From the responsorial psalm: “Those live whom the LORD protects; yours is the life of my spirit. You have given me health and life. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.”
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 the first reading from Isaiah, the LORD shows mercy to King Hezekiah, hearing and responding to his prayers. He says to him, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you.” As the disciples are walking through a grainfield on the Sabbath, picking the heads of grain and eating them, the Pharisees criticize them for breaking the Sabbath law. As the Lord of life, Jesus is merciful toward the disciples in the same way the LORD shows mercy to Hezekiah. Jesus tells them the story of King David and his men who ate the consecrated bread in the temple when they were hungry. The Son of Man, the LORD who speaks through Isaiah, is “Lord of the sabbath.” Through his mercy, compassion, and teaching of the spirit of the law, Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ tight adherence to the law that obstructs their ability to know the Lord and experience his mercy.
God, help me take to heart the words of Jesus today as I face crucial moments when I would have my way supplant yours. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus says to the Pharisees. Give me the grace to remain in you, not hard of heart, but willing to bend as you give me the opportunity to be a means of mercy to others. Violation of the law, unlawful actions, guilty transgressions—all of these accusations of the Pharisees—are at their root the same tools of judgment that I can be all too quick to wield when I observe the wrongdoing of others without attempting to understand the situation. Lord of all, help me realize that just judgment is yours alone; guide me in the way of lovingkindness and compassion.
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.