St Gilbert of Sempringham — Humility That Makes Space for God

Today’s readings confront us with a quiet but dangerous temptation:
the desire to measure, to control, and to rely on ourselves rather than on God.

In the first reading from 2 Samuel, King David orders a census.

At first glance, it seems harmless.

He wants to know the size of his army. The strength of his kingdom.
The resources at his disposal.

But Scripture is clear: this decision is not neutral.

David is no longer trusting in the Lord who delivered him
from the pasture to the palace. He is trusting in numbers.

Even Joab senses something is wrong. But David insists.

And when the census is completed, David’s conscience strikes him.

“I have sinned greatly in what I have done.”

The disaster that follows is not about arithmetic. It is about misplaced confidence.

David learns painfully that security does not come from strength, statistics,
or success. It comes from humility before God.

Yet notice David’s response.

He does not defend himself. He does not shift the blame.

“I alone have sinned; but these sheep, what have they done?”

David places himself between God’s judgment and the people.

It is a moment of repentance, intercession, and responsibility.

This prepares us for the Gospel from Mark. Jesus returns to his hometown.

Those who know him best are not amazed in faith — they are offended.

“Is this not the carpenter?” They know his family. They know his background.

And because they think they know him, they close themselves
to what God is doing.

Their familiarity becomes an obstacle.

Mark tells us something sobering: “He could do no mighty work there.”

Not because Jesus lacks power, but because faith is absent.

Unbelief limits reception. Grace is offered freely, but it is not forced.

Jesus is amazed — not by faith, but by its absence.

This is one of the most unsettling lines in the Gospel.

God stands among his people,
and they cannot receive him
because they are too certain
they already understand.

Both readings reveal the same danger.

David trusts in numbers.
The people of Nazareth trust
in their assumptions.

In both cases,
self-reliance blocks grace.

This brings us naturally
to St Gilbert of Sempringham,
the saint we remember today.

Gilbert lived a quiet, faithful life
in medieval England.

He was not powerful.
He was not famous in his own time.

He was a parish priest
who noticed a need
and responded humbly.

Seeing the spiritual hunger of women
and the lack of opportunities
for religious life,
he founded a community.

Eventually,
the Gilbertines became
the only religious order
founded in England.

But Gilbert did not seek influence.
He did not count success by size or prestige.

He lived simply.
He remained obedient to the Church.
He trusted God to bring growth
in His own time.

Gilbert’s holiness was not dramatic.
It was faithful.

He did not rely on numbers.
He relied on grace.

He was open to God’s work
precisely because
he did not presume
to control it.

That is the lesson
today’s readings place before us.

Faith does not grow
where we try to manage God.

It grows where we are humble enough
to receive Him.

David repents
when he realises
he has counted what should have been entrusted.

The people of Nazareth fail
because they refuse to trust
what God is doing among them.

St Gilbert shows us another way.

Quiet obedience.
Attentive listening.
Confidence in God rather than in ourselves.

Today’s question is simple,
but demanding:

Where do we place our security?

In numbers?
In familiarity?
In control?

Or in the Lord
who works through humility?

May St Gilbert of Sempringham
intercede for us today,
that we may let go
of false securities,
remain open to God’s work,
and make space in our lives
for grace to act —
even when it comes
in ordinary and unexpected ways.