(Optional Memorial for Saint Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr)
Texts for the Memorial of St. Apollinaris may be taken from the Common of Martyrs (for one martyr) or Common of Pastors, for popes or bishops.
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| “The Disciples Pluck Grain” by Gustave Doré, c. 1850s. |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
Commentary on Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
The story of Hezekiah serves as an example of God’s care for those who are faithful (see also the account from 2 Kings 20:1-6). Hezekiah is dying, but God hears his prayer, sees his faithfulness, and grants him an additional 15 years of life. (Since the death of Hezekiah is recorded in 687 BC, this must have been in 702 BC.)
CCC: Is 38 1502
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Responsorial Psalm: Isaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16
R. (see 17b) You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Commentary on Is 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16
CCC: Is 38 1502
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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? Is it our faith lived and practiced? Is it that we attend Mass each Sunday, as we are obligated to do (or daily if we can)? Is it that we scrupulously observe the rituals, fasts, and abstinence rules? In fact, some faith-based groups have put forward a challenge centered upon this scripture passage asking: do we need the rules, laws, and precepts of our faith at all? In point of fact, many of those denominations calling themselves non-denominational Christian come out of this “sola scriptura (Bible only)” idea.
Their argument is that 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 these members of the Hebrew hierarchy on their practice of the Jewish 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 fragments of the Lord’s teaching.
When Jesus challenges the Pharisees, he first testifies (by example) that he has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. The Lord demonstrates 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, as one in authority in the Church may dispense one of the faithful from a specific obligation based upon need. He even cites the precedent of King David’s actions from 1 Samuel 21:2-7.
Jesus, in this instance, used this point of contention as a teaching moment. He is trying to point out to the Pharisees that what they had long hoped for, the coming of a Messiah, was realized in his own incarnation (“I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.”)
As in Jesus’ day, there were 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 used today is “The Disciples Pluck Grain” by Gustave Doré, c. 1850s.
[4] See NAB Footnote on Matthew 12:1-8.
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