“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.'”
Mass Readings 1.20.15 – HEB 6:10-20 – PS 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 AND 10C – MK 2:23-28 – Find a Mass: MassTimes.org – Find a Mass: TheCatholicDirectory.com – Readings excerpts and brief annotations follow below
GOSPEL
The Pharisees complain when Jesus’ Disciples clear a path and pick off heads of grain on the Sabbath, even though apparently there was a practical need for them to do so.
Jesus reminds them of how King David and his companions were hungry and needed food, and ate bread of offering otherwise reserved to the Jewish priest.
The Sabbath is made for man, not the other way around.
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.’
Disciplines like the keeping of the Sabbath are intended for our betterment and well-being.
In addition to being a time of prayer and worship of God, helping us keep “on track,” the Sabbath also serves our practical need for rest.
By way of example, one recalls a secular documentary about Irish Catholic immigrants in America. At one point in time, in the 19th century, the life expectancy was not long for them, due to arduous work. Yet Sunday was a day of absolute rest from work, devoted to God and family.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
The Lord will remember His Covenant for ever.
FIRST READING
We have, as an anchor for our souls, the hope that lies before us, of God’s Promise of our Salvation.
… when God wanted to give the heirs of His Promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of His Purpose, He intervened with an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner, becoming high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
LINKS & RESOURCES
