Today's memorial honors Saint Francis de Sales, whose book Introduction to the Devout Life remains one people turn to again and again for seeking a spiritual life. De Sales is especially noted for focusing on lay peoples' spirituality, at a time when many Catholics thought (or at least acted) as though it was only priests and religious who could have a spiritual life that followed God. De Sales' focus is also noted for its emphasis on practicing charitable acts, rather than penitential acts as a way of living life with God.

 

Today's scriptures offer some glimpses toward what it might mean to practice this way of charity.  The Old Testament reading (1 Samuel 24: 3-21) follows after the famous David and Goliath scene, but also several entire chapters (18-23) that detail Saul’s jealousy of and rage against David.  Saul has a deep-seated dislike of David, in part because he knows that David will be king after him (precisely because David defeated Goliath) and in part because Saul knows that God is with David in a way that God is not with Saul.  So, David has been on the run, and Saul has consistently pursued him in order to kill him.  In today’s passage, Saul chases after David with 3000 men, and stops for a break at precisely the cave where David and his followers are hiding.  

David is quite aware of Saul’s rage and also aware of the great advantage he now has against Saul, and so he cuts a piece of the king’s mantle. This may seem odd to us today (because isn’t it just a piece of cloth?), but some commentators suggest that the mantle is highly symbolic of the king’s authority, and so David has taken away Saul’s authority.  Other commentators suggest a link between David cutting the cloth and the fact that one of God’s laws is for Jewish men to wear tassels and fringe.  By cutting the cloth (by cutting off the fringe), this symbolically shows a rupture in Saul’s relationship with God.  Ultimately, David cutting the cloth is supposed to demonstrate to the reader that David now has the upper hand.

And it is at this point that we see the crux of the passage: David shows mercy and love to his enemy – to the one who wants to kill him, no less.  Still  better, Saul repents and reconciles on the basis of David’s (and God’s) great love and mercy. The world is a better place because David acted generously toward Saul, even though his friends and servants had suggested otherwise.

We often quote the passage in the Bible that proclaims "God is love," but we rarely focus on what it might mean to live that love and seek that love.  Today's gospel (Mark 3:13-19) notes specifically that Jesus has personally invited Judas, who will betray him, to be part of his band of friends and followers.  But the fact that someone will do wrong is no excuse for not giving that person a chance, or for not responding in a generous way, on Jesus' view.

In this year of being the Body of Christ, we, too, are invited to share in Jesus' great love.  God gives us the same generosity that he bestows on Judas and we are called to act lovingly and mercifully as David does, even to his enemies.  Today, let us reflect on ways we can witness to this great love in our own lives.

- Jana M. Bennett