Thursday of the second week in Ordinary Time, Year II

1 Samuel 18:6-9;19:1-7 /Ps. 55:2-3,9-13 / Mark 3:7-12

In today’s Gospel, we hear that people came to Jesus from everywhere—Judea, Galilee, Idumea, Transjordan, Tyre, and Sidon. They crossed boundaries of distance, culture, and expectation because there was something deeply attractive about him. It was not power or status. It was the way God’s goodness shone through his words, his actions, and his compassion. In Jesus, people encountered a God who heals, listens, and restores dignity. They allowed themselves to be drawn in.
The first reading offers a contrast. Saul, wounded by the comparisons and praise given to David, becomes consumed by jealousy. These emotions are very human. Many of us know what it is like to feel threatened at work. The same can happen in the family. Even in church, we might feel this way when someone else is affirmed and we are not. The tragedy is not the feeling itself, but what happens when we let it harden into resentment. Saul’s inner unrest makes him unattractive; it closes him in on himself and leads him to harm.

Jonathan shows another way. Though David’s success could have cost him dearly, Jonathan chooses love over rivalry. He speaks well of David, protects him, and helps his father see that David is a gift, not a threat. In everyday life, Jonathan looks like the colleague who defends someone being unfairly criticized. He is the family member who refuses to fuel gossip. He is also the parishioner who rejoices in another’s gifts rather than competing with them. Through such choices, God’s beauty becomes visible.

This is our calling: to reveal something of God’s attractiveness by how we live. When we respond to hurt with mercy, people glimpse the God of life and loving kindness. Responding to jealousy with generosity allows this too. The same happens when we respond to fear with trust.
Finally, Jonathan stood by David when his life was in danger.

The risen Lord stands by us in the same way—especially when we are weak, ashamed, or afraid. As Saint Paul reminds us in the Letter to the Romans, nothing can separate us. We stay united with the love of God in Christ Jesus. If we stay close to that love, it will quietly shine through us. It will do so steadily and confidently. This will be for the healing of others. It will also lead to the deepening of our own faith.