Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
All three synoptic gospels give us this story of the disciples being scolded as they picked and ate grains on the sabbath. Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that Jesus replied for them. He, the Son of Man, is the Lord of the Sabbath.
The story should not be unfamiliar to Catholics, and perhaps all Christians, for we often worry about violating the unimportant minutia of the Law. Perhaps that is how we embrace the undeniable truth which every page of the Bible hurls at us: "We have sinned; we and our ancestors have sinned."
Even if a man has really committed the various wrongs that he confesses, the sum of these formulated wrongs is never identical with his sin before God. An accusation formulated according to the law is a symbolic accusation.
"...the greatness of the grace that pours in upon him enables him to gauge the greatness of the guilt forgiven him. How deep the vessel must be that needs so much to fill it."
It is good to confess our venial sins, but it's not good to worry about them. We can do without the vanity of thinking we have, or should have, the ability to just stop doing that. The Lord himself will save us from them in His time, for his strength is shown in our weakness.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.