Reading I
1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7
When David and Saul approached
(on David’s return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
“They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship.”
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.
Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants.
But Saul’s son Jonathan, who was very fond of David, told him:
“My father Saul is trying to kill you.
Therefore, please be on your guard tomorrow morning;
get out of sight and remain in hiding.
I, however, will go out and stand beside my father
in the countryside where you are, and will speak to him about you.
If I learn anything, I will let you know.”
Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him:
“Let not your majesty sin against his servant David,
for he has committed no offense against you,
but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine,
and the LORD brought about a great victory
for all Israel through him,
you were glad to see it.
Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood
by killing David without cause?”
Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea and swore,
“As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed.”
So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him.
Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.
Gospel
Mk 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Meditation: 1 Samuel 18:6-9,19:1-7
King Saul was insanely jealous after David slew the giant Goliath.
Even though Saul was commander in chief and David was winning battles in Saul’s name, the king still resented his success. It rankled him when the women sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” “They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me,” he muttered. Then he made a gigantic leap to a new worry: “All that remains for him is the kingship” (1 Samuel 18:7-8).
However, David had an important ally. Saul’s son Jonathan had become David’s close friend. He warned David to stay out of Saul’s way and be on his guard. Then he broached the subject with his father. Don’t sin by harming David, he urged. “He has committed no offense against you, but has helped you very much by his deeds.” He reminded the king how he had rejoiced when David’s bravery brought about a victory for the nation. Jonathan’s intervention calmed his father down and helped him be more reasonable, at least for a time (1 Samuel 19:4-6).
Jonathan is a wonderful example of a peacemaker, a category of people Jesus calls “blessed” and “children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Jesus himself and his earliest followers publicly forgave their enemies (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). St. Paul reminds us that God “has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). In other words, we are all called to be peacemakers, agents of God’s power to forgive and reconcile.
There are many peacemakers today whose examples we could all follow. Consider the Amish parents who found the strength to forgive the people who murdered their children. There are relatives who help long-estranged kinsmen to bury the hatchet. There are policemen who enlist the help of rival gangs in cleaning up graffiti. There are teachers who recognize that under a tough exterior is an insecure child longing for affirmation and direction. There are victims of purse snatching who pray for their assailants and welcome sentences of restitution and community service instead of insisting on the maximum punishment.
How about you? How can you make peace today?
“Lord, show me how to forgive and how to be an agent of reconciliation and unity. Jesus, I want to be a peacemaker like you!”
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