Thursday, February 13, 2014

The bigger they are, the harder they fall: Daily Mass Homily--Thursday, February 13th, 2014


           The phrase “the bigger they are, the harder they fall” fits well with Solomon.  He led the Israelites into a period of peace and prosperity.  He constructed the temple—one of the marvels of the Ancient Near East.  He was also said to be the wisest man ever and many of the Psalms and Proverbs come at the hands of his pen.
            Yet he fell hard.  His sin began with lust as he took numerous wives and concubines.  It continued with following the pagan gods of his mistresses and rejecting God Himself.  This despite the fact that, the Lord “had appeared to him twice.”
            The reading begins by noting: “When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of his father David had been.”  David too, had sinned grievously.  He lusted, committed adultery, lied and murdered.  Yet David, unlike Solomon, repented for his sin.
            The fact is, everyone falls through sin.  David’s heart was with the Lord because he repented.  Solomon’s was not and we can observe the snowball effect of unchecked sin destroyed his life.
            For us, it is not as much about sinning, but making sure to get up after a sin and seek God’s mercy.

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