Today we celebrate the feast of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr. She was martyred around the year 251 A.D.
Upon her death she prayed this prayer, "Jesus Christ, Lord of all things, you see my heart, you know my desires, possess alone all that I am."
She gave her life seeking to protect her chastity and her dignity from the advances of the Roman Governor. She did allow herself to be pulled downward by the temptations of the day that assailed her on every side, rather she was given the grace and she sought the strength to stand firm against all odds.
Her life became something beautiful for God because she refused to compromise her standards.
today in the first reading we encounter a praise of David. It is a beautifully written account of David's life. He is praised for his strength, his character, his reverence for God and his religiosity. He is upheld as an example to be modeled after.
The heart of this praise for David revolved around this one sentence, "with his whole being he loved his maker."
As we read the account of David, we discover that something is missing. There is no mention of his great folly, his adulterous affair with Bethsheba. The writer of Sirach simply mentions "the Lord forgave him of his sins."
I find it refreshing. In our society every one focuses on the sins of the other; every one wants to know the details of the sin and get hung upon the sin as the defining characteristic of the life of the other.
Yet the writer of Sirach doesn't think it is worthy mentioning. He has moved beyond the sin to the reality of forgiveness. He doesn't focus on what David did wrong but rather what went right, David sought forgiveness, David found mercy. The sins of David did define him rather he was defined by God's mercy.
David spent a majority of his life praising God, so should that not be the overwhelming reality in the eulogy of his life.
What do we get hung up on?
4 comments:
Nice work, Father. You can see the shift in attitude and priority from then to now, i.e. Tiger Woods or Mark McGwire. In text, you can read "one's whole being," and not not fully understand what that means, but, truthfully, how is it to give one's whole self, everything, to the Lord: everything.
Giving oneself to the Lord is freedom, true freedom. Not freedom to do anything I want, rather freedom to choose the good. Freedom to choose the good becomes rather difficult when I am a slave to sin. Thank God for His faithful grace!
I believe if you listen to the gospel, we discover God is consistent, as Peter leaves everything to follow him. The central reality is following Jesus where he leads not just when and where we want to go. Everything is our control...
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