The story of David and Absalom is a good commentary on the futility of war, especially of civil war. It not only tears nations apart, but it also tears families apart, so that father and son fight against each other, brother opposes brother. Rather than solving problems, civil war and tribal conflicts only create more problems, issues of mistrust, bitterness, and hatred.

On the other hand, the Gospel today paints a story of family love, tested and strengthened by suffering. In Paul's letters, when he uses the image of a body for the Chruch, he reminds us that, when one part of a body is ill, the whole body suffers. Similarly, in a family, when one member is ill, the whole family suffers along with the sick one. Jairus' daughter is ill in some way, and Jairus suffers because of his daughter, he suffers along with his daughter. His suffering is seen in his gesture of falling at Jesus' feet, the open plea of a man who has nowhere else to turn to for help. If we all cared for each other with the same intensity, the world would be a better place.