David defeated Goliath and fought in service of King Saul
but Saul missed the point and was consumed by envy and anger. He should have been grateful to David for
delivering the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines. Let us pray to the
Lord that we be guarded from the malice of sin (Pride, envy, lust, anger,
gluttony, avarice and sloth) and truly live a life after Christ. Today's 1st reading also speaks of
Jonathan who interceded in David's behalf and thus was spared his life. It
demonstrates to us the power of intercession and encourages us to do the same
for our fellow brothers and sisters. We are all called to pray and intercede
for each other. Even those people whom we never had the chance of knowing
personally. In turn we should also thank God for using people as an
instrument to save us from every danger. We can not deny that we have witnessed
God's intervention in our life through people that we can consider as Jonathan
just like in today's first reading. Amen.
Hallelujah!
1st book of Samuel 18,6-9.19,1-7.
...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. 5 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?” 6 Saul heeded
Jonathan’s plea and swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed.”...
We only rely on people whom we can depend and whom we know
are trustworthy. We are just setting ourselves for a disappointment if we risk
trusting people whom we know can not deliver. Even if they are dependable
enough there are some instances when things still do not work out the way it
should. We just can't get total control and charge of everything no matter how
perfect things may seem to be. This is because we have limited knowledge, capacities
and resources no matter how hard we push ourselves to our maximum level. Our
limitations show how imperfect we are and we can only make all things perfect
and beautiful if we walk in the presence of God. He has gifted us with so many
wonderful things in this world. We have the gift of friends and the company of
our fellow brothers and sisters who all belong in this great and big family
that God has provided us. If those people close to us and even those whom we
don't know can intercede and pray for us then there is nothing we should be
afraid of. Not even the scariest thing, person or element in this world should
make us doubt that God is over and above all things in this world. Let us be
firm in our belief that no harm can come before us if we stay on God’s side. If
God is with us who could be against us? Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-12, 13-14
R: In God I trust; I shall not fear.
1 [2] Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me; all
the day they press their attack against me...9 [10] Now I know that God is with
me. 10 [11] In God, in whose promise I glory, 11 [12] in God I trust without
fear; what can flesh do against me? (R) 12 [13] I am bound, O God, by vows to
you; your thank offerings I will fulfill. 13 [14] For you have rescued me from
death, my feet, too, from stumbling; ...
A lot of people profess their faith in God for they have
witnessed His mighty power but it is our responsibility as believers to be
discreet in the conduct of our faith so as to really reflect the true spirit of
God who dwells in us. We have to be careful, too in keeping our distances with
the people around us most especially with friends who are always close to us,
so as not to end up bumping or crushing into one another. What do I mean by
this? It is sometimes true, the old saying that goes like this,
"Familiarity breeds contempt." Even if we have the closest and most
trusted friends around us, it is also important to realize that there are times
when we have to keep our distance from one another. In today's gospel even
Jesus needed to keep a safe distance from the crowd and is somehow showing us
the need to set our limitations too. In
today’s Gospel, there are so many people that are after Jesus to the point of
crushing Him. Jesus wanted to minister to all these people but He is also has
to look out for His safety, stay in the path so that He could still carry on
with His mission. He just told his disciples to have a boat ready for him so He
could continue His mission. There are times in our life when during the conduct
of our earthly missions we encounter instances when we feel like we are being
crushed. Considering the fact that what we are doing is not for our own
personal gain but for the welfare of others and we experience oppression in
many forms. Due to this we tend to get sidetracked but we have to keep in mind
that we always have to be ready and alert in order for us to carry on with the
most important task in our very own lives. Though it may not be understood and
approved by all the truth remains that our mission and purpose in life is to
continue what Jesus has started more than 2000 years ago. God has gifted us with so many
wonderful things in this world. We have the gift of friends and the company of
our fellow brothers and sisters who all belong in this great and big family
that God has provided us. If those people close to us and even those whom we
don't know can intercede and pray for us then there is nothing we should be
afraid of. Not even the scariest thing, person or element in this world should
make us doubt that God is over and above all things in this world.
The secret of Mark’s gospel can be found in the gospel
today. These very words, “He warned them sternly not to make him known,” is
Mark’s trademark. Just imagine people witnessing all kinds of miracles and
being instructed not to make Him known. This is due to the fact that the signs
and wonders wrought by His mighty hand can only be fully understood in the
light of the Paschal Mystery, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. In
Mark 8:27-29 it is written, "...Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the
Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." And he asked
them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Messiah." We thought it was Peter, who became the 1st
Pope of the Catholic Church who first got it right. But if we read further on
in the same chapter 8 of Mark in the following verses, 30-33, "Then he
warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son
of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests,
and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this
openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned
around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind
me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." What
Mark was trying to say is that we got it all wrong if we thought that Peter got
it right because he didn't. He missed the truth about Jesus, he can not handle
the truth that the Messiah, the King will be nailed and die on the cross. Just
imagine Jesus who predicted and poured out his agony over his passion and death
but was disappointed by Peter's inability to really get the point. It seemed
ironic that the 1st Pope just guessed it right but it was really a pagan, a
centurion who first got it right because he saw the cross of Jesus as the sign
of His Kingship. For it is written in Mark 15:37-39, "Jesus gave a loud
cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top
to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last
he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" This means that if it was
the centurion pagan who first got it right and not the 1st pope then salvation
is for everybody even to the pagans and the Gentiles. Also in Mark 5:25
"There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had
suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came
up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but
touch his clothes, I shall be cured. "Immediately her flow of blood dried
up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction." A woman
was considered of no social standing during that time, and to be a
pagan/Gentile only added to her worthlessness she was not even addressed with
her own name. In Mark 9: 49-50, "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt
is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another." During
his time, salt was stored in a bag and used in the cooking the way in the same
manner tea bags are used. This is to filter the impurities so after use the
taste is gone and what's left is just a bag of dirt. Mark was very much around
these kind of people and this is what he was trying to convey in his writings.
Mark was very much around the very people whom we usually look up to as the
leaders of the community but fail to reach the mark. For in Mark 10: 32-45 when
Jesus predicted for the 3rd time his passion and death, "Taking the Twelve
aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him.
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed
over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge
him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise." Then James
and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, "Teacher, we
want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." He replied, "What do
you wish (me) to do for you?" They answered him, "Grant that in your
glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." Jesus said
to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that
I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" Mark
was with people with a lot of conflicts. This is shown in the following bible
passages as in Acts 15: 36-41, "After some time, Paul said to Barnabas,
"Come, let us make a return visit to see how the brothers are getting on
in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord." Barnabas
wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark,but Paul insisted that
they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia and
who had not continued with them in their work.So sharp was their disagreement
that they separated. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus.But Paul chose
Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the grace of the
Lord.He traveled through Syria
and Cilicia bringing strength to the churches."
In this passage Paul's dislike for Mark (John) was very
obvious. Also in Galatians where Paul did not hide his dislike for Peter
(Kephas) 2:11,"And when Kephas came to Antioch , I opposed him to his face because he
clearly was wrong."
Although there were conflicts among the people in the
Church, as it usually does, they were able to go past it and built the Church.
These things can be considered as the agitation in the grain of sand in the
clam which eventually turned into a priceless pearl. This anxiety among these
people of God brought about the spread of the Church in various places for they
were divided into 2 groups and were able to evangelize in 2 different places at
one time. God saw to it that everything turned out for the good. The Markan Community
emphasizes this truth that despite the brokenness of the people the Church of God Kingdom of God
Mark wants us to realize that we should not want Jesus just
because of our own personal agenda. What Mark was trying to say is that we
would never get it right unless we can handle the truth about the Son of God,
Messiah and the King who will be nailed and die on the cross. It is not easy to
grasp especially at that time when the Jews were expecting for the Messiah to
liberate them from the oppression of the Romans. Considering of course that we
live in a world where suffering, pain and death are considered a curse and
something that we could not embrace all too willingly. This is exactly why they
were warned not to make Him known because they would end up missing the point.
We need to see the cross of Jesus as the sign of His Kingship. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Mark 3:7-12
...He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him
because of the crowd, so that they would
not crush him. 10 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.
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