It seems that wherever Jesus went, He drew a crowd, as we see in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 3. The more people He healed, the more demons He cast out, the bigger the crowds grew. More and more people came to believe in Him. Even the unclean spirits attested to Jesus, saying, “You are the Son of God.”
In the first reading from 1 Samuel 18 and 19, we see what happened after David had slain Goliath. He became a rock star. People were singing songs about him and his bravery and prowess on the battlefield. This did not sit well with King Saul. He became insanely jealous of David, to the point where he planned to have David killed. Jonathan, Saul’s son, was David’s friend. Jonathan interceded with his father for David, and Saul agreed not to kill the future king.
Jealousy can be a cancer in our hearts. We hear often the stories of violent acts committed because of jealousy. Jealousy is really bred from insecurity. And insecurity comes from a lack of knowledge of who we really are. When we come to realize that God loves us and has a plan for our lives, there is no need to be jealous of anyone. We just need to be obedient and allow God’s plan to unfold in our lives. How that works out with others we should leave up to Him.
Father, forgive us when we let jealousy rule our hearts. Show us your will in our lives and fill our hearts with love, so that there is no room for jealousy. Amen.
Jealousy…a big part of my Goliath. Insecurity to jealousy to self reflection to Trust. Easy to comprehend hard to do. Thanks for the simplicity in the deeper message. You nailed it !
Good to contemplate. Thanks Gus ! Love these daily reflections :)