Scripture readings for today can be found at Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB
In our gospel from St.
Matthew for today we see another confrontation between the Pharisees and the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees see that the apostles were doing something
that went against the laws of the Sabbath. The law in this instance was doing what
was considered work on the Sabbath when the apostles, because of their hunger,
started picking the heads of grain to satisfy their hunger. To the Pharisees
this was a great sin. Instead of looking at the fact that the apostles were
hungry and deserved to be fed the Pharisees looked at it from the perspective
that they were breaking the sabbath.
But Jesus defends his
disciples' actions of plucking grain on the Sabbath, arguing that mercy and
human need take precedence over strict Sabbath observance. The Lord
further reminded them of the time when David and his men ate the Sacred Bread
in the temple which only the priests were allowed to eat. This act of mercy
towards those who are hungry is something pleasing to God.
In our own time we are
called by Jesus to be merciful towards those in our lives that may not be doing
things according to our understanding of God and of His laws. Everything in
God’s laws and commandments flow from loving God and loving those around us.
We are to look at
everyone with the eyes of mercy. We are to see people that are loved by God. We are to look beyond what is in the law and
look towards the needs of those around us. By being merciful towards everyone
and showing them the love that God has for them we are helping them come closer
to God and to grow in relationship with the God who loves them. Instead of
pointing our fingers towards people and telling them they are breaking God’s
commandments, we are to have open arms to welcome them into our Christian
community letting them know that God loves them unconditionally.
It is by showing them
the love of God that they will be drawn to following the God of love and mercy.
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