Actions in distress reveal our place

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present events which show the witness given as people pass through distress. In the second book of Samuel, David is notified of the death of his enemy Saul and his son Jonathan, in battle. The surprising revelation is that in the midst of his deep mourning of the loss of his very dear friend, Jonathan, he is also mourning and respecting the death of his enemy, Saul, who also was called by God to serve. This perspective of being able to see in those who persecute us, even to the point of seeking our death, a person who is also a child of God, attempting to live and follow his particular call is remarkable and may lead us to question the sanity of this attitude. Jesus sanity is apparently being questioned in the short passage from Mark. Friar Jude Winkler points out that the one who the crowds perceive as the Messiah is speaking in a crazy way about losing his life to his enemies. The concern over His sanity is the outward expression perhaps of that confusion or doubt that sometimes creeps in as we strive to understand how our journey in faith moves from clarity to fogginess over our mission. The psalmist praises God for for receiving the bread of tears and the scorn of our neighbours. Jesus prays on the cross to forgive them. What wonderful insanity!