Daily Catholic Lectio. Tue, 21 January ’25. Persons greater than laws

Daily Catholic Lectio

Tue, 21 January ‘25

Second Week in Ordinary Time – Tuesday

Hebrews 6:10-20. Psalm 111. Mark 2:23-28

Persons greater than laws

‘Not eating’ (fasting) was the issue in yesterday’s Gospel. ‘Eating’ (on the Sabbath) becomes the issue in today’s Gospel reading. On the Sabbath, the disciples of Jesus pluck heads of grain and eat them. The Pharisees accuse Jesus, claiming that His disciples have violated the Sabbath law. Against this background, Jesus explains the relationship between law and human persons. Furthermore, He references the Old Testament event where David ate the consecrated bread, subtly asserting His identity as the Son of David.

Laws, scriptures, and traditions are human constructs:

All laws, holy books, and traditions are created by humans. Once we legitimise the laws, holy books, and traditions they begin to control us. It is important to frequently remind ourselves that these were made by us and for us. While the Pharisees focus on the violation of the law, Jesus focuses on His disciples’ hunger. The same event is viewed differently. For the Pharisees, the focus is the law; for Jesus, the focus is humanity.

Misusing the law to suppress love and mercy:

During the dialogue with Pilate, the people declare about Jesus, “We have a law, and according to that law, He must die!” Often, we use the law to suppress love and mercy, to kill the innocent. For example, many Catholic marriages are invalidated based on Church laws, being labelled “irregular marriages.” Love, compassion, and kindness should determine the validity or invalidity of a marriage, not just laws. While laws point out a person’s mistakes, they do not acknowledge the goodness in a person’s life. Even if we are unaware of formal laws, the biases and the prejudices we carry in our daily human relationships function like laws, pressuring and limiting others.

In today’s first reading, we read about the covenant between God and Abraham, where the ‘command and ratification’ of the law occur. Since God is the one giving the command, He has no higher authority to appeal to. Thus, exceptions to laws are inevitable.

Let us be compassionate, not legalistic.

Rev. Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Messenger of Mercy