OFFENSE-DEFENSE

To utter a curse to someone and spread slanderous words against somebody much more to a king is never an acceptable thing and could definitely spell trouble. In fact, a person could be charged of slander and libel and go to jail for something like this. But in today's 1st reading, King David, the leader of his people allowed himself to be cursed. He could have easily silenced this man at his bidding but he did not. It was the deep remorse and awareness of his own sins that withheld his anger for this man (Shimei) who insulted him. We may have been to the same situation as King David's, though we are not royalty we may have reacted, retaliated and answered back in a very fierce way if we were told of the same curses that could ruin our reputation and hurt our ego. We could never deny the fact that at least once in our life if not many times, we were all guilty of getting back at somebody who may have hurt us in a certain way. There could be times too, when we could not lower our temper and give in to outbursts of anger when we encounter people who say all kinds of mean, rude and unacceptable words most especially if it was directly meant and said to you. Whether it is righteous anger or not we could definitely decide to follow the example of David who seized this opportunity to choose to offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord rather than feed the hurting ego of a king. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13
...But the king replied, “What business is it of mine or of yours, sons of Zeruiah, that he curses? Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David; who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’ ” 11 Then the king said to Abishai and to all his servants “If my own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life, how much more might this Benjaminite do so! Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12 Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction and make it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day.” 13 David and his men continued on the road, while Shimei kept abreast of them on the hillside, all the while cursing and throwing stones and dirt as he went.

If we are not aware of the offense and defense reaction then we can have a picture of how it operates in sports games like basketball and football. This works well in such games but not at all times in the game of life. If we will always rely on our own limited and imperfect defense strategy and give in to the spur of the moment, brief but quick surge of the adrenalin rush and get carried away by our emotions then we are bound to lose and fail. This is so because we end up with our self devised means of defense in redeeming ourselves from an offensive situation rather than relying on God's fool proof and sure ball defense. We should all realize and be aware of the fact that the Lord who sees all the good things we do will never abandon us. Nowadays we need not go through the same agony as what the early Christians suffered because we are free to express our praise to God. Let us hope and pray that just like those Christians in the olden times we, too, may develop that same kind of devotion.  It is no longer an obligation and duty that we do things for the Lord but out of pure and voluntary act of love for God which produces joy in our hearts. If we sometimes feel uncertain of some decisions we may have made, not everybody seem to agree with it and we really have no way of finding out what the future holds for us then we can always count on God to uphold our cause. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ps 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. Lord rise up and save me.

But you, LORD, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high.

Whenever I cried out to the LORD, I was answered from the holy mountain. Selah

Whenever I lay down and slept, the LORD preserved me to rise again.

I do not fear, then, thousands of people arrayed against me on every side.

Today's gospel displayed an impressive offense-defense play, if we may call it, which Jesus Himself perfectly carried out. Only the power coming from the Most High is able to do something as impossible as this. He was able to drive out a legion of demons from a man who had been suffering from it for a long time. There is no doubt that Jesus’ power stretches from the natural to the supernatural because there is nothing that does not come under His lordship. In recognizing this, we also acknowledge that through Baptism we share in this power. Today’s gospel shows us that we all we all have different vocations in life. Some are called to the religious orders, married life or single blessedness. Whatever our calling may be, it counts a lot to God and is not reduced to nothing or less holy as most of us think when we do not belong or are called to the Holy Orders. Whatever our present status in life is, we can still be witnesses by serving and loving God as is and where is. Thus we are called to give witness to it in our lives. How do we do this? By rejecting sin and temptation, and living under the grace of the Holy Spirit and not according to the ways of the world or the devil.  There is truth in the saying united we stand, divided we fall but in the case of today's gospel, the unity or the legion of demons did not stand a chance with Jesus, though they were united as one legion, still they fell. For nothing can ever be more powerful and mightier than our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 5:1-20

...Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, 7 crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” 8 (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) 9 He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” 10 And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. 11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. 12 And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” 13 And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. 14 The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. 15 As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind... ...As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. 19 But he would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” 20 Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.