“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

mark 2:27-28

Mark 2:23-28

Reflection

Jesus and his disciples are passing through a field of grain of the sabbath, and the disciples begin to pick some of the grain. When the Pharisees witness this, for it was unlawful to do on the sabbath, Jesus reminds them that King David did a similar thing. Jesus also tells the Pharisees that the sabbath was made for man, not that man was made for the sabbath.

This same concept applies to the Commandments. God put them in place for the disobeying Israelites – God does not need them, but we do. When we struggle with a particular sin, Jesus has instituted the sacrament of reconciliation – not that he needs it, but for our benefit.

Many times, we (and others outside the Church) think there are many rules and regulations to follow. But all is in place to lead us down a path of holiness towards God. If such things were not there, we would almost certainly turn away from him.

The New Covenant was instituted over the old, and the Church today gives us a place to worship God to the best of our ability. Reflect on how you can dive deeper into each sacrament and discover its abundant graces.

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Saint of the Day

St. Agnes: Ad 291 – 304

St. Agnes was born to a wealthy, Christian family in Rome. She was very beautiful and had many suitors wanting to marry her. She declined them all, wanting to only be the spouse of Jesus. One particular suitor became angry and reported her as a Christian to the authorities. After various bribes and attempts to make her sin, St. Agnes was executed for her faith. St. Agnes, pray for us!