2 Sam 12:1-7, 10-17 / Mark 4:35-41
Just to think that one day we will have to stand before the Lord and receive a judgment that will seal our eternity can be rather frightening.
So we might think that it is God who will judge us and determine how guilty we are and then send us according to where we should go.
Yet, if God is love, then why would He want to judge us and even condemn us?
In the 1st reading, it was not God who pronounced judgment on David but rather it was David who pronounced judgment on himself.
Nathan, the prophet, narrated the story, but it was David who made the conclusion.
Nathan held the mirror, and David saw the reflection.
Yet, we must also acknowledge that David had the humility to admit that it was his own reflection, that he was that man in the story.
We all have that God-given conscience to admit to our faults and sinfulness.
Yet, with the same breath, we also must admit that we have this ability to deny guilt and responsibility.
We can even rationalize away our guilt and turn black into white.
That can happen, and will happen, when we are not close to God and forget that Jesus is in our hearts.
The disciples in the gospel were frightened in the face of the storm, but that was because they have yet to realize who Jesus is.
We know who Jesus is. We also know that He has made His home in our hearts.
In the face of temptations and sinfulness, let us hear His voice as He tells us: Quiet now! Be calm!
Let us remember that Jesus came, not to judge and condemn us, but to save us.