Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”
Necessity is always understood
1. To go through. While walking through life, there will obviously be many blows and desperate moments; challenges and decisions. There will be needs and situations that must be faced every day; things that go well and things that don’t. There are times when you act logically and other times, out of necessity. It is good idea to ask yourself where you are going in life, how you are making decisions and why. There are always needs in our lives, the point is to know how to solve them.
2. What is not allowed. I remember seeing a picture that said: “they are scandalized that he has a tattoo, but they are not scandalized that they murmur.” And it featured a man with his whole face tattooed proclaiming the first reading at Mass. Sometimes those of us who are involved in the religious world become the FBI of faith, we like controlling everything and everyone, passing judgment on who is doing the right thing and who isn’t. Even the priest is made to look like a controlling policeman. I cannot put myself in the position of being a “faith policeman” to control the faults and sins of others. Nor can I live being cautious of every parishioner who comes to criticize or to try to enforce spiritual control. Our faith is beautiful, it’s a life-saving religion, so it’s very sad to see it reduced to mere compliance. It’s so sad to see when the parish community gets involved in a witch hunt to trap someone at fault and destroy them.
3. Common sense. I think common sense is not actually common. It’s something that Jesus emphasizes in relation to King David. It is necessary to use common sense and learn to see life logically, always thinking of the greater good. It means thinking of each person and their circumstances, about how to help them live well, remembering we all have dignity. It is simply seeking to live in peace and to give everything without asking for anything.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
