TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT
The Sabbath is sacred to the Jews. It may sound ridiculous, but they are not allowed to do hard labor on the said day, including the casual picking of grains or fruits. A priest who once took the pilgrimage to the Holy Land a long time ago jokingly shared, exaggeratedly of course, that he was trapped in a hotel elevator on a Sabbath. No one is allowed to even touch the buttons that would bring him up to his floor. I asked him what happened then, and he replied, “Well, I finally reached my room the following day!”
It was indeed a big deal to the Pharisees that Jesus’ disciples “would pick the heads of grain, rubbing them in their heads and eat them.” This reminds me of my visits to the market with my mother when I was a child — how I would playfully take the grains of rice while walking through the market stalls and taste them. But my motive was just to taste them, unlike the disciples who did it out of hunger from endless walking with Jesus — even on a Sabbath.
Jesus declared that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” He frees us from the enslaving laws that the Pharisees observed to the letter. We find in Him a teacher whose hierarchy of values will always be relevant, universal and urgent. When one is hungry, let him eat. When thirsty, let him drink. There are needs that should be addressed urgently. We recall some incidents in the Gospel when Jesus would heal the sick even on a Sabbath. Because as far as He is concerned, He being the Lord of Sabbath, it is more important to feed the hungry than postpone it for another day, to quench the longing of the thirsty right away, or to cure the sick even if it’s forbidden on a Sabbath, lest he dies.
Doing what is best for the needy knows no time or holiday. Likewise, our own acts of charity are always urgent and timely. Indeed, it’s not bound by day or time. It is forever urgent — for the love of Jesus is beyond all laws, Sabbath included. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS
REFLECTION QUESTION: What have you done to respond to the urgent call of feeding the hungry?
Lord, help me realize that I’m bound by Christian duty to help the needy regardless of day and time. Amen.
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