Gospel: Mk 2:23-28
One Sabbath he was walking through grain fields. As his disciples walked along with him, they began to pick the heads of grain and crush them in their hands. Then the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! They are doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath!”
And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did in his time of need; when he and his men were very hungry? He went into the House of God when Abiathar was High Priest and ate the bread of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and he also gave some to the men who were with him.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.”
Reflections
THE SABBATH IS MADE FOR PEOPLE AND NOT PEOPLE FOR THE SABBATH
This saying of Jesus was in the context of his disciples doing something forbidden on the Sabbath. He gave other examples how rules are superseded by need. Laws and rules originally are there to facilitate life in a community. Observance of them normally prevents conflicts, misunderstandings and chaos. However, laws and rules have the tendency, as time goes, by to take on a life of their own and, after the situation in which they were made have changed, they continue to exist and become oppressive to people. One example is the Sunday Mass obligation. In the beginning, it was a joyful commemoration of the last supper. As time went on, the attendance at such reunion became obligatory. In fact, I remember in my childhood catechism lessons that missing Mass on Sunday through one’s fault is a mortal sin and would be punished (of course - since it is mortal) by hell. We of course today see how disproportionate the punishment is to the deed. We need rules, regulations, laws, etc, but their observance must take into consideration the context, the situation and the good of the person. I believe that in school one should not teach the children that being good means obeying rules. What is more important is to train the students in good, responsible decision-making. This formation of a good conscience is the key to living a good moral life.
Daily Reflection 2018
Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Copyright © 2O17
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
