Word to the Wise
Saturday, July 19, 2025 - Saturday in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
[Exod 12:37-42 and Matt 12:14-21]The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles..... [Matthew]
Jesus' attitude toward observance of Mosaic Law brought him hostility from those who were dedicated to meticulous obedience to that law. The passage from the Gospel According to Matthew follows a healing on the sabbath and another incident on a sabbath in which the disciples were pulling wheat grains for food as they followed Jesus. Healing and reaping were considered "work" which was forbidden on the sabbath. In the case of the grain pulling, Jesus once again (the first time was when he was criticized by the Pharisees for dining with tax collectors and sinners) quoted Hosea 6:6: It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice." The Pharisees were so upset that they began to plot against Jesus. But Jesus' continued his ministry of healing which Matthew saw as a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.
We Catholics have an abundance of observances of all different kinds. The ones involving liturgical gestures and postures can attract attention from time to time. All the gestures of a priest at Mass are indicated in red print in the altar missal and are called "rubrics" (after the Latin word for red - "ruber"). Scrupulosity about these gestures can create problems at times. The same is true about common gestures of genuflection or holding hands or wearing (or not wearing) something. I once asked a young boy to remove his cap in church only to discover that he had had some scalp surgery that required him to keep it covered!!!
If we find ourselves unduly concerned about details of church etiquette, it can be helpful to remember the words from Hosea, which Jesus quoted: It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice. AMEN