Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

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.”

In today’s gospel, we are reminded that the Sabbath was created for man, not the other way around. God wants us to take at least one day out of every week and make it holy. He also wants us to rest in His Love and Mercy on this day. This is why it is so important to celebrate the Sabbath. His Divine Presence at Mass renews us and gives us the graces we need to make it through the week. The spiritual food we receive through the liturgies of the Word and Eucharist, nourish our souls, make them stronger, help us lead healthier lives, and unite us in the spiritual body of Christ. If we do not take time for the Sabbath, we will go spiritually hungry, become too weak to do God’s Will, and wither away in sin and idleness. The Sabbath is a cornerstone of our faith and we should be perpetually thankful for the graces that flow from our participation in it every week.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath? Do we take time to rest in the Lord? Do we spend time not only receiving the God's Word and the Eucharist, but also make them part of our being?

O Lord, help us to keep holy your Sabbath.

Amen.