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Gospel Reading for July 17, 2026 – Matthew 12: 1-8
VERY PRECIOUS GIFT
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companion but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
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As Jesus said, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” God is the Lord of the Sabbath. The disciples were hungry, and they needed to eat. Eating sustains LIFE—the VERY PRECIOUS GIFT that only God can give. So why should picking heads of grain to satisfy their hunger be considered a violation of the Sabbath law?
Going to church on Sundays to participate in the Eucharistic Celebration is, above all, a celebration of LIFE. The Church exists because people, created by the Giver of LIFE, come together to worship Him, give thanks, and celebrate the gift of life that He has bestowed upon us.
Nowadays, more and more countries are legalizing what they call “assisted dying” or, more simply, “assisted suicide” for those who are terminally ill and choose to end their lives. Perhaps this is embraced by those who do not realize that since God alone is the Giver of LIFE, only He has the authority to take it away. Perhaps it is also because many do not understand the salvific value of suffering. After all, Jesus is the Son of God, yet He willingly embraced the Father’s will to save us by suffering at the cruel hands of men and by dying a slow and painful death on the cross.
When a person becomes seriously ill, it provides an opportunity for family and friends to express their love through compassion, presence, and tender care. These acts of love help ease the suffering of the sick and become moments when genuine love shines most brightly. Illness has also inspired countless advances in medicine, as God-given talents and wisdom have led researchers to discover ways to cure diseases, relieve suffering, and prevent illness.
There are also those who willingly accept their suffering as an act of atonement for their past sins or as a way of uniting themselves with Christ’s own suffering for the salvation of the world.
LIFE is a very precious gift. We entrust to God’s infinite wisdom the moment when He chooses to call us home.
Lord Jesus, may we always show our gratitude to the Father by cherishing and protecting the gift of LIFE, and by valuing all that He has created.
