Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 21, 2023
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
I am struck by the radical inversion of exception and rule in this passage from the Gospel of Matthew. When the Pharisees condemn the disciples for picking heads of grain on the Sabbath, Jesus responds to their obsessive obedience and unremitting judgment by listing a series of exceptions to the law.
First, he points to the story of David and his men in the Old Testament. Second, he references the innocence of the priest serving in the temple on the Sabbath. In challenging the Pharisees, however, Christ does not settle for a mere list of allowances.
Instead, he responds much more radically: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” This declaration places charity, not obedience, and forgiveness, not judgment at the center. What begins as the exception becomes the guiding rule.
Mercy is not simply something we search for when we need a way out. Much to the contrary, it is the new rule, the new law of the Christian life.
What is more, we find the basis of this new law not in the exceptional examples of the Old Testament or Sabbath rituals but in the incarnate God of the Old Testament, the Lord of the Sabbath.
In declaring that “something greater than the temple is here,” Christ roots his call for mercy in divine example and authority. What follows is the radical inversion that rests at the heart of the Christian life: we are obedient to God to the extent that we are merciful.
Today, let us ponder how Christ’s words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” speak to how we love, obey, forgive, and judge. Let us ponder if it is the exception or the rule.
Prayer
My God, Our Father, may your grace always remind us that we must learn to see our lives as invitations to show mercy and to give our love. Whatever we are obliged to do or expected to do matters less than what we are given to do by your inspiration over and beyond the minimum of the “letter of the law.” We pray with the Church through Christ our Lord.
Saint of the Day

St. Lawrence of Brindisi had a brilliant mind and used his influence to build the kingdom of God in both the secular and sacred spheres of his day.
He was born in Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples in 1559, and given the name Cesare de Rossi. He was educated by Franciscans, and furthered his studies in Venice. He decided to follow his teachers, and became a Capuchin Franciscan priest, taking the name Lawrence.
He had a near perfect recall of Scripture, and learned Greek, Hebrew, German, Bohemian, French, and Spanish. Lawrence’s preaching was noticed by many, and he was entrusted with more responsibilities. Soon he was given tasks by both the pope and the emperor that took him through Italy and Germany, where he founded new monasteries and developed the Church.
In one case, Lawrence even led the army. The emperor sent Lawrence to help the German princes repel Turkish forces threatening Hungary. Lawrence was appointed chaplain of the forces; known for his wisdom, the generals asked his advice when they faced a confrontation with the enemy. Lawrence advised attacking, and even rode before the army carrying a crucifix. The Turks were soundly defeated, and the victory was attributed to Lawrence’s assistance and example.
Lawrence continued to assist rulers of his age as a messenger and diplomat, and used his influence to improve governance and promote peace. He was worn out from all of his labors and travel, and died in 1619. When his life and writings were reviewed in his cause for canonization, it was declared that he was to be honored as a doctor of the Church. Most of his writings were sermons, which stood out for teaching the faith so well.
Relics of St. Lawrence of Brindisi rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and his image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, you were the diplomat who used your mind and heart to build the kingdom of God—pray for us!