Homily for Saturday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time (Fr. Matt)

The Gospel today speaks about the conflict concerning the observance of the Sabbath – Saturday. The observance of the Sabbath was a central law and one of the Ten Commandments. This was a very ancient Law, the value of which was stressed after the Exile. During the Exile, the people had to work seven days a week from morning until evening, without being able to meet and meditate on the Word of God, to pray together and to share faith. In this case, he cause of the conflict was that on a Saturday the disciples were walking across the cornfields and they were picking ears of corn, because they were hungry. The Pharisees invoke the bible to say it was a transgression of the law of the Sabbath: Why do you do what is not permitted on the Sabbath?”

 

Jesus ends with the following statement: The Son of Man is master of the Sabbath! Jesus is the Son of Man, who comes from God. Because of this, He calls Himself Master of the Sabbath, making clear to the Pharisees that though an ancient law, His new law and covenant was yet to come and would rise above the old law.+