Life is a Battle

Homily for Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Broadway would have us believe that life is a cabaret. The popular song tells us that life is a bowl of cherries. Forrest Gump's mother told him that life was a box of chocolates. Armchair philosophers tell us that life is a journey. The Scriptures today give us quite another metaphor; namely, life as a battle. We are Davids to the world’s Goliaths. Like David, we are fighting to avoid being squashed by the vagaries of human life on an imperfect planet that is constantly throwing hurdles in our paths.

When Saul considers David’s request, he is persuaded by the young man’s confidence. David expresses absolute confidence in God’s protection. He shows no signs of hesitation or fear. He is ready to face the giant and places his trust in God. In this episode he distinguishes himself from Saul who has lost God’s favor because of his inability to obey the Lord’s will.

David’s confidence and trust in God stands in contrast to the skepticism and distrust of the Pharisees in today’s Gospel passage. Since the beginning of St. Mark’s Gospel, they have been critical of Jesus. First they simply thought ill of him. However, Jesus revealed that he could read their thoughts. Then they complained to his disciples. Again, Jesus overheard them and upbraided them for their distrust. In today’s episode, he turns the tables on them and asks them their opinion. He knows that if they are really intent on keeping the Sabbath Law, they will admit that it is permissible to save a life or to do good on the Sabbath. However, they remain silent rather than admit that Jesus is right.

The Gospel closes with the Pharisees joining the Herodians in plotting against Jesus. Two things should be noted. This is only the third chapter of the Gospel, and his enemies are already plotting Jesus’ death. Secondly, the Pharisees and the Herodians had been mutual enemies up until now. Their fear of losing power over the people is so great that they are willing to join forces with men they would ordinarily avoid at all cost.

Both David and Jesus exude confidence and trust in God’s care for them. When we are struggling with any difficulty, we would do well to remember how both of them define themselves by their complete and utter trust in God’s providence.