Saint Angela Merici, Virgin (Optional Memorial)

My faithfulness . . . shall be with him. (Psalm Response)

David was just a shepherd boy when he was anointed by Samuel to be the king of Israel.   It was many years later, when he was thirty years old, when he actually was crowned king—hence the scene in today’s first reading (2 Samuel 5:3-4).

A lot happened in those years between David’s anointing and his coronation—and God was with him through all the ups and downs.   There was his time as an armor bearer and musician in King Saul’s court and the epic showdown between him and Goliath.   On numerous occasions, God protected David when Saul was hunting him down.   There was also the way he helped David gain victory in the civil war with Saul’s successors.   Looking back, David could certainly say with the psalmist that God’s faithfulness had been with him.

Like David, we too have been through our own ups and downs—our own “battles” as well as our own victories.   And like David, we can be confident that God will never stop being faithful to us.   Even when we’re unfaithful to him, when we fail or give in to temptation, he will still be at our side, always ready to forgive us and welcome us back to him.

Today, take a few minutes to ask God, “When have you shown me your faithfulness?”   As you reflect on the past, try to trace the hand of the Lord through the different seasons and milestones of your life.   Perhaps he helped you through a difficult health crisis or a challenging season with one of your kids.   Maybe you experienced a financial setback and you saw God provide.   Or maybe you strayed from your faith for a time but came back to the Lord through the faithful witness or intercession of a friend or relative.

Remembering that God has been faithful to you will help you grow in gratitude.   It will also help you trust that in whatever challenges you may face in the future, he will be with you.   Not only that, but he will bring good from whatever happens—because that’s who God is.   Like his love and mercy, his faithfulness endures forever!

“Thank you, Lord, for all the ways you have shown your faithfulness to me!”

2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10
Mark 3:22-30