Today, in our first reading, we hear the continuing story from first Samuel, about David’s opportunity to kill King Saul when Saul entered the cave where David was hiding. Saul is intent on killing David himself when he enters that cave. The mercy that David showed to Saul in not killing him brings to mind how often revenge is a main motivators in our world today.
When I taught high school in Greenville in the Mississippi Delta for 4 years, I realized how revenge and saving face were important values to them. This reality very negatively affected the lives of the students time. Many of them 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 anything, 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 as we hear the story of David and Saul today. On Monday, January 22, we recognize a day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. We do this in commemoration of this date in 1973 when the Supreme Court legalized abortion throughout the country in its companion decisions Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. On June 24, 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned Roe v. Wade. While this decision ended the nearly 50-year nationwide legalization of abortion, right now there are still state and federal laws that are hostile to unborn children. Prayer and advocacy are still needed on our part. Through God’s mercy and love, may all of us continue to be witnesses for life.
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