Sabbath and other surprises

Surprise is an emotion which we should experience as we encounter the Divine. We need to remind ourselves that the thoughts and ways of God are not ours. The Roman Catholic Lectionary today takes us to the book of Samuel. David, the youngest and of the least physical prowess is chosen to be the King of Israel. Mark’s Gospel relates the surprise of the religious officials when Jesus disciples pluck grain and eat it on the Sabbath. The strict observance of the “Sabbath laws” is not the disposition of humans toward the Divine. Keeping the Sabbath is that opportunity to let the Presence of the Divine be experienced in delight, joy, love because the cares of the week have been set aside to allow the indwelling Spirit to be open to an anointing of Divine selection.