Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

READINGS

Gospel Mk 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

REFLECTION

“Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’”

I was listening to a homily given by a Dominican priest in the Philippines. They are 14 hours ahead in time, so the priest was reflecting on Tuesday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time.

He started out with asking a Jewish friend, “How do the Jewish people think of the sabbath?” His friend answered, “I think of it as a day ‘to be’ and not ‘to do.’”

The priest continued, “ A person’s worth is not measured on what a person can do, but by our “being.” He said in our time we think of a person’s worth by what they have achieved. Today, people are admired for their degrees or skills; for what they do. Why not look at a person or others for their “being.” We are made in the image of God. Our being is of God and from God."

In the Israelites’ history, after the temple of Jerusalem was rebuilt around 515 BC to AD 70, the scribes and rabbis studied the words of the Scriptures (Torah), interpreting every detail.

What kinds of work could be allowed on the sabbath within the Law? According to the Laws that the Pharisee’s listed no work could be done on the sabbath, no cooking, no carrying water, no burdens were carried on that day. But their interpretations increasingly focused on the external commitment to the Law rather than developing an attitude of accepting that God created them (us) to enjoy all of His creation. So, obeying their interpretation became a source of pride and power instead of an expression of love of God.

“Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’” Jesus explained why God the Father gave the Israelites the sabbath. His Father wanted to encourage them to love Him and to love others. God did not prohibit doing good on the sabbath, so Jesus clarified that God had given the sabbath as a gift to the people He had created.

So, back to the homily, “The sabbath tells us to STOP and focus on God’s image and likeness in people. It might be difficult to see God’s image in ourselves, but God’s image is in you and in others. No matter what your accomplishments or mistakes are it is more important to look for God's image in each other.”

Let us pray for all priests to be inspired by the Holy Spirit when they prepare their homilies and break open God's Word for us to understand.

Let us pray our PAPA Prayer for Priests.