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Our readings today have to do with the nature of human
relationships on the one hand and
God’s power over the kind of relationship posed by a sick relative.
In
the first instance we see young David returning to his hometown after killing
the Philistine with his sling shot! Saul, the king is furious with him, because
David did what Saul was unable to do: everyone was singing David’s praises and
Saul didn’t like that one bit. So we have the emotions of envy and anger, rage
really. Then, as a subplot we have Saul’s son Jonathan becoming very fond of
David, in a relationship of true admiration, loyalty and friendship: in fact a
model relationship between two men that must not be misconstrued as a
homosexual relationship, but a homosocial relationship YES, very much so. This
type of friendship between two men or two women for that matter is in a sense
modeled after Jesus’ own relationship of friendship that he wants to have with
everyone: men or women!
And
so, Jonathan tips David off that Saul wants to kill him and being a good friend
who would do anything for David, even going up against his own father, he
arranges for David to escape and hide! Sounds familiar in so many ways, sounds
like the plot of countless television shows and movies – but real life is
always better than Hollywood!
In
the gospel passage, I would like to focus in a not so often chosen direction
and talk a bit about the relatives of a sick person: a sick person who presents
himself, herself to Jesus when he enters a town – after word spreads that he
heals diseases and conditions of every kind. The relationship of compassion is
of course extended to the sick person, but how about the presenter, in many of
these cases, the caregiver, the husband, the wife, the mother, the father who have
been under a great deal of stress in their own lives dealing with a person who
in many cases just doesn’t seem to get any better, and in many cases, simply
dies. So, we must remember that Jesus is also healing the stressed relationship
that exists always in the family of a person who is sick! All are healed when
the sick are cured, and the dead are raised!
Just
think of the how it is when we care for a loved one who is ill or hospitalized,
and how relieved we are when they get better!
Today
would be a good day then to pray for the healing of all kinds of relationships:
the invisible kind: like in the first reading, the jealousies, envy, anger,
rage, intimacy and love of friendship that affect the course of lives; and in
the gospel passage, the visible and invisible healings of emotions of worry,
care, hope and love of family and friends.
In
God we trust, we shall not fear
that everything will not turn out well in the long run, and many times in the
short run!
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