King David points to Jesus in many ways. Today we see his unwavering love for
his rebellious son. Yesterday we
heard how Absalom had rejected his father and attempted to take the kingdom
from him. Ultimately Absalom
failed, losing his life in battle.
We
see David’s unconditional love after he heard the news and cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom,
my son, my son!” This
compassionate response after being rejected by his own son!
Really,
this is what God’s love is all above.
We frequently reject God in our lives, exiling Him from our hearts. Like David, God says, “If only I had died instead of you…” Unlike David, God sent His son who
actually died instead of us.
In
his recent apostolic exhortation The Joy
of the Gospel (which I highly recommend), Pope Francis encourages us to
seek our Father’s love through Jesus Christ: “I invite all Christians,
everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus
Christ…say to Jesus ‘Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I
have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with
you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once
more into your redeeming embrace.’
How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost!”
As
much as David loved Absalom despite his failures and shortcomings, God loves us
infinitely more. May we daily seek
His mercy in our lives.
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