Reflection: Mark 2:23-28

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time - Mark 2:23-28

Today the Pharisees continue to criticize Jesus. Jesus and His disciples are walking through a field of grain and as they walk along, they pick some of the grain. They may do it without even thinking about it. However, the Pharisees immediately confront Jesus and ask Him why His followers are doing something that was unlawful to do on the Sabbath.

Jesus quietly responds to their question by reminding the Pharisees that when David and his companions were hungry, David had the audacity to go into the house of God and they ate bread that only the priests were allowed to eat. He also tells the Pharisees that the Sabbath was created for human beings, not human beings for the Sabbath.

As Christians, most of us don’t call Sundays “Sabbath.” However, in today’s world, for many people “Sunday” has become simply another day of the week. To others, Sunday simply may be a day when they don’t have to work. God may not be in their thoughts at all on Sunday. However, as you are reading this commentary, I assume that God is an important part of your life!

So ask yourself: why do you go to Church? Do you go simply because you are supposed to? Or do you go for spiritual enrichment? Do you have a community at church that is caring and supportive? “Going to church” can become automatic. It may simply be part of my weekly routine. The reality is that I may physically be at church yet I am not truly attending to what is going on right in front of me. My body may be there, but my mind may be miles away!

The challenge is to keep bringing my mind back to this celebration of the Eucharist, to what is happening in this sacred space. God knows that we “wander.” God doesn’t ask much of us. God simply wants us to “wake up” and be attentive to Him and His sacrament during the 40-60 minutes we are there! However, we may have to remind ourselves to “stay awake” several times during the Eucharist! The question is: will we?