What do you do when taking revenge is entirely within your power? Today’s reading contrasts the power of self-restraint with the tragedy of spiritual collapse. In 1 Samuel, David finds himself in a dark cave with King Saul completely vulnerable at his feet. Urged by his men to kill his pursuer, David refuses to take vengeance into his own hands, choosing to spare the Lord's anointed. We also meet Abigail, a wise and discerning woman who intervenes to stop David from making a bloody mistake against her foolish husband, Nabal.

In the Gospel of John, we watch two tragic missteps: Peter utterly collapses under pressure, denying Jesus three times by a courtyard fire, while the Roman governor Pontius Pilate stands face-to-face with the Truth of the cosmos and cynically asks, "What is truth?" before choosing to release a violent criminal instead o ...