FIRST READING
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
When Hezekiah was mortally ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him: “Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD:
“O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you!” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD’s temple; I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city.”
Isaiah then ordered a poultice of figs to be taken and applied to the boil, that he might recover. Then Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the temple of the LORD?”
Isaiah answered:
“This will be the sign for you from the LORD that he will do what he has promised: See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz go back the ten steps it has advanced.” So the sun came back the ten steps it had advanced.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Isaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16
R. (see 17b) You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Once I said, “In the noontime of life I must depart! To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned for the rest of my years.”
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
I said, “I shall see the LORD no more in the land of the living. No longer shall I behold my fellow men among those who dwell in the world.”
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent, is struck down and borne away from me; You have folded up my life, like a weaver who severs the last thread.
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Those live whom the LORD protects; yours is the life of my spirit. You have given me health and life.
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
ALLELUIA
John 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord, I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 12:1-8
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 the 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 companions 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.”
REFLECTIONS:
What does the commandment "keep holy the Sabbath"
require of us? Or better yet, what is the primary intention behind this
command? The religious leaders confronted Jesus on this issue. The "Sabbath
rest" was meant to be a time to remember and celebrate God's goodness and
the goodness of his work, both in creation and redemption. It was a day
set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving actions
on our behalf. It was intended to bring everyday work to a halt and to
provide needed rest and refreshment. Jesus' disciples are scolded by the
scribes and Pharisees, not for plucking and eating corn from the fields,
but for doing so on the Sabbath. In defending his disciples, Jesus argues
from the scriptures that human need has precedence over ritual custom.
In their hunger, David and his men ate of the holy bread offered in the
Temple. Jesus also quoted of the Sabbath work involved in worship in the
Temple. This kind of work was usually double the work of worship
on weekdays. Jesus then quotes from the prophet Hosea (6:6): I desire
mercy, and not sacrifice. While the claims of ritual sacrifice are
important to God, mercy and kindness in response to human need are even
more important. Do you honor the Lord in the way you treat your neighbor
and celebrate the Lord's Day?
"Lord, make us to walk in your way: Where there is love and wisdom,
there is neither fear nor ignorance; where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor annoyance; where there is poverty and joy, there
is neither greed nor avarice; where there is peace and contemplation, there
is neither care nor restlessness; where there is the fear of God to guard
the dwelling, there no enemy can enter; where there is mercy and prudence,
there is neither excess nor harshness; this we know through your Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)
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