2 Sam 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30 - 19:3 / Mark 5:21-43
Absalom is killed: David
mourned his son.
Some years ago, the Amarillo Globe carried
the letter of a father to his dead son. The boy had been killed in Vietnam. The father described to his son the
moment he heard the news in these moving words: “How can I tell you how much like
death life was at that instant? I pictured you as clearly as I have ever seen you.
. . . You, Mike, shot down in battle? Preposterous, a lie. That you could have lain dead for
days without our having known it, or sensed it, was impossible.” This father, like David, mourned
the loss of his son. He would have given anything for a
few hours with his son to tell him how much he loved him.
****
How do we express our love for the
members of our family—in an explicit way?
Lord, help us
show our love for others,
concretely,
just as you showed your love for
us, concretely.
****
Fathers are not often portrayed for
their affectionate love. They may be given the image of a provider, a
disciplinarian and the head of the house as well as other masculine attributes.
But just how affectionate can fathers be?
In today's two readings, we saw the
affectionate side of fatherhood. In the 1st reading, even though
Absalom rebelled against his father David, yet when he was killed, David wept
openly for him.
In the gospel, Jairus put aside his
status of being a synagogue official to come to Jesus and plead for his
daughter's life. As we reflect and meditate on the two readings, there are two
thoughts that could come to mind. No matter how much we
have rebelled against God and how far we have turned from Him, God still loves
us and searches for us so that we can return to Him.
Also God wants to heal
us of our physical infirmities and cleanse our hearts of sin so that we can
truly live life in Him. Jesus came to save us
and to restore our life in God. Let us have faith in Him, for it is
our faith in Jesus that will save us.
****
Tuesday of 4th Week: Liturgy
POWER WENT OUT FROM
HIM
Introduction
Absalom is defeated
and killed. The victory of the king’s army turns into a party of mourning, for
notwithstanding Absalom’s rebellion, David still loved him very much.
Jesus uses his power
to do good and to give an object lesson on faith to his disciples and to the
people. It is a power that gives health and life. When the woman touches Jesus
with a sort of magic belief in his power, he insists on faith; so he does when,
as a sign of his own resurrection, he brings Jairus’ daughter back to life.
Should power in us not mean also a power that lifts up, a power of
resurrection?
Opening Prayer
Almighty Father, often we hunger for power
when we don’t have
it,
we ask for more when
we possess it,
and then we don’t
know how to use it well.
Help us always to
accept the power
of our influence, our
potentials and talents
as gifts coming from
your hands
and to use them for
the good of others,
to heal and to
forgive,
to bring life and to
build up,
as Jesus did, your
Son,
who lives with you
for ever.
Commentary
With his great gifts
of leadership and governance, David remains an outstanding biblical
personality. But when it comes to the guidance of his own family, he falls far
behind. Today in the first reading, David’s son Absalom meets his end, and his
father’s grief is profound. But unfortunately this grief is too little too
late.
Absalom has a blood
sister who is sexually assaulted by their half-brother Amnon, David’s eldest
son by another woman. Absalom is enraged and vows vengeance against Amnon. In
confronting this terrible conflict between his own sons, David chooses a no
confrontational path. He does nothing to right the evil deed that Amnon has
committed, since this guilty son is still privileged in his eyes. Absalom’s
anger turns against his father David. He goes into exile and remains distant
from his father. Prevailed upon to return home, Absalom waits months for his
father to receive him. Absalom then incites his father’s opponents to revolt,
the only insurrection that David has to deal with during his long reign. In
today’s reading, Absalom dies in battle, in a freakish accident. When his
father receives the news, he is inconsolable. “O, Absalom, my son, my son,” he
cries. But die damage by then is irreparable.
In today’s Gospel,
Jairus approaches Jesus and pleads for his gravely ill daughter. Fully
sympathetic, Jesus restores her health and returns her to her father. When
faced with family ties in great strain, Jesus is never indifferent.
Strife among family
members is still with us. Divorce, for instance, has become very common in our
society. There is suffering on all sides, but the children suffer the most.
They are caught between mother and father, both physically and psychologically.
How often we see the child torn between parents or drawn to select one over the
other. We realize ever more clearly the importance of the engagement period,
the realization of what a lifelong commitment means, and the immense
responsibilities taken on by those who enter into marriage.
Points to Ponder
David as a father
Grief at the loss of
a child
The children of
divorced parents
Intercessions
– That the Church may continue with compassion Jesus’
healing ministry, that the sick may be comforted, the downtrodden set free, and
the poor and the weak protected, we pray:
– That in this world of hunger for food and spiritual
values, affluent Churches and nations may share generously with those who have
less, we pray:
– That doctors and nurses and all others who care for the
ill and the handicapped may have a great respect for life and be inspired in
their task by the love of Christ, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, almighty
Father
fill the gifts we
bring before you
with the power of
your Holy Spirit,
that they may become
for us
the bread of
resurrection and life
of Jesus Christ, your
Son.
Through this
Eucharist,
change us into people
of hope and joy
who go together the
way of life
of Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
Prayer after
Communion
Lord God, almighty
Father,
you have given us the
body and blood of your Son
as a source of
life-giving power.
Do not allow us to
leave it idle,
but help us to use it
as a force
to uplift the people
around us
and to build together
a world
of reconciliation,
justice and love.
May, thus, the
resurrection of Jesus
work among us already
now,
until you raise us up
on the last day
through Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Blessing
“Power had gone out from him,” says the Gospel today of
Jesus. It was a power that healed and brought back to life. If we have power,
may we use it always to raise people up, never to put them down. And may Almighty
God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
