Friday of 15th Week in Ordinary Time
BONAVENTURE, Bishop, Doctor
St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, was a peacemaker and unifier within his order and among politicians of his time. A learned man, he trusted more in God’s love, which permeates all his writings, than in his science.
First Reading: Isaiah 38:1-6; 7-8; 21-22
At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and said, “God says, ‘Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: You’re going to die. You’re not going to get well.’”
Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God: “God, please, I beg you: Remember how I’ve lived my life. I’ve lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You’ve seen how I’ve lived, the good that I have done.” And Hezekiah wept as he prayed—painful tears.
Then God told Isaiah, “Go and speak with Hezekiah. Give him this Message from me, God, the God of your ancestor David: ‘I’ve heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll add fifteen years to your life. And I’ll save both you and this city from the king of Assyria. I have my hand on this city.
“‘And this is your confirming sign, confirming that I, God, will do exactly what I have promised. Watch for this: As the sun goes down and the shadow lengthens on the sundial of Ahaz, I’m going to reverse the shadow ten notches on the dial.’” And that’s what happened: The declining sun’s shadow reversed ten notches on the dial.
Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and put it on the boil so he may recover.”
Hezekiah had said, “What is my cue that it’s all right to enter again the Sanctuary of God?”
Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8
One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them. Some Pharisees reported them to Jesus: “Your disciples are breaking the Sabbath rules!”
Jesus said, “Really? Didn’t you ever read what David and his companions did when they were hungry, how they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? And didn’t you ever read in God’s Law that priests carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules all the time and it’s not held against them?
“There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—‘I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual’—you wouldn’t be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he’s in charge.”
Prayer
Lord God,
as we celebrate Saint Bonaventure,
a man of peace and love, we ask you:
Let the Holy Spirit, the bond of love
between you and your Son,
be present here among us.
May he bind us together in peace and love
and help this little church to be
all you want your universal Church
to signify to all:
the people of your good pleasure,
rich in hope and life and joy
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Reflection:
15 July 2022
Matthew 12:1-8
Liturgy without charity is a sin
Today’s story follows immediately on yesterday’s words of Jesus inviting those carrying heavy burdens to come to him for comfort and relief. Those burdens were understood to be the yoke of the Law which could weigh so heavily on the ordinary people. Today we see what kind of burdens it entailed.
The Pharisees find fault with the Jesus and his disciples not observing the sabbath law. Picking grains from the field was interpreted as a job of harvesting, which was not permitted by law. Most manual work was forbidden on the sabbath, including for instance, reaping. So we read in Exodus: “For six days you may work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; on that day you must rest even during the seasons of ploughing and harvesting” (Exodus 34:21). In the minds of the Pharisees, what the disciples were doing breached the Sabbath requirements.
Jesus would have none of this nonsense. He pointed two examples which the Pharisees would find difficult to criticize: First, David’s soldiers, because they were hungry, went into the house of God and ate the loaves of bread which was laid out as an offering to God. According to the law, only the priests were allowed to eat this bread.
The second, he pointed to the priests on temple duty who not only worked on the sabbath but did more work than usual on that day (like priests today who are busier on a Sunday than any other day of the week!). Yet no one found fault with them.
Jesus has two further and more powerful arguments: – He calls his accusers’ attention to a saying from the prophet Hosea (Hos 6:6): “It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice.” It means that what matters before God is not our observance of law but the degree of love and compassion we have for our brothers and sisters. Laws are for people; people are not for laws.
Every time we read texts like this, we have to look at how we as Christians behave both individually and as a community. Legalism and small-mindedness can very easily infect our Catholic life. So much of divisions within the Church are resulting from our legalistic attitudes towards matters of faith.
On June 29, the Solemnity of Ss Peter and Paul, Pope Francis issued his latest Apostolic Letter on the liturgical formation of the people of God. There are good number of Catholics who refuse to accept the liturgical reforms introduced by the second Vatican Council. In the letter, Pope Francis insisted that Catholics need to better understand the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council and its goal of promoting the “full, conscious, active and fruitful celebration” of the Mass. We are so adamant on the rubrics to forget the commandment of love.
Our Mass attendance would be useless if we refuse to be forgiving and compassionate towards our brethren.
Video available on YouTube : Liturgy without charity is a sin