Daily Readings - Mon Jan 29 2018

First Reading - 2 Samuel 15.13-14, 30; 16.5-13a

¹³Then a messenger went to David, saying, "With their whole heart, all of Israel is following Absalom.¹⁴And David said to his servants, who were with him in Jerusalem: "Rise up, let us flee! For otherwise there will be no escape for us from the face of Absalom. Hurry to depart, lest perhaps, upon arriving, he may seize us, and force ruin upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.³⁰But David ascended to the Mount of Olives, climbing and weeping, advancing with bare feet and with his head covered. Moreover, all the people who were with him ascended, weeping with their heads covered

Chapter 16

⁵Then king David went as far as Bahurim. And behold, a man from the kindred of the house of Saul, named Shimei, the son of Gera, went out from there. And going out, he continued on, and he was cursing⁶and throwing stones against David and against all the servants of king David. And all the people and all the warriors were traveling to the right and to the left sides of the king⁷And so, as he was cursing the king, Shimei said: "Go away, go away, you man of blood, and you man of Belial⁸The Lord has repaid you for all the blood of the house of Saul. For you have usurped the kingdom in place of him. And so, the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, your son. And behold, your evils press close upon you, because you are a man of blood.⁹Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king: "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go and cut off his head.¹⁰And the king said: "What is it to me and to all of you, O sons of Zeruiah? Permit him, so that he may curse. For the Lord has commanded him to curse David. And who is the one who would dare to say, ‘Why has he done so?’ ¹¹And the king said to Abishai and to all his servants: "Behold, my son, who went forth from my loins, is seeking my life. How much more does a son of Benjamin do so now? Permit him, so that he may curse, in accord with the command of the Lord¹²Perhaps the Lord may look with favor upon my affliction, and the Lord may repay me good, in place of the cursing of this day.¹³And so, David continued walking along the way, and his associates with him. But Shimei was advancing along the ridge of the mountain on the side opposite him, cursing and throwing stones at him, and scattering dirt

Gospel - Mark 5.1-20

Mark

Chapter 5

¹And they went across the strait of the sea into the region of the Gerasenes²And as he was departing from the boat, he was immediately met, from among the tombs, by a man with an unclean spirit³who had his dwelling place with the tombs; neither had anyone been able to bind him, even with chains⁴For having been bound often with shackles and chains, he had broken the chains and smashed the shackles; and no one had been able to tame him⁵And he was always, day and night, among the tombs, or in the mountains, crying out and cutting himself with stones⁶And seeing Jesus from afar, he ran and adored him⁷And crying out with a loud voice, he said: "What am I to you, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God? I beseech you by God, that you not torment me.⁸For he said to him, "Depart from the man, you unclean spirit.⁹And he questioned him: "What is your name?" And he said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many.¹⁰And he entreated him greatly, so that he would not expel him from the region¹¹And in that place, near the mountain, there was a great herd of swine, feeding¹²And the spirits entreated him, saying: "Send us into the swine, so that we may enter into them.¹³And Jesus promptly gave them permission. And the unclean spirits, departing, entered into the swine. And the herd of about two thousand rushed down with great force into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea¹⁴Then those who pastured them fled, and they reported it in the city and in the countryside. And they all went out to see what was happening¹⁵And they came to Jesus. And they saw the man who had been troubled by the demon, sitting, clothed and with a sane mind, and they were afraid¹⁶And those who had seen it explained to them how he had dealt with the man who had the demon, and about the swine¹⁷And they began to petition him, so that he would withdraw from their borders¹⁸And as he was climbing into the boat, the man who had been troubled by the demons began to beg him, so that he might be with him¹⁹And he did not permit him, but he said to him, "Go to your own people, in your own house, and announce to them how great are the things that Lord has done for you, and how he has taken pity on you.²⁰And he went away and began to preach in the Ten Cities, how great were the things that Jesus had done for him. And everyone wondered

Sermon

The readings today present us with two powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on trust in God’s providence and the transformative power of faith. In the first reading from 2 Samuel, we see King David, humiliated and betrayed by his own son Absalom, fleeing Jerusalem. Despite the curses hurled at him by Shimei, David chooses not to retaliate but instead to trust in God’s plan. His humility and surrender to God’s will are a stark contrast to the anger and vengeance that might have been expected from a king in his position. This moment in David’s life reminds us that even in the midst of suffering and betrayal, we can find strength in trusting that God’s ways are not our ways, and His judgment is not our judgment. In the Gospel, we encounter a man possessed by a legion of demons, living in the tombs, and cutting himself with stones. His life is one of chaos and despair, but when he meets Jesus, everything changes. Jesus casts out the demons, restores the man to sanity, and gives him a new purpose. The man’s transformation is so profound that he wants to follow Jesus, but instead, Jesus sends him back to his community to share the good news of what God has done for him. This story highlights the power of faith and the call to witness to God’s mercy and love in our lives. Both readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to suffering and how we share our faith with others. Like David, we are called to trust in God’s providence, even when life seems unfair or painful. Like the man healed of demons, we are called to share the story of how God has worked in our lives, bringing light and hope to those around us. May we, like these two figures, embrace humility, trust in God’s plan, and bear witness to the transformative power of His love.