Reading 1 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
David spoke to Saul:
"Let your majesty not lose courage.
I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine."
But Saul answered David,
"You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth."
David continued:
"The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine."
Saul answered David, "Go! the LORD will be with you."
Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's bag.
With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine.
With his shield bearer marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
"Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?"
Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
and said to him, "Come here to me,
and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field."
David answered him:
"You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.
Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;
I will strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will leave your corpse
and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves.
For the battle is the LORD's and he shall deliver you into our hands."
The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine's own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10
R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
My refuge and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under me.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
O God, I will sing a new song to you;
with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,
You who give victory to kings,
and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Gospel Mk 3:1-6
Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
Meditation: 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51
“The battle is the Lord’s, and he shall deliver you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47)
Who doesn’t love the story of David, the brave shepherd boy who used his slingshot to fell the mighty giant Goliath? We admire the skill with which David wielded his small weapon, but far more striking is his confidence in the living God.
Once again we stand at the beginning of the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. We have covered this ground so many times, it is easy to be discouraged. The giant of division seems entrenched and formidable. We may feel powerless against him, even as it seems that our divisions are becoming only deeper.
But don’t forget: This battle is the Lord’s, not ours, to win. And that means that we need to cast ourselves on his mercy and carefully select the smooth stones he has placed at our disposal.
First, let’s be clear about the enemy we face. That enemy is not other denominations but the way we have all turned from Jesus’ prayer that his church be one. Our objective in ecumenism is not to demolish others’ positions and arguments but to bridge the gap of hostility and misunderstanding between us. Great progress has been made when theologians from different traditions have stopped attacking each other and tried to understand what each other is saying and why. One example of this approach is the way that Lutherans and Catholics have come to substantial agreement on the very issues that were so hotly contested during the Reformation.
It’s true that not many of us possess the weapons of theological discourse, but we do have several smooth stones at our disposal. One that flies straight to the mark is love, choosing to think the best of each other. Love deeply respects the other, listens to the other, and is open to learning from the other. Because the unified church Jesus longs for has yet to come about, each denomination, each individual, may grasp an aspect of the truth that may have eluded others and can enrich us all.
Love covers a multitude of sins. Love casts out fear. Love heals. Love unites. If we can just learn to look upon each other with love, we will go a long way toward the unity we all long for!
“Father, make us one. Help us to repent of our sins against unity. Lord, heal every division!”
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