Reflection
1 COR 4:6b-15
PS 145:17-18, 19-20, 21
LK 6:1-5
In the Gospel, the Apostles are criticized for picking grain for food on the Sabbath. The scribes and pharisees see this as an affront to the law. Jesus makes a startling comment – that he is the Lord of the Sabbath; the law is subject to him, not the other way around.
God instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest to provide freedom for his people to spend more time with him. Service to God and neighbor are more important than the complicated lists of forbidden work that were in place by Jesus’s time.
The leaders of the time were nitpicking. They were being deliberately blind to the miracles and good works of Jesus and his Disciples, becoming angry when these healings occurred on the Sabbath day, and were quick to point out infractions of the law. They were outwardly following the law, while their hearts were hardened to the suffering of those around them.
This episode puts us in mind of the times when we have busied ourselves with acts of piety while that time could have been better used to attend to the needs of others. Yes, our prayers and acts of piety are necessary and helpful in building our spiritual muscles, but what are we building them for?
Lord, may we never fail to give you glory and praise, and help us to see that serving others is, in fact, giving you glory and praise.