First reading Isaiah 38:1-6,21-22,7-8
The Lord hears Hezekiah’s prayer and heals him
Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, ‘The Lord says this, “Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not live.”’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and addressed this prayer to the Lord, ‘Ah, Lord, remember, I beg you, how I have behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and done what is right in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah shed many tears.
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, ‘Go and say to Hezekiah, “The Lord, the God of David your ancestor, says this: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will cure you: in three days’ time you shall go up to the Temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. I will save you from the hands of the king of Assyria, I will protect this city.”’
‘Bring a fig poultice,’ Isaiah said, ‘apply it to the ulcer and he will recover.’ Hezekiah said, ‘What is the sign to tell me that I shall be going up to the Temple of the Lord?’ ‘Here’ Isaiah replied ‘is the sign from the Lord that he will do what he has said. Look, I shall make the shadow cast by the declining sun go back ten steps on the steps of Ahaz.’ And the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined.
Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 38:10-12,16
The canticle of Hezekiah
Gospel Matthew 12:1-8
The Son of Man is master of the sabbath
Jesus took a walk one sabbath day through the cornfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The Pharisees noticed it and said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath.’ But he said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone? Or again, have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath day the Temple priests break the sabbath without being blamed for it? Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple. And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’
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Mercy
In the gospel passage, the religious leaders criticised Jesus for allowing His disciples to pluck the ears of corn and eat them because they were breaking the Sabbath law. Jesus dismissed them because plucking grains to satisfy hunger was not considered against the Sabbath law. He even used King David and the temple priests to show that God did not find fault for their actions. Jesus wanted to highlight to the religious leaders that following rules and regulations should be motivated by merciful love towards others, i.e. human needs take priority over scrupulous adherence to a law or ritual.
Jesus quoted the words of the prophet Hosea: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifices” (Hosea 6:6). To be a merciful person is one who draws close to the people, identifies himself/herself with their suffering and places himself/herself in their service to relieve them from their pain and misery. Mercy must motivate us in how we look at others and relate with them. Today, let us pray that we act and speak more like Jesus did.
Reflective question:
What is the message that I draw from this time of dialogue with Jesus?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
