Gospel: Mark 2:18-22
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Christine Hickey RIP and all the Sick of the Parish.
Reflection:
St Wulstan was Bishop of Worcester (1062-1095). A devout man who insisted on praying the Divine Office as he travelled around his diocese, he worked tirelessly to end the slave trade. Along with Lanfranc, he was credited for stopping the transport of slaves from Bristol. Then and now, slavery still exists. “From the young people trafficked as prostitutes the world over to the bonded labourers of overseas factories and the illegal immigrants working long hours for next to nothing in Britain, slavery is a terrible reality,” goes a commentary. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, challenges us today to a deeper relationship with Him whose Heart bleeds for those suffering from modern slavery. He challenges us to go beyond rituals and stand up for those in need of justice and healing.
- Pope Francis once said that slavery is ‘an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ’. How can you become an agent of healing for society and the Church?
- How can you work with others to put an end to slavery?
- How do the sacraments change you to be Christ-like?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Wulstan unite us to work together to end slavery. Amen.
