In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus is called on the carpet by some Pharisees for picking grain on the sabbath. It was unlawful to “work” on the sabbath. (Of course, in our day and age this seems ridiculous. But they took very seriously the commandment to keep holy the sabbath.) Jesus reminds them about King David and his men unlawfully eating the bread of offering and tells them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
Please be sure and read the first reading from 1 Corinthians 4. It paints a very interesting picture of St. Paul. Paul says, “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty,we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands…We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment.” Picture for moment in your mind Paul and the Apostles as he describes. Now picture your reaction.
For me, this is not a pretty picture. (My reaction, that is.) It really reminds me to take another look at those who are considered “the scum of all.” The homeless guy standing in the intersection, smelly, dirty, unkempt. Judged by most everyone to be "rubbish" or “scum.” I wonder…would I have judged St. Paul the same way? Definitely something to pray about.
Father, you know how quick we are to judge by appearances. Teach us to no longer look at any of your children as "rubbish" or “scum.” Give us eyes to see as you see. Amen.
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