Family Communion: celebrant the Rev. Cynthia Finnerty
First reading: 1 Samuel 17.32–37
Gospel: Luke 1.26–38

This is the last of our 'Young People in the Bible' series, focused on David in the Old Testament and Mary in the New. These people's importance makes it easy to forget how very young they were when they made the pivotal commitments and promises recorded in the Bible; David was described by Saul as 'just a boy', incapable of fighting the mighty Goliath, and Mary, according to contemporary custom, may well have been betrothed to Joseph aged about 12.

In the brief first reading from 1 Samuel, David undertakes to fight Goliath, placing his trust in the Lord to protect him as he had saved him from wild animals in the past. David's faith, however, is neither presumptuous nor naive; rather than putting God to the test or blindly hoping for luck, he objectively and humbly assesses the skills God has granted him through his experience as a shepherd and offers them in the Lord's service. His skill and courage, moreover, have been developed through shepherding work traditionally given to young boys in Israel, just as it is in some developing countries nowadays. The outwardly least important person in this story proves to be the one with the character and ability required.

Both readings underline the fact that God works far more often through human agency than through miraculous interventions, making humanity a partner in creation and redemption. For David and Mary, this working out of God's plans must have brought natural anxieties and fears, often reflected in paintings of the Annunciation. The Leonardo painting above, however, shows a more composed Mary, raising her left hand in a gesture which perhaps indicates assent while her right rests on a book reflecting her fulfilment of prophecy.