First reading 1 Corinthians 4:6-15
What do you have that was not given to you?
Take Apollos and myself as an example and remember the maxim: ‘Keep to what is written.’ It is not for you, so full of your own importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not? Is it that you have everything you want – that you are rich already, in possession of your kingdom, with us left outside? Indeed I wish you were really kings, and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true – we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ, while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power, but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies. To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we are cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated as the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth.
I am saying all this not just to make you ashamed but to bring you, as my dearest children, to your senses. You might have thousands of guardians in Christ, but not more than one father and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the Good News.
Responsorial Psalm 144(145):17-21
The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
he hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord keeps all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
May my mouth speak the praise of the Lord,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Gospel Luke 6:1-5
The Son of Man is master of the sabbath
One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Jesus answered them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’
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To love as the main priority
In today’s gospel, some religious leaders are scandalised by Jesus’ disciples picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them on a Sabbath day. They are so focused on preserving structure and norms that they neglect to show love. God’s law never excludes people from basic needs. God is neither legalistic nor indifferent. He cares for us and provides us with what we need. The religious leaders are too self-righteous to discern what truly matters. Jesus reminds them and us to let love always be our guide.
Close-minded individuals who rigidly adhere to the letter of the law shut themselves off from love. As Christians, let us not follow the path of the Pharisees, who follow external observances and norms but neglect to put love into practice.
Reflective question:
What can I do to let love be my motivation today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
