Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath

1 Cor. 4:6-15, Lk. 6:1-5. One thing which prevents us from experiencing all that God has for us is that we worry about many things: what others think about us, concern about finances and problems in the world. Yes, we must be concerned, but if we spend more time with anxiety than with experiencing the good things that God has for us, we miss out on the blessing of God. In today's first reading, Paul addresses the faithful in Corinth reminding them of the gifts they have received from God through the ministry of those sent to them by God. The Psalm resonates with the words of Paul, that God is near to those who seek the help of God. The Lord will answer all prayers and take care of all the needs of those who call upon God. In today's Gospel, Jesus shows the benevolence of God in making sure His disciples have something to eat, even though harvesting food on the Sabbath is against the law.

Jesus and His disciples journeys along on a Sabbath day and become hungry. Since they are passing by a field with ripen grain, they pick the grain, process it with their hands and eat what they have taken. To a pious Jew, that is absolutely forbidden, because that is doing work of reaping, processing and eating - eating is the only one of the three permitted on the Sabbath. When accused that His disciples were breaking the Sabbath, Jesus gave a common-sense answer, backed up by a Scriptural proof. Jesus proves that it may also be done on the Sabbath by reminding them of when David and his men got special permission to eat the Temple bread, normally reserved for priests, which shows that authentic keeping of the Law allows doing whatever was necessary. Thus, Jesus have higher priority than the human rules which were made to help people experience God by taking rest. If breaking human rules enables someone to come closer to God, then the rules take second place to the relationship with God.

May the Lord help us to be more appreciative of the gift of God and replicate His love in our lives! Amen!! Keep safe and Happy weekend!!!