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Gospel Reading for January 21, 2025 – Mark 2: 23-28
CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND REBIRTH
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
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The Sabbath came about as a day of rest on the 7th day of the week, patterned after the story of creation where God rested on the 7th day. Hence, for the Jews, it was unlawful to do any kind of “work” even if it were picking food to sustain life or healing a sick person to give back a healthy life. Although it is true that man needs a day of rest, the day of rest is to give glory to God, thank him for all the graces we received in the week, ask him for our needs and ask him for forgiveness for the wrong we have done. This is why we have all of these within the Eucharistic Celebration which the Church requires us to attend every Sunday and Holydays of Obligation (December 8 – Immaculate Conception, December 25 – Nativity of our Lord and January 1 – Feast of Mary, Mother of God). The Sabbath, which is now on a Sunday to give precedence to the Resurrection of Jesus that happened on the 1st day of the week, is a CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND REBIRTH. We cannot rest living a life, otherwise, we will be dead. As Jesus aptly said, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
There are things that the Church requires us to do and it is VERY IMPORTANT for us to find out and understand why they are there. Otherwise, they will be reduced to just being mere rituals with no meaning at all for us.
Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, all glory and praise to you forever!
