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There were a number of occasions when Jesus came in conflict with the very observant Pharisees and the Scribes who were the experts in interpreting the Law. In the minds of these people, holiness had become synonymous with keeping the requirements of the Law to the letter. Heavy manual work was forbidden on the Sabbath so that people could set aside time for prayer, reflection and worship. It was also their only day of rest. It made sense. The problem was to define heavy manual work. Harvesting was clearly excluded but plucking a few ears of wheat? Jesus used a telling example of King David, one of the most revered of Old Testament figures, who did not just pluck a few ears of corn but ate the 'holy bread' reserved only to the priests. David justified this because his men were hungry. And Jesus clearly agrees. What He is saying in other words is that people are more important than laws made by human beings. The Sabbath law was made for us and not vice versa. It is important for us to remember that we, too, can put religious obligations above the need to love and serve others. We can become legalistic. We can be more worried about eating fish on Friday than feeling responsible for those who have nothing at all to eat. Let us, then, as Jesus tells us today, put people first. Lord, help us to see that it is care and concern for others that counts most. Help us, Lord, to straighten out our values, especially our religious values. |
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P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
| INTENTION : |
That Christians may favour the evangelisation of the new generations through the constant search for the unity wanted by Christ.
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The question of full Christian unity and evangelisation led to the beginnings of the ecumenical movement. The Holy Father decries the negative consequences of division among Christians and calls them to search for full Christian Unity as inspired by the Lord's Prayer. As evangelisers we must offer Christ's faithful an image of people who are mature in faith and capable of finding a meeting point beyond all tensions. The destiny of evangelisation is bound up with the witness of unity given to the Church. The urgency of preaching and displaying unity to the world arises from the fact that Christians can impair the vitality of proclaiming the Gospel and even become a scandal to the world, particularly when the churches appear to proclaim "a kingdom against itself". It is clear that the proclamation of the Gospel by divided Christians becomes counter- itness. As Christians we ought to give collaborative common witness which is founded in the common baptism in Christ and faith in the Triune God. Pray for the courage to work positively with other Christians for the purpose of promoting evangelisation. | |
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