First Reading: (1 Corinthians 4:6b–15)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 145)
Response: The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Alleluia: John 14:6
“I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: (Luke 6:1–5)
“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
Reflections:
Today's readings are befitting for a Saturday, a Sabbath. In the Gospel, the Pharisees saw a violation of a rule. Jesus saw hungry people.
That is the heart of today's Gospel.
The disciples were not being rebellious. They were hungry. Yet the religious leaders became so focused on enforcing regulations that they lost sight of the human beings standing in front of them. Jesus reminds them that God's law was never meant to crush people. It was given to lead people to God, to love, and to life.
This Gospel forces us to ask an uncomfortable question: Do I care more about being right, or about doing what is loving?
In our daily lives, we can easily become like the Pharisees. Those of us in the workforce, we tend to judge a coworker without knowing the struggle they are carrying. We become frustrated with a family member who is not meeting our expectations. We focus on procedures, schedules, rules, and technicalities while overlooking someone's suffering.
Jesus teaches us to see the person before the problem.
This does not mean that rules do not matter. Rules are important. Laws are important. Procedures are important. But when we become so attached to the letter of the rule that we lose compassion for the person in front of us, we have missed the purpose of the law.
The law must serve the good of the person. It must lead us toward love, mercy, healing, and ultimately toward God.
This is especially true in my own field of work. It is easy to become consumed by tasks, documentation, medications, protocols, schedules, admissions, discharges, and the endless demands of the day. All these things are important, and they must be done properly. But every patient is more than a diagnosis, a room number, a chart, or a workload.
Behind every task is a person.
Behind every diagnosis is a human being.
Behind every difficult patient may be fear, pain, loneliness, or a struggle we cannot see.
Christ always noticed the person first.
“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath” means that Jesus alone has the authority to reveal the true purpose of God's law. The purpose of God's law is not to burden us but to lead us into love, mercy, healing, and salvation.
The First Reading gives us another important lesson. Saint Paul asks: “What do you possess that you have not received?”
Everything we have is ultimately a gift.
Our intelligence is a gift. Our talents are gifts. Our opportunities are gifts. Our education, strength, position, and abilities are gifts we have received. Therefore, there is no room for pride that looks down on others.
Paul reminds us not to boast as if we created ourselves.
Humility begins when we recognize that what we have received is meant not only for our own glory but also for the service of others.
Perhaps that is the connection between today's readings: a humble person sees people differently.
When we are proud, we judge.
When we are proud, we focus on being right.
When we are proud, we can become like the Pharisees, protecting our position while forgetting the person.
But when we remember that everything, we have is a gift, we become more patient, more merciful, and more understanding.
Today, let's ask ourselves:
Who are we judging too quickly?
Are we focused more on rules than compassion?
Do we recognize that everything we have is a gift from God?
Is there someone who simply needs understanding from me today?
May the Lord give us humble hearts. May we never become so concerned with being right that we forget to be loving. May we see people the way Jesus saw them, not as problems to fix, rules to enforce, or burdens to carry, but as souls to love.
Amen.
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