Scripture:
1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
Mark 3:1-6
Reflection:
“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Mark 3:4
Today, the Church is asking all of us to pray for the legal protection of Unborn Children. And the Scripture for today gives us two very familiar Scripture images to help us reflect upon this request for prayer. The first one is David verse Goliath. The second one is Jesus curing a person on the Sabbath while the Pharisees looked on. Both of these accounts from the Scriptures are worthy of our meditation and reflection. Prayer, after all, is what allows us to come close to God and helps us to experience the grace we need to live a life worthy of our calling as disciples of Jesus, children of God.
There are so many examples of the “David versus Goliath” story that we apply to everyday life. It is the story of the inexperienced young person going up against the giant and seasoned warrior. It is the story of God’s chosen one from a small country village going against the destructive rule of gigantic power. Oh, how we love this story. We may love it so well that we may forget its underlying truth as found in verses 37 and 39 of the reading: that God would be with David and David did not take the sword with him, the instrument of war. If God is with us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) So many times we rely on our own resources to overcome evils that surround us.
And the Gospel account builds upon this important instruction found in the first reading. It tells us how Jesus gave life, restored life and valued life over any human norm. We know that we do the good when new life emerges and healing takes place, regardless of the time and place. So, today, let us take a good look at how we value life and how we restore life, especially by how we live it and in what we say and do.
One of the surest ways that we can protect the Unborn Children is by creating a culture of justice and peace in our world, in other words, by creating a culture of life. For the vast majority of us, it is about being respectful of life and cultures and customs. It is about saying no to destructive instruments and behaviors. Every time we do something that dehumanizes another human being, young or old, we are failing to protect Unborn Children. This day is about doing something positive to bring about new life. And we begin with prayer.
There is an old saying that goes this way: “it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Let us bring light and life and love into the world around us. Let us all pray for all that is yet to be born within us.
Fr. Clemente Barrón, C.P. is a member of Mater Dolorosa Community in Sierra Madre, California.