Daily Mass Reflections - 7/20
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice”
Imagine if you will that you are on hand at a child’s birthday party. As the young guest of honor opens present after present, he proceeds to throw out each and every gift and instead becomes enthralled with the torn wrapping paper. The child in turn opts to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with the wrapping paper while ignoring the discarded gifts.
This is in essence what the Pharisees were up to in today’s Gospel (Matthew 12:1-8). In actuality, this incident was hardly an isolated one. The Pharisees during the time of Jesus were intent on boiling their religious traditions down to an exhausting and never-ending series of strict laws and guidelines. Jesus’ message on the other hand was simple:
When in doubt, error to the side of mercy.
Do laws and rituals have their place? Absolutely, and as Catholics we have always respected and cherished them, and are expected to always do so. But the gift of discernment, when honed and developed properly through the Holy Spirit, will assist us in formulating the right balance. And when dealing with those in your midst, particularly those who are challenging, difficult or downright detestable, be sure to put on the mind of Christ and error to the side of mercy.
