Second Week in Ordinary Time/ Vincent of Saragossa
1st Reading: 2 Sam 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
David returned from his defeat of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag. On the third day a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage. David asked him, “Where do you come from?” He replied, “I have escaped from the camp of the children of Israel.” “Tell me what happened,” David bade him. He answered that many of the soldiers had fled the battle and that many of them had fallen and were dead, among them Saul and his son Jonathan. David seized his garments and rent them, and all the men who were with him did likewise. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the soldiers of the LORD of the clans of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. “Alas! the glory of Israel, Saul, slain upon your heights; how can the warriors have fallen! “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, separated neither in life nor in death, swifter than eagles, stronger than lions! Women of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and in finery, who decked your attire with ornaments of gold. “How can the warriors have fallen– in the thick of the battle, slain upon your heights! “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother! most dear have you been to me; more precious have I held love for you than love for women. “How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished!”
Gospel: Mk 3:20-21
Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again, the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
HE IS OUT OF HIS MIND: David mourns the death of Saul showing that he was not greedy for power. He was happy with Saul as king and he as his military servant. David was out of his mind. Like David, Jesus is also out of his mind. Surprisingly this “madness” inspires others to gather around Him. Our African continent has had a number of power-hungry individuals. They often mind their own gain and reputation. The relatives of Jesus too, mind their family reputation, so they come to seize him and return him to Nazareth. There are many ways in which we have acted selfishly, when others act selflessly and are seen as being out of their mind. We too at times have been rated out of our mind when we acted selflessly. May we seek to conform to the Gospel ethics rather than those of the world, regardless of how people brand us.
Prayer: Lord, help us to remain faithful to you at all times regardless of how the society perceives us.
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HE IS OUT OF HIS MIND: In the history of the Church, many saints were thought to be out of their mind because they imitated Jesus: The Desert Fathers and Mothers, St Francis of Assisi, St Teresa of Avila, St John of Cross, St John Bosco, St Mother Teresa of Calcutta, just to mention a few. Often, those who reject people who are different in their commitment are those who are very close to them. It is a painful experience for those concerned, as it was for Jesus that his own relatives wanted to take control of him and his own people rejected him. It is an encouragement for us not to be different, for a higher cause and higher being; even if those around us think, we are mad.
DAILY GOSPEL 