Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
The Law Has To Serve People
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Paul criticises his Corinthians in an ironic way for their pretences, but he says he does so because he loves them. What do they have that they have not received?
Gospel. A frequent sign of their own insecurity is seeking security in laws and traditions. The more they insist on these, the more they try to bend people to them, the greater their insecurity. Laws are supposed to be in the service of the community, not vice versa. They may never become a block or a screen between people. They are not absolutes but servants of people.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Jesus your Son came not to abolish the law
but to fill it with the dimensions of love.
Do not allow commandments and rules
to stand between you and us nor between people,
but let them lead us gently,
as good educators, to you and to our neighbour
and teach us to go beyond the law
in generosity and serving love.
Make us free with the freedom brought us
by your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Brothers and sisters, I have used all this as an example for Apollos and myself to help you learn not to go beyond what is written, so that none of you becomes prideful by favoring one person over another.
How then are you better than others? What do you have that you didn’t receive? And if you did receive it, why are you proud as if you didn’t?
So, you’re already wealthy and satisfied, acting as if you’re kings without us! I wish you truly were kings so we could share in the kingship with you!
It seems to me that God has placed us, the apostles, at the lowest position—almost like condemned to death and as spectacles for the entire world—both for angels and humans.
We are fools for Christ, while you display the wisdom of Christ. We are weak, and you are strong. You are honored, while we are despised.
Until now, we have been hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, and badly treated as we travel from place to place.
We work hard, using our hands. People insult us, and we bless them; they persecute us, and we endure everything.
They speak evil of us, yet our actions are of peace. We have become like the scum of the earth, like the garbage of humankind, until now.
I do not write this to shame you, but to warn you as very dear children.
Because even if you have ten thousand guardians in the Christian life, you only have one father, and it was I who gave you life in Christ through the gospel.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (18) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him,
he hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD keeps all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
One Sabbath, Jesus was walking through a grain field, and his disciples began to pick heads of grain, crushing them in their hands to eat.
Some of the Pharisees asked them:
“Why do you do what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”
Then Jesus spoke up and asked them:
He entered the house of God, took and ate the bread of the offering, and even gave some to his men, even though only priests are allowed to eat that bread.”
And Jesus added:
“The Son of Man is Lord and rules over the Sabbath.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– That Christians may regard the commandments as doors to freedom from sin and evil and ways to serve God and people, we pray:
– That lawmakers everywhere make laws that are humane and serve the good of all in the community, we pray:
– That we may seek security in love of God and the service of people, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these signs, your gifts to us
and the fruit of our work,
we make ourselves available to you.
Do not allow us to seek false security
in observing the letter of the law
but help us to seek the insecurity and risk
of committing ourselves to you and people,
as Jesus did, your Son,
who lives with you and with us
now, and we hope and pray, for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in this Eucharist we have celebrated
the memorial of your Son’s death and rising.
He followed the law of the heart
and made love the heart of all laws.
Let the bread of life of your Son
make our love inventive and creative
in the service of people
and help us to follow the directives
of our hearts and consciences,
in the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Blessing
Christ has made us free. Let us not give up that freedom by slavishly sticking to practices and traditions that do not reflect the gospel. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 6:1-5
Mercy Is the Heart of the Sabbath
In today’s Gospel, hungry disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath, while Pharisees see a broken regulation. Jesus sees need. By recalling David eating the bread, he reveals that God’s law was never intended to suffocate life. “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” announces that mercy, not observance, discloses the heart of God.
Fr Armellini helps us recognise the danger of turning religion into a system that prioritises rules over people. A commandment separated from love loses its purpose. The Sabbath was given to restore the dignity of man, communion, and joy. Whenever my piety makes another person feel condemned, excluded, or hungry, I must ask whether I am abiding by love or defending the customs.
Fr Ron Rolheiser deepens this message by describing Sabbath as more than stopping work. It is a rhythm of rest, reconciliation, forgiveness, and wonder. It calls me to step away from my desire to be productive and profitable, and instead, to remember that my worth does not depend on achievements. We let go of grudges, cultivate gratitude, attend to relationships, and let our souls breathe again.
Jesus, therefore, invites us into holiness. Faith does not ask, “Which rule has been violated?” before asking, “Who needs compassion?” Our faith does not abolish discipline; instead, it restores discipline to its purpose: helping life flourish in God.
Today, Christ walks through the grainfields of our lives. He asks us to loosen our judgments, notice the hungry, and receive his gift of rest. May our Sabbath renew our humanity, soften our hearts, and make us instruments of the mercy of the Lord.