REFLECTIONS TODAY

Gospel • Mark 2:23-28
The Hebrew term shabbath means “to cease or to rest.”
The Sabbath signifies the apex of God’s creation.
God blessed and sanctified the seventh day and made it holy (Gn 2:2-3).
For Israel—and for all mankind—it is a rest day to reflect on God’s work as Creator, to give thanks to him, and to acknowledge their dependence and trust in God.
Fr. Brendan Byrnes comments, “The passive construction ‘was made’ refers to the order of creation (Gn 2:2-3), which Jesus is reclaiming in the name of the Kingdom... As in the previous controversies, Jesus reveals the mind of the Creator and implicitly proclaims the coming of the Kingdom.
The Christological conclusion to the statement, ‘So the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,’ shows that just as the Son of Man has authority on earth to declare sin forgiven (Mk 2:10), so the Son of Man has equivalent divine authority to dispose over the Sabbath” (Costly Freedom, p 64).
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.