Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 19, 2016 - Tuesday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Sam 16:1-13 and Mark 2:23-28]TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 TUESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Mark 2:23-28] "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"..."The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." [Mark] What were the disciples doing that drew the criticism of the Pharisees? They were picking grain and eating it on the sabbath. That constituted harvesting, which was work and therefore forbidden in the Law of Moses. This issue hit at one of the most sacred observances. In our culture, we have largely lost the idea of things closing down and everybody refraining from "servile labor" on Sunday. It may be difficult for us to appreciate the sensitivity of the Pharisees on this subject. Jesus' reply to the Pharisees does put matters into perspective. Basic human needs such as hunger may come first before observances. Healing may come before observance. But Jesus does not say that we should ignore the sabbath. Is our sabbath really only the time we spend going to Mass on the weekend? The sabbath is really a gift of time, which our culture calls "golden." How much time do we give to God each week, and how much time goes to secular pursuits? The idea of Pharisees "tsk,tsk-ing" at us may be abhorrent, but we might look more closely at what we are doing that draws their attention. AMEN
config
view
logs
4096.0 KB
144 ms
4
