Reflection for Tuesday January 21 Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr: Mark 2:23-28

Gospel: Mark 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? 

How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” 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.”

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Reflection:

What is a Sabbath? 

Sabbath is a day of rest and worship based on this command: “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you may work and do all your occupation, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then.” (Exodus 20:8-10) 

 Whenever there is a rule, there is also a valid exception. This is what Jesus was pointing out to the Pharisees. For Jesus, the fulfillment of a valid human need is more important than fulfilling the law—in this case, the Sabbath law. 

Law/s should always serve the good of humanity, laws are there to serve humanity not to punish or restrict humanity. 

Some of us create restrictive and oppressive laws within our respective fields—not to serve their true purpose, but to serve our own selfish interests. In the end, our insistence on fulfilling these self-created, self-serving laws results in enmity and discord among us.

And the law that we have created to create order becomes the very reason for disorder, conflict and disunity. – Marino J. Dasmarinas