St. Brigid’s Well, Kildare.There are at least 15 Brigid Wells in Ireland. These wells were used to baptize the “pagan”s who became followers of Christ. photo from-ireland.net
St. Brigid’s Rush Cross
saintsbridge.org
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3
Death of Absalom
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[9] And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. [10] And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” [14b] And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive in the oak.
News of Absalom's Death is Brought to David (Continuation)
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[24] Now David was sitting between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. [25a] And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth.” [30] And the king said, “Turn aside, and hand here.” So he turned aside, and stood still.
[31] And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the power of all who rose up against you.” [32] The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man.”
David Mourns for Absalom
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[33] And the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
[1] It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” [2] So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” [3] And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
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Commentary:
18:9-18. The actions of the protagonists in Absalom’s death are significantly different. David is completely uninvolved, having stayed in the rearguard; the branches of the oak tree which accidentally trap Absalom (v. 9) mean that the hand of God is not far from what happens; Joab, by ignoring the king’s order and thrusting darts into Absalom (v. 14), acts more as a heartless soldier than as a loyal lieutenant of David. Finally, poor Absalom, who aspired to great honors and a mausoleum in his name (v. 18), has to make do with an anonymous pit in the middle of the forest (v. 17). And this reinforces the conviction that Absalom’s death was a tragedy for everyone, albeit one merited by his ambition and cruelty. In any event, it formed part of God’s plan to prevent his succession to the throne of Israel.
18:19-32. The episode of the “tidings” that are brought to David also reveals the features of the protagonists. Joab, calculating as ever, delays sending the news because he knows that it is not at all what David wants to hear (v. 20). Ahima-az, an impetuous youth, wants to be the first to bring the news that the war is over, but he is clever enough to avoid the question about Absalom (vv. 28-29). David, king though he is, is more concerned about the fate of his son. As was the case with the death of Saul, no one will be able to blame David for Absalom’s death because he neither sought it nor was in any way pleased to learn of it. In all this the reader is able to see God at work in salvation history: the Lord withdrew his favor from Saul, he rejected Amnon, and now there is no hope that Absalom will be king.
19:1-8. In his lament for his son, David shows his tender fatherly love, his deeply human feelings (cf. 12; 15-18); whereas Joab is quite pitiless, mouthing threats to make the king cut short the mourning. David’s sorrow over his son’s death, despite all that Absalom did, shows his greatness and his fatherly heart--a heart that is a figure of the heart of Christ, who weeps over the ingratitude and rebelliousness of men towards his Father God (cf. Lk 19:41-42).
Despite the calamity of the death of his son, David has to pull himself together and put his duties as king before his fatherly feelings.