+ Today we have Saul and his thousands of soldiers hot on the heels of David and his men. Though David was once almost like a favored son to Saul, he was such no longer. Now as it happened Saul walked right into the same cave that David was occupying. David even got close enough to cut off the end of his Saul's mantle. Outside the cave David called to Saul and told him what he had done; that he was close enough, when he cut off the mantle, to kill him if he wanted to, but he chose to do no harm to Saul because he was anointed king of the people. Saul then realized the purity of intention in David's heart and praised him for his compassion and generosity – and told him that he would surely be King and sovereign over Israel one day. It is from the line of David, this compassionate and generous King, that Jesus would come, the most compassionate and generous and loving King of all – who would have mercy on us all – us, who deserved anything but compassion, generosity and love because of the sinful state in which we originated.
But, Jesus, Son of David, came to reconcile the world to himself, and then entrust the message and ministry of reconciliation to others: to his chosen ones: beginning with Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, another James, Thaddeus, another Simon and Judas. Iscariot. These are their successors, the bishops and priests of today have delivered and preserved the wonderful message and experience of reconciliation represented daily in the very Mass that we celebrate – but we charge you here present to take that same message and experience of being forgiven, restored and renewed, into your world when you leave here – so that no one you come into contact with will have any reason to lose hope, feel unwelcome or count themselves out of the human family!
Yes, God reconciles the world to himself in Christ, and he entrusts to us the message and experience of reconciliation!
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