A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 12:1-8)
Jesus said to the Pharisees: 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.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to the Pharisees, who are critical of his disciples. As they were going through a field of grain on the Sabbath, they became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. The Pharisees accuse Jesus and the disciples of doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath. Jesus challenges the rigidity of the Pharisees in their imposing the Sabbath laws. As Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of all, Jesus emphasizes that the Sabbath was made not to burden or restrict man but to benefit him. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus tells them, placing mercy and compassion over strict legalistic observance.
God, help me see and avoid imposing codes of conduct in the same way the Pharisees did and instead be a means to others of your mercy, compassion, and your work on earth. Help me understand that you made all things for our benefit and to accept that with love and reverence for your will. Give me greater understanding of the identity and mission of your Son. Help me recognize his divinity in the Eucharist so that in taking the body and blood of Christ, I become more and more like him.
Lord, help me receive and pass on the mercy you desire for me. From the Gospel acclamation: “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord, I know them, and they follow me.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.