FIRST READING
He has reconciled you in order to present you holy and blameless.
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (Colossians1:21-23)
Brethren: You, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in Christ’s body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 54:3-4.6 and 8 (R. 6a)
R. See, I have God for my help.
O God, save me by your name;
by your power, defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth. R.
See, I have God for my help.
The Lord sustains my soul.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart,
and praise your name, for it is good. R.
ALLELUIA John 14:6
Alleluia. I am the way, and the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, but by me. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 6:1-5)
On a sabbath, While Jesus was going through the grain fields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?” And Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the show bread, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
Plato posited that we are born free, but all around us are chains. Life in Jesus is one of peace, joy, and freedom from stiff traditions that undermine human dignity. Though we abuse our freedom, rendering ourselves slaves to things that we should naturally control, God does not abandon us. He sent us his only son, Jesus, to teach us the way of peace and freedom. Only those who live in Christ can truly live and love. As St Paul puts it, “… the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). This was the state of the apostles as they journeyed with Jesus through the grain fields. Forgetting all else in the company of Jesus, they enjoyed the nourishment the field offered. But this did not go down well with the Pharisees, who were conditioned to their rigid Sabbath restrictions. Jesus used the occasion to teach us that he is the Lord of the Sab-bath and that the one who lives in him lives fully.