So as to be more available to the graces of the liturgy’s readings, we might imagine Jesus’ telling his disciples the story of David’s twice being able to kill Saul, but did not. The disciples marvel at the reverence which David had for “the anointed of the Lord,” Saul. We can imagine Peter shaking his head and murmuring about if he himself were David he would have cut off his head and not merely the hem of Saul’s cloak.

Jesus smiles at Peter and the other disciples who had agreed that David had been so close and didn’t have the guts to do the deed. Jesus has much to tell them by the relating of this story, so he sits them down again and continues his teaching.

PRE-PRAYERING
We are back in class with our Teacher who is reminding us of the various forms our exam is going to take. We hear direct and specific instructions about how our being a disciple will manifest itself and him as well.

We can pray these days for a learning-spirit. As the disciples had to change their hearts first and then their actions, so do we. These are hard to enact teachings. We pray for patience and the grace to change our hearts, minds and actions. We do not want to forgive, or give away, or take injuries without redress. We are so of this world’s ways and of our fearful human heritage. We need to be close to him and allow him to get close to us and then our actions will be closer to his. Rather than asking for change, we might better ask for a sense of intimacy with his person which might then be transforming of our outward revelations of him.

REFLECTION
In our First Reading, we have the second of two similar narratives about David’s not killing King Saul. They are serious, but have a tinge of humor in them as well. In chapter twenty-four we read of a great human situation. It is almost out of Harry Potter. In this reading from Chapter 26 David had Saul “dead” to rights and showed great reverence by allowing Saul to live. In both stories David wanted Saul to know that he, David, was not jealous, or trying to upstage his king, the “anointed of the Lord.”

The compassion or mercy or forgiveness is more than meets the ear here. The judicial system in our countries as within our selves as well, may find various reasons to extend freedom to someone. That is not what is going on here. David is more than making a judicial decision. God has chosen Saul as King and so it is God that is reverenced through allowing Saul to go free and continue his being king.

Why is Saul chasing David to kill him? David has slain Goliath and is celebrated for his great military deeds. Saul sees the people singing that while he has killed some of their enemies, David has killed ten times that number. Saul is jealous and fearful that David will become king. In an earlier part of this story, Saul had thrown his spear at David while David was playing the harp; he missed, but David had to flee. Saul has been searching all around for David, but in these readings, we hear David finding Saul and showing Saul a new form of mercy.

The Gospel continues Luke’s Sermon on the Level. Luke’s four beatitudes are fleshed out and made more particular in these verses. They center generally around the areas of how the follower of Jesus can reverse the natural tendencies towards greed, harshness of judgement, mercilessness and vengeance. These elements form quite an exact picture of our fallen-nature’s way.

The real challenge is for his hearers to be compassionate as God is compassionate with them. This is the heart of the message. If there is going to be any “good” in the Good News, there must be a previous awareness and acceptance of the “bad” news. The Savior has come to save us; this is the Good News. The “bad” news is that we have a fallen, vengeful, harsh, judgmental, greedy and severe nature. We did not have to learn these qualities from a book or teacher. They are known before we know our own names. The Savior is the teacher here and instructs us on how to enjoy true happiness now and in a then which is to come.

The “good” of the Good News is that the Savior and Teacher are patient, long-suffering, invested in our well-being and compassionate beyond, no, not beyond belief, but close.

Next Wednesday we will be signed with the ashes which indicate our awareness of the “bad” news. We begin Lent as a celebration of our belief in the “Good”. We are all and always his followers and his students. We have such a sense of strict Justice. If we get slapped, it is not vengeance, but the virtue of Justice which moves us to pay back in kind. Speaking of being paid back, if we lend then in Justice we should expect something back in return. All this sounds correct and good. In the upside down ways of Jesus what sounds good is not and what sounds bad is blessed.

We love having good things dumped in our laps and Jesus promises just that, but we wonder about when of the dumping.

We take these confrontations which Jesus offers to us into Lent. Which one of these is our most “bad” news items? We are invited to be forgiving as we have been forgiven. How does that float on your pond? As Savior, Jesus saves us from the present-day hell of only and forever living our own personal “bad” news.” Even the sinners do the same.”