Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - Wednesday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Sam 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 and Mark 3:1-6]JANUARY 17, 2018. ST. ANTONY, abbot [1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 and Mark 3:1-6] Thus David over lame the Philistine with sling and stone; he struck the Philistine mortally and did it without a sword. [1 Samuel] The story of David and Goliath is one that most Christian children learn fairly early in religious education! I do remember the movie as well. It is one of those small hero against overwhelming odds type stories, especially when the hero is without the arms and resources of the opponent. Goliath has sword and shield. David has slingshot and stones. We all know the end of the story. David expertly sends one stone into the middle of Goliath's eyes and down he goes. We politely ignore the gory aftermath! What David says before the fight is the important line: "All this multitude, too, shall learn that is is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle is the Lord's and he shall deliver you into our hands." If we pay attention to the sword and shield versus the slingshot and stones, we forget that David has a bigger resource: the Lord! I find it helpful to remember that faith is a powerful resource when life gets overwhelming. There is a temptation to say, "I'm just one person against a huge opponent armed to the teeth with this or that." There are times when one person's challenge has led to enormous victories over terrible scourges. The Old Testament stories of faith remind us that we are not "just one person," when we have faith in God. AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
86 ms
4
