A Reflection for Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” (Lk 6:2)
My younger brother and I are a few years apart in age, and I would say we get at each other’s throats quite a bit. I often compare myself to him and focus on the ways in which I have done things, at least in my mind, better than him. For example, I might say, “Why are my parents buying a new pair of headphones for my brother when he hasn’t been earning grades as good as mine?” Of course, I am missing part of the picture here. These comparisons reduce an issue to its surface level without taking into account what could be going on behind the scenes.
The Pharisees in today’s Gospel ask Jesus and his disciples, who are picking and eating grain, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” This is true at face value, but it misses part of the picture. Jesus responds: “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
As I read this, it occurs to me that my brother might need those headphones to get better grades in the same way the disciples might need to eat the wheat. I believe we should live with some code of ethics, but it should come with moderation. Without eating, the disciples might have been following the law better in the moment, but they might later suffer from hunger and its effects. My brother might be inclined to study harder were he not rewarded with new headphones, but perhaps these headphones would actually help him to study better and get better grades. Yes, one should follow the law or strive for good grades, but this should not come at the expense of living a healthy life.
That’s where accusations like these can be so harmful. They reduce a person's decisions and actions to black and white, when there is of course more to a person than their particular choice in a single situation. It also assumes that we wouldn’t want the same grace when the tables are turned. No one wants to be judged for one action with no background information, so strive instead to look at those around you with grace, as there are surely times where everyone has had to eat the metaphorical seed on the sabbath.
