Gospel: Lk 6:1-5
WHILE Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabĀbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, āWhy are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?ā Jesus said to them in reply, āHave you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions.ā Then he said to them, āThe Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.ā
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In the Old Testament, Sabbath is a day set aside for rest and worship, since it is linked to Godās rest after creation, and it is made holy by God (cf Gn 2:2-3). It is a day of remembering Godās gift of creation, and its observance is enshrined in the Ten Commandments: āRemember the sabbath day ā keep it holyā (Ex 20:8).
When Jesus declares, āThe sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbathā (Mk 2:27), he opens up a new vision to see every law in the context of human need. The Law is not self-serving but is meant to recognize the Lordship of God in all creation, which includes man as the highest of Godās creatures. The worship of God is translated into the care of all creation. āFor the Christian, Sunday is above all an Easter celebration, wholly illumined by the glory of the Risen Christ. It is the festival of the ānew creationāā (Dies Domini, 8). As Paul says, āAll things were created through him and for himā (Col 1:16).
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SOURCE: ā365 Days with the Lord,ā ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.