Reading 1 2 Sm 5:1-7, 10
All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:
"Here we are, your bone and your flesh.
In days past, when Saul was our king,
it was you who led the children of Israel out and brought them back.
And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel
and shall be commander of Israel.'"
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron,
King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD,
and they anointed him king of Israel.
David was thirty years old when he became king,
and he reigned for forty years:
seven years and six months in Hebron over Judah,
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem
over all Israel and Judah.
Then the king and his men set out for Jerusalem
against the Jebusites who inhabited the region.
David was told, "You cannot enter here:
the blind and the lame will drive you away!"
which was their way of saying, "David cannot enter here."
But David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David.
David grew steadily more powerful,
for the LORD of hosts was with him.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:20, 21-22, 25-26
R. (25a) My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth."
R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers."
R. For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Gospel Mk 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
Meditation: Mark 3:22-30
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” (Mark 3:24)
In sad commemoration of the 1973 Supreme Court decision that paved the way for legalized abortion, the church in the United States has designated today as a day of penance and prayer. What are we being called to repent for? “Violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.” And what are we being called to pray for? “The full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.”
It’s interesting to note that the church is calling all of us to repent, not just those who have been directly involved in abortions. It’s a call for all of us to examine our consciences to see how we have contributed to a culture that does not value the dignity of every human person. This is quite a humbling call, for it goes against the us-versus-them mentality that often finds its way into our discussions on life issues. It challenges us to question our easy identification with the culture of life, while we assume that the culture of death is somewhere outside of us.
The reality, however, is that we all bear the marks of both sides of this debate in our hearts. Sinners that we are, each of us has our darker side— ways that we devalue human life or ignore God’s command to love and treasure one another as he loves and treasures each of us. We may not have played an active role in an abortion, but Jesus tells us that it’s not enough to say: “I haven’t killed anyone.” He warns us that “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). If this is the case, then surely we all have some repenting to do!
Let’s make this a day of grace. Let’s examine our hearts and see where we need to turn back to the Lord. Through our repentance and prayer, we can turn the tide in our homes, our communities, our nation, and the world. We can begin a peaceful, humble revolution for the sake of all the innocent, defenseless lives that are in jeopardy. If we begin in our own hearts, the change will radiate out, unleashing a flood tide of blessings and unity.
“Jesus, forgive us all! Restore us, Lord, so that we can become one people united under your banner— the banner of life and love!”
No comments:
Post a Comment