Reflection for January 20 Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time: 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.”

+ + + + +  + +

Reflection:

What would be our stand if we were made to choose between the observance of the law and the urgent needs of our fellow human beings? This is not merely a question of rules; it is a question of the heart. Jesus Himself gives us a clear answer. For Him, the needs of others always come first.

He reminds us of David, who set aside the strict observance of the Sabbath so that his companions might have something to eat. In God’s eyes, human hunger, human suffering, and human dignity are never secondary to rigid regulations.

Yes, rules and laws are created to establish order and prevent chaos. They are meant to guide us and protect us. Yet, we also know that there are moments when they must give way to a higher and nobler purpose.

When the welfare of our brothers and sisters is at stake, their good must come first. This is the spirit we are called to live by. We must be careful not to create or use rules to serve our own comfort, pride, or selfish ends.

We see this truth even in our own families. Parents set rules for their children out of love and concern. But loving parents also know when to bend these rules, no matter how strict they may be. 

When there is a serious and compassionate reason, or when love itself needs to be made visible, rules can and should give way to mercy. In this way, children learn that they are not merely governed by regulations, but embraced by love.

Jesus is a compassionate Lord. He does not delight in cold and rigid obedience that forgets the suffering of others. He does not condemn us for setting aside religious rules when we do so out of genuine love, mercy, and concern for those in need. For the heart of God’s law is not punishment, but compassion; not burden, but life.

And so we are invited to examine our own hearts today: when we are faced with a choice between protecting rules and protecting people, what do we choose—and do our choices reveal the merciful heart of Christ living in us? — Marino J. Dasmarinas