Detect evil and respect curses

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today brings texts in which evil is encountered by David and Jesus. Shimei, an angry man of the family of Saul curses King David as he encounters him being pursued by his son Absalom. The King is urged to order Shimei’s head cut off. David reflects that the Lord may be trying to communicate with him through the curses of this man. David’s awareness of the communication with the Divine and how it has shaped his life and how it may be part of the most difficult experiences reveals a deep relationship between person and God. Jesus encounter with the demoniac suggests that the deep relationship with the Divine is a quality that is detectable by the spiritually conscious. The evil possessing the demoniac detects the spiritual relation of Jesus with the Father. The repulsion of evil from good is the consequence of this encounter.