As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them, “Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Can't you imagine Jesus' exasperation with the Pharisees?
Have you ever had one of those experiences? Once I was visiting a parish with a school, and subtly (I thought) chewing gum so as not to offend anyone post-lunch. Yes, I saw the signs advising "no smoking or gum chewing on-campus", but I knew I was not going to stick the wad on a wall or under a chair and there were no children around to whom I could be a bad example. Well, the person in charge noticed and presented me with a trash can in which to dispose of my great offense. I did not protest- I WAS a visitor and I DID see the signs, but I will confess that I felt as if I had been treated like a child.
Granted, any society or institution needs a set of agreed-upon rules in order to function smoothly. You've got them in your own home (even if YOU are 'your household') - can dishes sit in the sink, are there limits to acceptable TV channels, what about that toothpaste cap? When we all understand what is expected (don't kill people, don't steal, pay and do your fair share) we can all accomplish more, and in a much more pleasant atmosphere, than any one of us hiding within our personal fortresses.
Sometimes though, we can hide behind the rules and miss the reason for them. Of course, the Sabbath is our weekly reminder to focus our praise and attention on God, who created all and sustains us in life. And we really should cut down or eliminate the things that distract us from that endeavor. Remember though - in ancient cultures, there was no 40-hour, 5-day work week; you might be working 7 days a week, sun-up to sundown! The concept of Sabbath then, was to attend to the very human need to rest, to restore energy and to nurture one's most important relationships (God and family). So the Sabbath laws were created to protect people from not getting their rest, as well as turn their hearts and minds to God on a regular basis. Some people (then and now) get so invested that every tiny regulation gets followed correctly that they miss the big picture. I can imagine that a number of Pharisees would be worn out at the end of the Sabbath from making certain that they and those around them had followed all the rules of resting!
So: this is not to counsel anarchy, but common sense. If you are faced with a tough choice between honoring a system or honoring the dignity of a person... consider your options, consider the consequences, and consider what option Jesus might have chosen.
One of the most basic principles of Catholic Social Teaching is the "Dignity of the Human Person". Here is a summary of that principle, as provided by the Social Concerns Committee of St. Andrew the Apostle parish.
All people are a reflection of the image of God and thus all human life, at all stages from conception through death, is sacred. The basic dignity that each person possesses comes from God, and therefore all discrimination is wrong. People take precedence over things and structures. Systems are meant to serve people, not vice versa.
- How does this principle relate to our Scripture for today?
- How does it apply in your life?
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