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| “Saul Attacking David” by Guercino, 1646 |
Reading I: 1 Samuel 24:3-21
Saul took three thousand
picked men from all Israel
and went in search of David
and his men
in the direction of the wild
goat crags.
When he came to the
sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,
which he entered to relieve
himself.
David and his men were
occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.
David’s servants said to him,
“This is the day of which the
LORD said to you,
‘I will deliver your enemy
into your grasp;
do with him as you see fit.’”
So David moved up and
stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s mantle.
Afterward, however, David
regretted that he had cut off
an end of Saul’s mantle.
He said to his men,
“The LORD forbid that I
should do such a thing to my master,
the LORD’s anointed, as to
lay a hand on him,
for he is the LORD’s
anointed.”
With these words David
restrained his men
and would not permit them to
attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and
went on his way.
David also stepped out of the
cave, calling to Saul,
“My lord the king!”
When Saul looked back, David
bowed to the ground in homage and asked
Saul:
“Why do you listen to those
who say,
‘David is trying to harm
you’?
You see for yourself today
that the Lord just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing
you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, ‘I will not raise
a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD’s anointed
and a father to me.’
Look here at this end of your
mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of
your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I
plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me
down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between
me and you,
and the LORD will exact
justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, ‘From
the wicked comes forth wickedness.’
So I will take no action
against you.
Against whom are you on
campaign, O king of Israel
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge;
he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my
part,
and grant me justice beyond
your reach!”
When David finished saying
these things to Saul, Saul answered,
“Is that your voice, my son
David?”
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: “You
are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me
generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you
showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me
into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy,
does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you
generously for what you have done this day.
And now, I know that you
shall surely be king
and that sovereignty over Israel
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Commentary on 1 Sm 24:3-21
The relationship between Saul and David has deteriorated to a point
where Saul now hunts David, intending to put him to death. David is encouraged
to take Saul’s life when the king is placed within his easy reach in the cave,
but he spares Saul and instead cuts off a piece of Saul’s garment.
When David later confronts Saul from a safe distance and humbles
himself (“Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea”)
displaying the piece of cloth cut from Saul’s garment, David proves his own
mercy and obedience to God’s will (since God had anointed Saul king). Saul
recognizes David’s favored status in God’s eyes and confesses that David will
assume the role of King, replacing Saul.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11
R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God; have
mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I
take refuge,
till harm pass by.
R. Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and
save me;
may he make those a reproach
who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and
his faithfulness.
R. Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy.
Be exalted above the heavens,
O God;
above all the earth be your
glory!
For your mercy towers to the
heavens,
and your faithfulness to the
skies.
R. Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy.
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Commentary on Ps 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11
Psalm 57 is an individual
lament. In these strophes we hear the prayer for mercy and surrender to God’s
salvation. The psalmist expresses praise to God whose power and majesty are
beyond understanding and whose mercy is infinite.
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Gospel: Mark 3:13-19
Jesus went up the mountain
and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he
also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth
to preach
and to have authority to
drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of
James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the
son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who
betrayed him.
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Commentary on Mk
3:13-19
The setting for this event is
placed on a “mountain” depicting the solemnity of the occasion, as is
done in other places in St. Mark’s Gospel (see also Mark 6:46; 9:2-8; 13:3). Having
called certain people to himself (unlike St. Matthew, in which the group is
assumed to have been known Matthew 10:1-15), Mark’s
Gospel now names the apostles. He also defines the faculties that Jesus gives
them, essentially giving them purpose:”… that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out
demons.”
CCC: Mk 3:13-19 551,
787; Mk 3:13-14 858; Mk
3:14-19 1577; Mk
3:14-15 765; Mk
3:15 1673; Mk
3:16 552
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Reflection:
We are called to walk in this
world as Disciples of Christ. It is our
task to understand what that means in terms of attitude and action. In the scripture we have today, we see the
chain of authority and how we, as followers of the Lord, are to act.
In the first reading from 1
Samuel, David who was a friend of the King (Saul) has, through no fault of his
own, gained the enmity of the king, who is seen in this passage pursuing him in
the wilderness intent on killing him.
The king unwittingly enters a cave to rest where David and his servants
are hiding. For most people, certainly
people of that age, the logical thing for David to have done would have been to
kill Saul and remove the threat. David’s
servants beg David to do just that, and it is clear he is tempted. Instead, because God granted Saul the
authority as king, David withholds his hand and cuts off a piece of Saul’s
garment. The important lesson David
demonstrates is, first, his obedience to God.
Saul was the rightful king, anointed by God through Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1). David respected God’s choice and would not do
anything to gainsay what God had ordained.
In addition David demonstrated the virtue of mercy, which later showed
Saul that David would indeed succeed him.
The authority of God over his
people is something also highlighted in the Gospel passage from St. Mark. In the selection proclaimed today, the twelve
disciples of Jesus are named. In
addition, we are told that Jesus passed authority to them to proclaim God’s
kingdom and “to drive out demons.” It is this
authority that is passed down through apostolic succession to the Bishops and
delegated to their priests. It is this
same authority to which we are subject, and to which we owe our obedience.
These examples demonstrate
for us what we are called to do and be in the world. We use the examples from 1 Samuel to
understand our need to recognize God’s authority in our lives. We also see and understand that the Lord has
passed down that same authority to Holy
Mother Church
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Saul Attacking David” by Guercino, 1646
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
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