March 22, 2013 – 2 Kings 3
After having the last reflection talk about respect verses honor, here we have Elisha showing the king respect because of someone else, but he doesn’t go as far as to honor any of them and it is obvious that he does not respect the one king, even though he is a king.
It makes me wonder about the saying “you honor us with your presence”, which could have been said by the kings when Elisha comes to them.  The saying implies that even by showing up to something, you might honor or show support for what is going on.
Here is an example that we may have all experienced.  Have you ever known a Catholic couple that lived together before they were married?  Did you go to the wedding?  If you did, you “honored” them (showed support for their choice) by your presence.  You can see how tricky scandal can become and how quickly people can become unconvinced by the teachings of the Church when they see everyone just excepting these wrongs by “honoring them with their presence”.  Same can be said if you go to a gay marriage ceremony, a party where there is underage drinking or drug use, and perhaps even going shopping unnecessarily on a Sunday.  Think about all the things you “honor by your presence” and what those that see you are learning and taking from this.