2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 / Mark 5:1-20
Our life experiences are made up of many encounters with people.
These encounters can be anything from happy to sad, from fond memories to those we rather not remember or talk about.
But all these encounters shape our lives to who we are now, and we learn more about life from these experiences.
In the 1st reading, when king David and his men were fleeing from Absalom, a man by the name of Shimei came to confront them.
Shimei called David a “man of blood” and this was his retribution.
David could have silenced him once and for all, but he took it as part of his humiliation and he place his hope in the Lord for mercy and deliverance.
In the gospel, it was a possessed man who came out to meet Him, and the evil spirits in the man were shouting at Jesus not to punish them.
The evil spirits even begged Jesus not to send them out of the district but into the pigs, and He allowed them to do so.
In these two encounters from the readings, there are at least two things that we can learn.
Like David, when faced with hostility, let us not fight fire with fire, but let us turn to the Lord for help and protection.
And like the man who was possessed but healed by Jesus, let us be thankful for the many times God has forgiven our sins and spared us the punishment due to our sin.
Most importantly, when we see the Lord’s presence in all our encounters and experiences, then our lives will be meaningful as the Lord will be in every moment of our lives.