David, Bathsheba, and Uriah

I find today's reading troubling. And yet, somehow reminds me that even the greatest of kings can fall. See http://www.usccb.org/nab/020108.shtml. 2 Samuel passage.

Ok. David is called a man after God's own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms. Killed Goliath with a stone's throw (let's see Dice K do that one!), humbly served his king (Saul) even with Saul's threat of killing David, loved his son even with his rebellious ways...face it, he was a man's man. If we could only be half the man David was!

Yet, today's reading alarms us when "the man after God's own heart" falls in adultery with the woman he noticed from his roof top, Bathsheba. She was very beautiful in appearance the scripture notes. She gets pregnant and loses her husband to the front lines of war. David covers up his affair by sending in Uriah to die in battle.

Adultery, murder. Two of the "biggies". (Maybe mortal and venial sins start to make sense here!). How does such a man fall? This becomes humbling to us as Christians. There is a saying, "Be careful when standing at the top of Everest. A step in any direction is a step down." No matter how "good" we are. No matter how much integrity, how much strength, courage. We can fall. There but the Grace of God go I.

I think us men in the church should take note of David's fall. Lust kills. Not only us but others. For those of us who might struggle with this sin, be not afraid. Because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 Jn 4:4

Pax Christi