In the first reading, David shows profound humility. After his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, he is experiencing the breakdown of his kingdom and the personal cost of grave sin. David has many reasons to be dejected, and many reasons to be angry, but he still attempts to follow the Lord.
Although David has already received a great deal of trial as a result of his sin, he still has much more to endure, let alone dealing with the annoyance and insult of being followed by Shimei, who is cursing him and throwing rocks at him. Most people would bristle at such treatment, and Abishai reacts typically: “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, please, and lop off his head” (2 Sam. 16:9).
Instead of entertaining Abishai’s request, David submits to God’s judgment: “Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction and make it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day” (2 Sam. 16:11–12). He knows that he deserves this treatment. More than that, he knows that if the Lord has allowed this to happen, there is a reason for it, and that it can bear fruit if endured well.
The Gerasenes don’t understand this truth. When Our Lord comes to them and exorcises the local demoniac, they run Him out of the territory. It is not immediately clear why they do this, but we can assume that Jesus caused quite a shock. The people are already on edge because of the demoniac hanging around their graveyard since he was so powerful that “no one was strong enough to subdue him” (Mark 5:4). After a dramatic encounter, Jesus casts out the demons, but assents to their request to be let into a herd of swine.
Jesus does the Gerasenes a great service, but at the cost of two thousand swine, which are drowned in the sea. We might think this amazing — and it is — but surely it was at least as inconvenient for the swineherds to deal with the loss of two thousand livestock and the pollution of the sea as it was for David to deal with Shimei’s curses and rocks. Instead of accepting their strange situation as from God, and therefore worth bearing patiently, they “began to beg [Jesus] to leave their district” (Mark 5:17). They knew that Jesus allowed for the difficulty, but they did not want to accept that it could work out for good.
We can take these scenarios and see that God allows both good and ill to befall us, and sometimes we won’t understand why. His will for us in these times is to accept the circumstances that are given to us and respond with humility, knowing that He allows all things to work together for good for those who love Him.
En la primera lectura, David muestra una profunda humildad. Después de su pecado con Betsabé y Urías, está experimentando el colapso de su reino y el costo personal de un pecado grave. David tiene muchas razones para estar abatido y muchas razones para estar enojado, pero aún así intenta seguir al Señor.
Aunque David ya ha recibido muchas pruebas como resultado de su pecado, todavía tiene mucho más que soportar, y mucho menos lidiar con la molestia y el insulto de ser seguido por Simei, quien lo maldice y le arroja piedras. La mayoría de la gente se enojaría ante tal trato, y Abisai reacciona típicamente: “¿Por qué se ha de poner a maldecir a mi señor ese perro muerto? Déjame ir a donde está y le corto la cabeza” (2 Sam 16,9).
En lugar de aceptar la petición de Abisai, David se somete al juicio de Dios: “Déjenlo que me maldiga, pues se lo ha ordenado el Señor. Tal vez el Señor se apiade de mi aflicción y las maldiciones de hoy me las convierta en bendiciones” (2 Sam 16,11-12). Él sabe que merece este trato. Más aún, sabe que si el Señor lo ha permitido, es por alguna razón, y que puede dar fruto si lo soporta bien.
Los gerasenos no comprenden esta verdad. Cuando Nuestro Señor viene a ellos y exorciza al endemoniado local, lo echan del territorio. No queda inmediatamente claro por qué hacen esto, pero podemos suponer que Jesús causó un gran shock. La gente ya está nerviosa por el endemoniado que merodea alrededor de su cementerio, ya que era tan poderoso que “nadie tenía fuerzas para dominarlo” (Marcos 5,4). Después de un encuentro dramático, Jesús expulsa a los demonios, pero accede a su petición de entrar en una piara de cerdos.
Jesús hace un gran servicio a los gerasenos, pero a costa de dos mil cerdos, que se ahogan en el mar. Podríamos pensar que esto es sorprendente, y lo es, pero seguramente fue al menos tan inconveniente para los porquerizos lidiar con la pérdida de dos mil cabezas de ganado y la contaminación del mar como lo fue para David lidiar con las maldiciones y las rocas de Simei. En lugar de aceptar su extraña situación como procedente de Dios y, por lo tanto, digna de ser soportada con paciencia, “Ellos comenzaron a rogarle a Jesús que se marchara de su comarca” (Marcos 5,17). Sabían que Jesús permitía la dificultad, pero no querían aceptar que pudiera resultar para bien.
Podemos tomar estos escenarios y ver que Dios permite que nos sucedan tanto el bien como el mal, y a veces no entenderemos por qué. Su voluntad para nosotros en estos tiempos es aceptar las circunstancias que se nos presenten y responder con humildad, sabiendo que Él permite que todas las cosas obren para el bien de quienes lo aman.
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University, and is the editor of the anthology Ever Ancient, Ever New: Why Younger Generations Are Embracing Traditional Catholicism.
Feature Image Credit: Amor Santo, cathopic.com/photo/2657-after-taking-the-communion
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 19 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Thirteen of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the executive editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program—an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students. You can reach her at 
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at 
A lover of Jesus Christ, a wife, and a mother of five, Christine is the author of Everyday Heroism: 28 Daily Reflections on the Little Way of Motherhood. She is a graduate of Franciscan University, an instructor for the Institute for Excellence in Writing, and an experienced catechist. Thrilled to have recently become grandparents, she and her husband currently live in Upstate, NY. Visit her author webpage at 
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for Catholic Mom, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at 
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