Trust in the Lord, in dark moments: Pope

Vatican City, 3 February 2014. ‘Do not use God and his people to defend oneself in times of trouble, said Pope Francis in his homily at Mass on Monday morning in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. Commenting on the attitude of King David against the betrayal of his son Absalom, the Pope urged all to choose always the path of God's service.

Pope Francis focused his homily on the day’s first Reading from the Second Book of Samuel, which tells the story of "great betrayal" and its consequences. King David fled because his son Absalom betrayed him. David was sad because his son turned against the king. But what is important is David’s reaction to such a betrayal.

The Pope indicated three attitudes. First, David, "a man of government, took reality as it was and he knew that this war would be very "hard, and that there would be many dead." So he "made the choice not to kill his people." He neither use God nor his people to defend himself. This indicates the love of a king for his God and his people, observed Pope Francis.

David’s second attitude is "repentance." He cried on the mountain while walking barefoot and with his head covered. So did the people with him. "It was really 'a penitential, observed Pope Francis. He must have thought of his many sins. He also thought that it is not right for his son to betray him, but recognizes that he is not a saint and so he "choose penance".

And on the way, they meet another character - Simei, throwing stones at David and against all his servants. One of the friends of the king wanted to kill the unfortunate man but David stops him. David, instead, entrust himself to God, saying Shimei curse him because "the Lord has told him to." The behavior of David, said the Pope, can help us too, " because we too go through life’s moments of darkness and trial.

So the three attitudes of David are: a man who loves God loves his people and do not negotiates, a man who knows that he is a sinner, does penance, a man who is sure of his God, trust in Him. We ask David to teach us these attitudes in the bad moments of life, concluded Pope Francis.
Source: VR Sedoc