Jonathan's Friendship, Love and Intervention on Behalf of David

In today's first reading, 1 Sam  18: 6-9; 19: 1-7, the women are celebrating David's victory over Goliath and, in doing so,  sing the praises of both David and Saul.  They attribute greater success to David than to Saul.  Saul immediately becomes jealous of David, to the point of planning to kill him lest he take over the kingship from Saul.  Saul's son, Jonathan, intercedes, saying to his father:  "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. [H]e took his life in  his hands and slew the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel through him.  [Y]ou were glad to see it."  Saul listens to Jonathan and states: "As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed."

How quickly jealousy can grip us and lead to disastrous plans, including murder!  There is no dearth of stories of how families are torn apart by jealousy and how relationships can be destroyed by such. Covetous of another possessions or another's spouse or another's success,  a person may succumb to jealousy as did Saul against David! Fearful that another might be more popular than oneself, will secure a position that one desires, win over a hopeful bride/bridegroom, persons may give entertain malicious, jealous thoughts that translate into strong feelings of hate and violence toward another: ruining reputations, causing financial ruin or even loss of life.

What can you and I do when we are struggling with the human weaknesses of jealousy, envy, and covetousness? First of all, pay attention to what we are telling ourselves about a situation. Saul erred in saying to himself: "'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."  He was lying to himself or engaging in, what is called in the world of recovering alcoholics, "stinking thinking."  Second of all, we need to know when our thoughts are distorted.  Thirdly, we need to reveal our thinking to another person who is strong enough and cares deeply about our well being to the point that he/she will help us recognize distorted thoughts and challenge plans to bring harm to another person in any shape or form, be that physical, spiritual, relational, reputation-wise,  or financial. And also, we need to tell Jesus what we are thinking and planning to do and ask for honest feedback.

And finally, thank the Lord for giving us the courage to be honest with ourselves, helping us to come to rightful conclusions, to abandon malicious plans and jealous thoughts. 

Anchored in Christ Jesus

In today's first reading, Acts 16: 22-34, Paul and Silas are attacked, beaten with rods and thrown into prison.  It would seem as though all is lost, that there is no escape, as their feet are chained to the floor in one of the most secure cells of the prison.  In the middle of the night,  a sudden earthquake opens all of the prison doors. They are free to escape but do not.  The prison guard  panics and is about to kill himself when Paul and Silas  intervene. What follows is the conversion of  the guard and his entire family.

The guard panics. Paul and Silas remain calm; their relationship to the Lord is unshakable.  You and I have at times remained calm in the midst of a crisis while others have panicked and vice versa. Panic blocks our awareness of God's presence and His power. It is important to realize that if I seek God on a daily basis, I am more likely to seek God in crisis situations.  When I am having a difficult time, my first thought is to call upon my best friend. So, too, if I have chosen Jesus as my closest friend and developed an intimate relationship with Him. I will automatically think of Jesus and call upon Him in both the good and bad times of life.

When, in a crisis, the Rock to which  I cling is Christ Jesus, I will be as strong as that Rock. I will not be shaken even if every one around me has entered the crisis mode. To whom do you cling?

Called to evangelize and be evangelized, to love and be loved, to nurture and be nurtured by friends

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Luke, the evangelist and a physician.  God calls persons from all walks in life to serve Him as priests, as men and women religious, as deacons, as married men and women and as single persons.  All of us, no matter what vocation in life we choose--and hopefully we seek God's will in the choices we make--are called to evangelize, to share our faith with others: parents with each other and with their children, single men and women with their co-workers, neices and nephews and with the children in their parishes as catechists,  as fellow worshippers and participants in parish programs; men and women religious through their ministries (healthcare, education, youth ministry, pastoral associates, catechists and other forms of services that address the needs of the poor and needy, the marginalized; that confront injustices perpetrated in the world of our day).

St. Luke was a friend of St. Paul, one who did not abandon him in his sufferings, including being imprisoned and put to death for the faith. Luke was at his side.  God also sends each of us friends to support us, encourage us, and give us strength to proclaim the message of salvation, to share our faith with others in a variety of ways, but especially by how we live our faith in the daily events of our day.

May we have the courage, the wisdom, the passionate love to fall in love with Jesus over and over again and share that love with those with whom we live and minister in Jesus' name.