One sabbath while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Today’s Gospel is Luke’s account of Jesus’s first encounter with the Pharisees. The Pharisees, obviously keeping an eye on “those people,” saw the disciples breaking a sabbath rule. Jesus reminds them of a time King David broke the rules, and caps the story by saying “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath,” another way of saying that the sabbath is made for people, not people for the sabbath. When I worked at a school, Sundays were a time to catch up: papers to mark, class plans to make, all the work of busy teachers. Of course, I did the same. “The sabbath for people” was our motto, but I think we, too, sort of missed the point. Our actions were more like people made for work. If the sabbath is God’s gift, I think more and more that it is a gift I can use better. How can I make this gift of God work for me in my life, and in our common lives, maybe even starting tomorrow? —Jesuit Prayer Team Good and gracious God, you have made the Sabbath so that we may have time and space to turn our attention to you. Help us to take the rest that we need, so that we may grow in our relationship with you, and be strengthened in your service. Amen. —Jesuit Prayer TeamGift of the Sabbath
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Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. May this prayer site anchor your day and strengthen your resolve to remember what truly matters.
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