Pastor’s Letter: February 20

Pastor’s Letter: February 20

18 Feb 2022 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear friend,

One of the many gifts the Bible brings to our lives are the different life stories that are applicable to the many different life experiences we each face. While the culture, the people, and the situations might vary, the life lessons apply. The first reading this week has David responding to a life situation that we can all identify. The King of Israel was seeking to put David to death because he became more popular than the king. Jealousy occupied the king’s heart resulting in him pursuing David and seeking to remove David as a threat. Although we are not kings and queens, we all know the sin of jealousy and we have all had someone unjustly condemn our words, actions or our existence. After being pursued, David had the opportunity to remove King Saul as a threat to his life. The response of David is the learning experience from the 3,000 year-old story. David chose to not do the evil himself; but, to make the point to King Saul that he had an opportunity that he chose not to take. This communication from David to Saul allowed Saul to acknowledge the wickedness of his own heart and the unjust manner of his treatment of David. Often times when we forgive instead of retaliate, the message received by the other diffuses the evil and allows for a fresh start. We can all think of times we failed to forgive or start fresh. In learning from these failures, the actions of David encourage us to find a better way to handle relationship difficulties other than attacking our perceived enemies, canceling them from life, or removing their dignity by evil words and actions.

The Church clearly ties this Sunday’s Gospel reading with this story of David to clarify the growth opportunity. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” So much of the Christian life is how we respond to life situations. If we love only because we are loved, or we give only because others give to us, we fail to understand the perfect self-giving love of Jesus Christ. Authentic Christian love is serving the other because it is good for him or her, and no other reason. Jesus tells many stories to help put our hearts into this kind of approach to others. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. In different ways, Jesus wants us to acknowledge our sinfulness and the truth that we are undeserving of the perfect love of God. If we see first our own wickedness or lack of gratitude for life blessings, we then see how patient, kind and generous God is to us. This mindset then calls us to give to others what they might not deserve just as God has provided to us. May the Lord help us follow David by not using any opportunity to hurt another and always love others through the lens that God loves us. Have a great week.

God bless,

Father David