Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 20, 2016 - Wednesday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Sam 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 and Mark 3:1-6]WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016 WEDNESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 and Mark 3:1-6] "You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth." David continued: "The Lord, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine." [1 Samuel] Although the editing of the story leaves out the name of the "Philistine," we can discover it by reading the whole story. His name is Goliath, which has come to mean something biblically as big and mean as the famous movie monsters, King Kong and Godzilla. David (played by Tony Curtis in the movie memories of my youth), at least in this story, plays the youthful hero who conquers Goliath with a simple shepherd's slingshot! This well-known story (even in the most secular circles) has come to symbolize what a well-motivated underdog can do with some ingenuity and skill. For people of faith, it shows what faith, joined with the skills and ingenuity God gives, can accomplish great things against huge odds. I am sure that most of us at one time or another have felt we were in the position of David. (Perhaps we have been foolish enough on some occasion to think we were Goliath.) Recalling an instance when our faith and naked skill were all we had to fight something seemingly more powerful can be a very useful exercise in knowing how God is with us. AMEN