story, he explained, “began when Samuel went to the house of [David’s]
father, and David was anointed king”, even though he was still a boy. Then “he
grew up, he had his problems, but he was always a man respectful of the king
who did not like him”. In fact the king “knew that he would be his successor”.
And “in the end David managed to unite the kingdom of Israel: everyone together
with him”. However, “he was
feeling insecure and his zeal for the house of the Lord began to weaken”. Precisely “at that moment — we heard the
other day — David was one step away from becoming corrupt”, Francis continued.
Thus “the holy King David, a sinner but a saint, became corrupt”. But then “the
Prophet Nathan, sent by God” helped him “understand what a bad thing he had
done, an evil thing: because a corrupt person doesn’t realize it. It takes a
special grace to change the heart of a corrupt person”. Thus, “David, who still
had a noble heart”, recognized his sin, “he recognized his fault”. What did
Nathan say to him? These were his words: “The Lord has forgiven your sin, but
the corruption you have sown will grow. You killed an innocent man to hide
adultery. The sword shall never depart from your house”. Thus, the Pope
explained, “God forgives sin, David converts but the wounds of corruption are
difficult to heal. We see this in so many parts of the world”. This
is the point in David’s story, Francis affirmed, that “we arrive at in today’s
passage: David’s son battles against his father. He wants power: his son is
already corrupt”. But “what does David do? With the nobility that he had won
back after his sin — and also the penance he had done to save the son who had
died, the child of adultery — he rejoins his own: ‘Let us flee the city lest
Absalom — his son — should overtake us, then visit disaster upon us and put the
city to the sword’, as was customary in those times”. The
Pontiff recalled that “God castigates David harshly: ‘The sword shall never
depart from your house’”. But, Francis continued, “he defends the house and
flees, he leaves”. Is he perhaps “a coward? No, he is a father”. And “he allows
the ark to return”, he does not “use God to defend himself”. In other words,
David “leaves in order to save his people: this is the path of holiness that
David began to follow, after the moment in which he became corrupt”. The
passage, the Pope continued, presents David weeping as he climbs the steep
Mount of Olives. “His head was covered”,
a sign of mourning, and he was walking barefoot. He was doing penance.
“And all those who were with him also had their heads covered and they were
weeping as they went: weeping and penance”. Scripture also tells us that “some,
who did not like him, began to follow and curse him”. Among them was Shimei,
who called him “murderer”, reminding him of “the crime he had committed against
Uriah the Hittite in order to cover his adultery”. Abishai, one of the people
closest to David, “wanted to defend him” and wanted to take off Shimei’s head
in order to silence him. But David goes “a step further: ‘If he is cursing it
is because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David!’”. He then “says to his
servants: ‘My own son, who came forth form my loins, is seeking my life”. He is
referring to his son Absalom. This is why he turns again to his servants
saying: “Let this Benjaminite curse, for the Lord has told him to”. The
question, Francis explained, is that “David is able to see the signs: it is the
moment of his humiliation, it is the moment in which he is paying for his
fault”. Therefore, he says: “Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction and
make it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day”.
Basically, “he entrusts himself to the Lord’s hands: this is David’s path, from
the moment of corruption to this entrustment to the hands of the Lord. This is
holiness. This is humility”. The
Pope continued. “I think”, he said, “that each one of us, should someone say
something bad about us”, would react by saying “No, I didn’t do it, this isn’t
true, no!”. In fact, we “immediately try to say that it isn’t true”. Or else
“we do as Shimei did: we say something even worse in response”. But humility,
Francis stated, “can reach a heart only through humiliation: there is no
humility without humiliation”. And, he said, “if you are not able to bear some
humiliation in your life, you are not humble. That’s how it is: I would say it’s
that mathematical, it’s that simple!”. For
this reason, the Pope continued, “the only path to humility is humiliation”.
Therefore, “David’s goal, which is holiness, is reached through humiliation”.
Also, “the goal of holiness that God gives to his children, gives to the
Church, comes through the humiliation of his Son who lets himself be cursed,
who lets himself be borne on the Cross, unjustly”. Francis clarified that “this
Son of God who humbles himself, is the path of holiness: David, with his attitude,
prophesies the humiliation of Jesus”. Before
ending his homily Francis asked of “the Lord, for each of us, for all the
Church, the grace of humility, but also the grace of understanding that it is
impossible to be humble without humiliation”….
(Vatican Radio) Humility is the way of holiness. That’s what Pope Francis said in his Homily at Monday morning’s Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Pope focused on the story of King David who, aware of his own sin, accepts humiliation in a spirit of trust in the Lord. While God forgives sin, the Pope observed, “the wounds of corruption are difficult to heal.”
King David “is one step away from corruption,” says the Pope – but the prophet Nathan, sent by God, makes him understand the evil he has done. David, adds Francis, is a “sinner, but holy.”
The wounds of corruption are difficult to heal
Though he is a sinner, David is not corrupt – the Pope notes – because “the corrupt do not realize that they are:”
“It takes a special grace to change the heart of a corrupt person. And David who had a noble heart, said: ‘Oh, it’s true: I have sinned!’ He acknowledges his guilt. And what does Nathan say? ‘The Lord forgives your sin, but the corruption that you have sown will grow. You killed an innocent man to hide adultery. The sword shall never depart from your house.’ God forgives the sin; David converts but the wounds of corruption are difficult to heal. We see this in many parts of the world.”
David finds his son Absalom has become corrupt, waging war on him. But the king gathers his men and decides to leave the city, allowing the Ark to return. He does not call on God to defend him. He leaves “to save his people.” And this, Pope Francis reveals, “is the way of holiness that David, after that moment of corruption, begins to follow.”
King David entrusts himself to God and so passes from sin to holiness
David, with covered head and weeping, leaves the city amid the jeers of some. Among these, Shimei calls him “murderous” and curses him. David accepts this because, the Pope says, if he is cursed, it is the Lord’s doing:
“Then David said to his servants: ‘My own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life:’ Absalom. And then, ‘let this Benjaminite go on cursing since it was the Lord who ordered him to.’ David knows how to see the signs: it is his moment of humiliation, it is the moment in which he is paying for his guilt. ‘Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction, and make it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day.’ And he puts himself in the hands of the Lord. This is the path of David, from the moment of corruption to this entrusting of himself into the hands of the Lord. And this is holiness. This is humility.”
“I think all of us, if somebody says something bad to us, would immediately say that it’s not true.” Or we do as Shimei does: “We offer an even uglier response.”
May Christians have the grace of humility
“Humility,” the Pope stresses, “can only get into the heart via humiliation. There is no humility without humiliation, and if you are not able to put up with some humiliations in your life, you are not humble.” It’s simply “mathematical,” the Pope stresses:
“The only way to humility is through humiliation. David’s destiny, which is holiness, comes through humiliation. The destiny of that holiness which God gives to his children, gives to the Church, comes through the humiliation of his Son, who allows himself to be insulted, who allows himself to be placed on the cross – unjustly … And this Son of God who humbles himself, this is the way of holiness. And David, through his behavior, prophesizes this humiliation of Jesus. Let us ask the Lord for the grace of humility for each of us, for the whole Church – but also for the grace to understand that humility cannot be achieved without humiliation. ”
(from Vatican Radio)…