Prayer in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church #6
February 11, 1996
Brother John Raymond
Having considered Moses who was a friend of God and a great
intercessor, we now turn to King David, mentioned in the Catechism
as a good pray-er. "David is par excellence the king 'after God's
own heart. His submission to the will of God, his praise and his
repentance will be a model for the prayer of the people.'" (#2579)
Now I believe for many people the mention of David's name brings
to mind the story of his defeat of the warrior-giant Goliath. (1
Sam. 17,1ff) Just from this episode alone we see the great faith,
trust and zeal David had for God even from his youth.
There are various examples of David's intimate
prayer-relationship with God. One of them can be found after King
Saul's death. We are told that "David inquired of the Lord, 'Shall I
go up into any of the cities of Judah?' And the Lord said to him,
'Go up.' David said, 'To which shall I go up?' And He said, 'To
Hebron.' So David went up there." (1 Sam. 2:1-2) Notice how David
consults God before taking any action. Further, when God tells him
what to do he does it.
After David is anointed king, "His prayer, the prayer of God's
anointed, is a faithful adherence to the divine promise and
expresses a loving and joyful trust in God." (#2579) David's joy in
God can be witnessed in the great festivities that took place,
including his dancing in front of the Ark of the Covenant, when it
was being transferred to the city of David. (2 Sam. 6,1ff) So
unusual was his behavior for a king that his wife Michal expresses
her displeasure. (2 Sam. 6,20) But David sees no problem in his
behavior considering all that God had done for him. (2 Sam. 6,21)
David did not maintain his fidelity to God when king, however. He
went from adultery to murder. (2 Sam. 11,1ff) But when God confronts
David, through Nathan the prophet, over his infidelity he at once
repents. (2 Sam. 12,1ff) So deep is David's repentance that he
allows a man to curse him, throw stones and dirt at him. He does
this saying, "It may be that the Lord will look upon my affliction
and that the Lord will repay me with good for this cursing of me
today. (2 Sam. 16, 5-14) But David's sins still have their
consequences, one being that discord rips through his family. One
member kills another and his own sons try to usurp his reign. When
he flees from his own son Absalom David goes up "the Mount of
Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered." (2
Sam. 15,30) Jesus chose this mount for His agony before His Passion.
In this sorrow we see David with a certain prophetic mission, as a
"type" of the Christ to come. Further, "In the Psalms David,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the first prophet of Jewish and
Christian prayer." (#2579) The Psalms mark the greatest legacy David
has left us of his prayer life. These Psalms were an important
element of Old Testament Liturgy and continue to be used by the
Church is Her Liturgy. They also are a rich source of prophecy
concerning the Messiah. Jesus from the Cross utters the first line
of one of these Psalms, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?"
David is certainly an important figure for both the Old and New
Testament. Perhaps we can spend some time reading and meditating on
his life as found in 1 & 2 Samuel in our Bible. We can certainly
learn much from him about the life of prayer.