Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
September 7, 2024
While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
The Pharisees must have been dumbfounded by Jesus’ words and actions in the grainfield that day. How can this man disregard the mandate that Yahweh gave the Israelites to cease activity on the Sabbath and worship God? Indeed, the Sabbath concept (Ex 16:4) not only predates the Ten Commandments, but also is referenced more times in the Old Testament than any other commandment. Yet, with the proclamation that “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath”, Jesus radically shifts what first century Jews understood to be the focus of the Sabbath. It is Jesus who gives rest to all who come to him (Mt 11:28), indicating that we are to rest in the Lord as our Sabbath observance.
Still, we know Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that while Jesus changed the ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath, the immutable meaning of the Sabbath remained the same — “make time for divine things” and “repose the heart to God”.
With those words from Aquinas in mind, it would be worthwhile to reflect upon our approach to the Sabbath. Is it truly meaningful to our spiritual journey, or do we treat the Sabbath like an obligation, searching for that Mass that will least disrupt our lives so that we can check the box and move on with our weekend activities? Sadly, our hectic schedules and desire to be productive can snuff out the beauty and simplicity that is keeping holy the Sabbath – a weekly invitation to spiritual rest. Like Zacchaeus, let’s enthusiastically accept Jesus’ invitation by truly welcoming him into our hearts, minds and homes each Sunday.
Prayer
God of truth and justice, you call us to hold your law firmly in our hearts—not only its words, but its spirit. Help us to let your law of love be imprinted on our hearts so that it may not be a second thought, but a fundamental norm. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Cloud was the son of French royalty—caught up in political machinations that cost his brothers their lives, he fled the court to spend his life handing on the faith.
Clodoald—or “Cloud” as we know him in English—was the youngest of four grandsons of the great king Clovis, and his grandmother was St. Clotilde. After Clovis died, his kingdom was eventually split among his grandsons, and because they were too young to rule, the country was governed by an uncle.
When Cloud was 8 years old, the ruling uncle fell into a scheme to dispose of these heirs and to assume the kingship for himself. Cloud escaped, but his brothers were killed.
When he matured, Cloud made no claims to the throne, and sought out the life of a hermit. He became a follower of St. Severinus, a hermit who lived near Paris. Later, Cloud moved to Nogent and the place where he settled is now called “Saint-Cloud” (a sister city in Minnesota bears the same name). He spent the rest of his life teaching the faith to people who lived nearby and was sought out for his advice. When it was clear that his attempts at solitude were not working, he followed the wishes of the people and returned to Paris, where he was ordained a priest and led the faithful. St. Cloud died in 560 when he was 36.
St. Cloud, you fled a murderous, political family and found a life of faithfulness and service—pray for us!