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| “Saint Peter Claver" Artist and Date are UNKNOWN |
In the United States, the Memorial of St. Peter Claver is obligatory. Proper readings for this memorial have not yet been published but alternate readings may be taken from the Common of Pastors: For Missionaries.
Outside the United States this memorial is optional. On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.[2] Mass texts may be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from a Votive Mass, or from the special collection of Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Commentary:
Commentary on Col 1:21-23
Setting the scene for this selection, St. Paul has just concluded his quotation of an early Christian hymn, probably known to the Colossian church. In this passage, he applies the promise of salvation contained in it to the members of the faith community. The Apostle reminds them that they are reconciled in Christ, and encourages them to be faithful to the Gospel they have been given; the one true Gospel of which St. Paul is a minister.
CCC: Col 1:20-22 2305
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 54:3-4, 6 and 8
R. (6) God himself is my help.
Commentary on Ps 54:3-4, 6 and 8
Psalm 54 is an individual lament. The psalmist first cries out to the Lord for help against a godless enemy. In the second part, praise and sacrifice are offered as a consequence of the salvation confidently expected.
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Gospel: Luke 6:1-5
Commentary on Lk 6:1-5
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. The Lord reinterprets their 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.[5]”
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Reflection:
Sometimes the more we dig into scripture the more difficult it becomes to understand exactly what a passage was meant to say. What jumps out at us today is the phase: “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” On the surface and in the context of St. Luke’s Gospel this seems to be very clear. Jesus, who is the Messiah, the anointed one sent by God to reveal himself to the world, is Lord of the Sabbath; the holy day set aside for the Lord. It is Jesus who determines what is just and unjust on his day, and he has authority over all those who may wish to interpret the Law of Moses as quoted in the biblical books of Leviticus and 1 Samuel.
When we compare the story related today in St. Luke’s Gospel of the encounter with the same story recounted in the Gospel of St. Mark, we come to a completely different conclusion. In St. Mark’s Gospel this is the conclusion of the encounter:
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." (Mark 2:27-28)
Adding in the idea that God intended the Sabbath as a blessing to mankind changes the intent of the second part of the phrase. The son of man then seems to be anyone who keeps the Sabbath day holy and not specifically Jesus, the Son of Man, assuming the title provided by Isaiah.
What comes out of our comparison, however, is not confusion! It is a richness of truth that allows us to understand that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath as the Son of God must be, and that the Sabbath, established new in us, is a blessing as a consequence.
Today we offer up the prayer that we may always be faithful to the Sabbath (a difficult thing in this secular society that erodes the sacred with impunity). We ask that the Holy Spirit keep us focused during our Sabbath on the things of God and offer him our heartfelt thanks for all he has done for us.
Pax
[1] The picture used is “Saint Peter Claver", Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[2] General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar Miscellaneous Notes no. 5
[3] S.S Commemoratio
[5] See NAB footnote on Matthew 12:1-8
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