The letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6)
If we like to title today's Gospel passage, we will probably suggest the title: Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. It is also worth noting thesewords of the Lord Jesus: "the Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath" many times helped various people to defend themselves against instrumentalization. For example, if somewhere there is a soulless approach to law that does not take into account the good of living people, we say: "law is for man, not man for law". In turn, the workaholic will do well if he realizes that "work is for man, not man for work". If someone is idolatrous about his car, a wise friend will tell him that "a car is for a man, not a man for a car." Pope Leo XIII, defending the poor against the possessiveness of the modern state, wrote in the encyclical Rerum Novarum: "The state is for man, not man for the state". Well, it is worth knowing that the entire tradition of defending man against instrumentalization has its source in today's Gospel.
Let us at least touch on another topic. Sometimes people ask: Why did the Lord Jesus not rebuke the disciples when they were picking grain from someone else's field? Was he allowing them to steal? Well, something bad has happened to us that we have such problems at all. Even according to Roman law, a hungry man could enter someone else's garden and eat there, as long as he did not get anything out of there. In the Old Testament we have several entries that authorize the poor to enter someone else's field.
For example, let us quote: " When you go through your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you wish, until you are satisfied, but do not put them in your basket. When you go through your neighbor’s grain field, you may pluck some of the ears with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain. " (Dt 23, 25-26).
Immediately in the next chapter there is a command not to be overly scrupulous in collecting grains from your field or picking olives and grapes, but to leave something so that the poor can feed on it.
This shows that not always legal regulations and traditions stand above man. It should not dominate us. This leads to legalism which is blindfold. Then we only see a violation of the law and we do not see the needs of another human being. Observance of the law understood in this way (but also the law which is the Decalogue) may lead to pathological behavior, to look for sinfulness and fallibility in everyone.
Jesus makes it clear: It was the Sabbath that was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath is for man. It was given to him to rest and celebrate on that day and in this way to glorify God. Man turned everything around, upside down; made the Sabbath a law.
He built a code of conduct around it. Thus, people became slaves of the Sabbath.
But Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He wants to restore its true meaning ... And it does ...
One more thought
There are basically two types of faith. The first is based on the letter of the law. There are not any exceptions. In the faith practiced this way, the virtue is faultless observance of the commandments, laws, and regulations. The second type of faith is one who does not despise the law, but on the other hand sees it as a hint, a tip.
There are exceptions, special situations, on this path of faith. It is a faith guided by mercy and understanding. It is a faith in which the law is seen as something that is supposed to defend and help people. In the first model, the law understood heartlessly turns ultimately against man.
St. Ignatius of Loyola himself went through a path of profound conversion from a faith based on the law that almost led him to suicide, to faith in the Spirit, in which he accepted God's Mercy and forgiveness. It was the second type of faith that allowed him to serve God and people. Not perfect, but real - as he could. It was the second type of faith that helped him to be kind and start over when something was failing in human understanding. What is your faith? Stiff, tough, essential, even like soldier, and tolerating no exceptions? Or maybe gentle, patient, merciful, understanding? What direction do you want to go on the path of faith?
St. Augustine once said: "Love and do what you want." It is quite possible that he said it under the influence of today's Gospel. Law is essential to the proper functioning of any human community, but Jesus proposes a tremendous simplification of the law. Instead of thousands of different do's and don'ts, he proposes one command: love! Love, understood as a sincere search for the good of another human being, organizes social life better than all the codes of law, from the family to international communities. The problem, however, is that we do not even know what love is and putting it into practice is a tragedy at all. But it can be remedied. It is enough to get to know Jesus and attend the school that He founded - the school of Love, which is the Church. Attending school implies making mistakes and constantly improving, but it brings with its growth and development.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george