For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath

For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath The Gospel reading from Matthew ends with this statement. The Gospel begins articulating the situation the disciples were in as they followed Jesus. They were hungry, and pick the grains of wheat as they walked, even on the sabbath. Hunger, in general, can make us do crazy things! The Homily provides an example and further explains. In the Gospel, Jesus is walking with His disciples, and they were hungry. The disciples are experiencing hunger pains walking a few feet from the Savior of the World. They are walking next to Jesus, who fed thousands of people with just a few fish and a few pieces of bread. Jesus healed many people and did many other miracles. Yet, His disciples are going hungry! This is a lesson for all of us! As we follow Christ, everything will not be easy. Jesus does not promise us bread and butter. He is not promising comfort. He is not granting us all of the goodies in life. He does promise us the essentials . . . which is piece of mind. Hear more in the Homily. The Importance of the Sabbath The Pharisees questioned Jesus. On the sabbath, according to Jewish law, no one was to work. The sabbath was meant for a day of rest. In doing so, the Jewish people believed they were imitating God . . . who rested on the seventh day after crating the world. Curious. Why did the Jesus, the Son of God, allow His disciples to not imitate God and rest and not work on the sabbath? Jesus responds . . . the Son of man is the Lord of the sabbath. What does this really mean? What are the implications for our spiritual journey? Listen to: For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath ------------------- Image: Painting: Jesus Among the Wheat Fields (cropped): Johannes Raphael Wehle: 1900 ------------------- Gospel Reading: Matthew: 12: 1-8