To Cut or to Clasp: The Mercy That Makes Apostles

Voice over by Eliz

1Sam 24:3-21, Psalm: 56, Mk 3:13-19

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We have all faced the moment of power—the chance to get even, to secure our position, or to repay an injustice. In that critical moment, what guides our hand? Today, the Scriptures present us with two defining choices: the choice between vengeance and mercy, and the choice between worldly ambition and apostolic mission. Both reveal that the heart of God’s call is a call to a higher way.

In the first Book of Samuel, David is presented with a supreme test. King Saul, who has been hunting him to take his life, enters the very cave where David and his men are hiding. David’s men see this as divine providence: “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your hand.’” The opportunity for vengeance, or what could even be misconstrued as God’s will, is within his grasp. David creeps forward and cuts off a corner of Saul’s cloak, but is immediately stricken with remorse. “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,” he says, recognizing that Saul is still “the Lord’s anointed.” David chooses mercy over victory, respect over retaliation. This act of profound restraint disarms Saul, who weeps and declares, “You are in the right rather than I.” David’s mercy creates the possibility for reconciliation and reveals a heart attuned to God’s own.

This heart, formed in mercy, is the very heart required for the mission we see in the Gospel. Jesus goes up the mountain and summons those He Himself wanted. He appoints Twelve “that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach.” This is the dual call of every disciple: first, to be with Him in intimacy; second, to be sent forth in mission. He gives them authority, not for their own glory, but to continue His work of healing and liberation. This apostolic band is not formed from the flawless, but from fishermen, a tax collector, and a Zealot—men who, like David, would need to learn that God’s power is made perfect in mercy, not in worldly force.

The connection for us is profound. Before we can be sent on Christ’s mission, our hearts must be schooled in David’s choice. We must learn to put down the knife of vengeance, gossip, and bitterness. We must see even those who hurt us as souls beloved by God, as “anointed” in their own humanity. Only a heart that has chosen mercy is fit to preach a Gospel of mercy.

St. Augustine profoundly noted that “the Church is founded on the apostles, but built up of stones that have been cut out from the mountains of sin.” We are those stones, chosen not for our perfection, but by His grace. Our mission begins when we, like David, let mercy cut away our vindictiveness.

What does this look like today? It means choosing to speak well of someone who has wronged us. It means relinquishing our “right” to the last word in a quarrel. It means praying for, rather than plotting against, a rival.

And from that purified heart, we hear the Lord’s call anew: “Come, be with me.” In prayer and sacrament, He draws us close. And then He says, “Go, be sent.” Your family, your workplace, and your parish is your mission field.

Let us ask for the grace to choose the clasp of mercy over the cut of vengeance. Let us embrace our call to be with Jesus and be sent by Him, so that our lives may truly become apostolic, building up the Kingdom not by force, but by the irresistible power of love. Amen.

May God bless you all!