Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 19, 2021
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.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus is walking with his disciples on the sabbath and they are eating grain from the field. It is permitted to walk on the sabbath and it is permitted to eat on the sabbath, but it is not permitted to pick grain on the sabbath. This type of harvesting would be considered work and therefore was not allowed on the day of rest. So, the Pharisees make it an issue.
The Pharisees are probably not as concerned about the observance of the Law as they are about stopping Jesus in his ministry. Jesus isn’t trying to subvert the Law, but his response to the Pharisees reveals his fundamental attitude to the way they interpret the Law: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Jesus is saying that any interpretation of the Law that oppresses people is not a good interpretation. The Law, including the sabbath, is made to serve, not oppress. Jesus isn’t afraid to upset the expectations of his time to make this point.
This reminds me of a well known quote from the late civil rights icon, John Lewis: “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” On the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we remember that Jesus wasn’t afraid to make a little noise and get into some trouble with the authorities of his day. Good trouble. People like John Lewis and Martin Luther King, Jr. took note of his example. We should, too.
Prayer
Lord God, how marvelous are your deeds, holy and awesome is your name. You are Lord and master of all things, of even the Sabbath. May we always strive to keep holy the Lord’s Day and live every day as the gift it is from you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
As king of Denmark, St. Canute expanded the Church’s reach and power, and he is remembered as the first Danish saint—and the namesake of Notre Dame’s most famous football coach.
He was born in 1042, and ascended to the throne in 1080. He was ambitious and devout—he appropriated land for the Church and arranged for the support of clergy by enforcing tithes. He was generous in building churches and schools.
Canute was the grandson of another king Canute, who reigned over England, Denmark, and Norway in his age, and the young Canute imagined himself the rightful heir to this territory. He assembled his fleet to invade England in 1085, but was delayed by infighting and the attack was eventually abandoned.
Though he made the Church into a strong ally, he alienated his subjects by strictly enforcing tithes and the observance of feasts. A rebellion arose, and at one point, Canute was cornered by rebels in one of the churches he built. Canute received Communion and confessed his sins, even as bricks were being thrown through the windows. The rebels eventually broke through the doors and stormed inside, slaying Canute at the altar, along with his brother and 17 others.
Though he is noted as a martyr, it is not clear that he died for the faith, and his cause for sainthood might have been politically-motivated. Nevertheless, there were reports of miracles happening at his tomb. He was canonized in 1101, and as the first Danish saint, he is patron of Denmark. St. Canute is also the namesake of Notre Dame football coach, Knute Rockne (who immigrated from Norway).
Relics of St. Canute rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Canute, patron saint of Denmark and Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Canute is in the public domain. Edited from the original. Last accessed November 22, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
