The Lord is compassionate and gracious
The readings this week encourage us to be compassionate, towards ourselves, towards others, and in all that we do.
In the First Reading, we see how David does not give way to revenge when he finds Saul asleep, vulnerable and under his power. David has a choice, and acts with loyalty and restraint. Saul has persecuted him, but David now spares his life because Saul is the Lord’s anointed one.
The Psalm is a song of praise, describing with gratitude God’s own compassion and love towards all of his children.
St Paul teaches us that although we are earthly by nature, by modelling ourselves on Christ, the second Adam, we receive his life-giving spirit. (Second Reading)
All of the readings prepare us for Jesus’s challenging teaching in the Gospel. Jesus encourages us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hurt us, to lend without expecting a reward, to love without counting the cost. This is the way Jesus and his Father love us.
As we ponder these texts as Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year, we may wish to pray particularly for a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness in our own lives, our communities, our country, and in all the situations of war, strife, injustice and suffering in our world.
