(Optional Memorial of Saint Lawrence Of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church)
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| “The Disciples Pluck Corn” by Edward Armitage, c. 1865 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Exodus 11:10—12:14
Commentary on Ex 11:10—12:14
In this reading from Exodus we have jumped forward to the end of Moses’ contest of wills with Pharaoh. The first nine plagues have been visited upon Egypt, and still the Pharaoh will not allow the people of Israel to leave. Now God gives instructions to Moses and Aaron about what later will be called the Passover Feast. This is done in preparation for the repercussions from the slaughter of the first born of Egypt.
CCC: Ex 12:3-14 608
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18
R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Commentary on Ps 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18
This selection from Psalm 116 recalls the Passover ritual referring to the “cup of salvation.” The psalm rejoices in God’s saving works in releasing the people from their bondage. It gives us the image of the “Cup of Blessing” used in the Passover celebration. It is this cup that the Lord first blessed and used as our communion cup.
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Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8
Commentary on Mt 12:1-8
Following the comment by Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 about asking those burdened by strict Pharisaic interpretation of the Law of Moses to come to him, we find a practical example as the Pharisees attack the disciples because they picked some grain to eat on the sabbath. In Pharisaic Law, that act is considered work, and is forbidden on the Lord’s Day. Jesus reinterprets the law, citing the First Book of Samuel (1 Samuel 21:2-7) and Leviticus (Leviticus 24:8). The implication of his final statement in this passage is clear to us. “The ultimate justification for the disciples' violation of the sabbath rest is that Jesus, the Son of Man, has supreme authority over the law.”[4]
CCC: Mt 12:5 581, 582, 2173; Mt 12:6 586, 590; Mt 12:7 2100
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Reflection:
What is most important about what we believe? What is important about our faith lived and practiced? Is it that we attend Mass each Sunday as we are obligated to do? Is it that we scrupulously observe the rituals, fasts, and abstinence rules? In fact, some have challenged our practices based upon the Gospel passage from St. Matthew. They have asked: do we need rules and laws, or even the precepts of our faith at all? In point of fact, many of the various Christian denominations developed out of a “sola scriptura (Bible only)” idea.
Their argument is, Jesus’ disciples were not confined to the religious rituals and laws of the Pharisees and Chief Priests of the Temple. In fact, on many occasions, as in the passage given today, Jesus challenged them on their practice of the faith. Even when he reached out to the poor and downtrodden offering a lighter burden and an easier yoke, he was speaking at least in part about the strict regulations of the Pharisees.
As is generally the case, when one takes the Lord’s demands based on only one aspect of his teaching, we can justify almost any action in the name of being faithful to the Bible. The Church, in her wisdom, has looked for millennia at the whole of Christ’s teaching, understanding in the broader sense the Lord’s will for God’s people. This broad and foundational view, long studied and reflected upon, lets us see beyond the “face value” of such readings.
When Jesus challenges the Pharisees he first testifies (by example) that he has come, not to destroy the “Law”, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17ff). He tells us that he has the authority to excuse his disciples, because of the vital role they are playing in God’s plan, to be exempted or dispensed from the strict rules regarding “work” on the Sabbath. He did not say that those rules regarding work were wrong or that they should not be followed. He simply dispensed his disciples from this obligation, just as those having authority in the Church may dispense one of the faithful from a specific obligation based upon need.
Jesus, in this instance, used this point of contention as a teaching moment, trying to point out to the Pharisees that what they had long hoped for, the coming of a Messiah, was realized in the person of Jesus. (“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.”)
As in Jesus’ day, there are those who would argue this point and lobby for an easier discipline, a more flexible set of rules governing the practice of the faith. We submit to you today that, as difficult as it is to adhere to the Precepts of the Faith, it is those very ideals that define us as Christian and Catholic.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Disciples Pluck Corn” by Edward Armitage, c. 1865
[4] See NAB footnote on Matthew 12:1-8
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