As we hear our continuing story from
the first book of Samuel, we hear about David having the opportunity to kill
Saul as Saul enters the cave where David is hiding. Saul is intent on killing
David himself when he enters that cave.
The mercy that David showed to Saul when he had the chance to kill him
brings to mind how often revenge and vengeance are main motivators in our
society today. Especially when I was
teaching high school students in Greenville, I realized how revenge and saving
face drove how they lived their lives and viewed the world. Many of these students would have been unable
to show the restraint that David displayed in cutting off the end of Saul's
garment and then pointing out to Saul that he could have easily killed
him. Yet, even if David had not
confronted Saul and had simply allowed Saul to walk out of the cave unharmed
without saying a word, the Lord would have known the reality of the situation,
and in the end, it is the Lord who judges us and no one else.
How do we treat those with whom we
don't get along? Who do we consider our
enemies? These are perhaps good
questions we can ask ourselves in light of the story we hear about David and
Saul this morning. A couple of days ago,
we recognized a day that was declared a day of penance by our US bishops in
recognition of the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case that
legalized abortion in our country. When
I was in Jackson serving at St Richard, I used to attend a candlelight vigil
service at the state capitol building centered around this anniversary in order
to stand witness to what is still going on in our country today regarding
abortion. May we use God's mercy and love to be a witness for life in our world
as we advocate and to stand up for God's laws and commandments.
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