FRIDAY 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
YEAR II
ISAIAH 38:1-6,21-22,7-8, MATTHEW
12:1-8
LOVE COMES BEFORE THE LAW
In life, each person has one
thing or the other to pray for. Some have huge prayer intentions and some have
just a simple one. I remember one of the Mark Angel Comedy skits when a rich
man went inside the church to pray that his multi million naira project should
succeed. In the same church, a poor man was praying that God should give him
his daily bread. The prayer of the poor man was so loud that the rich man could
not concentrate to pray. In anger, the rich man gave him N1,000 so that he
could leave the church for him to have the serenity to pray.
In the first reading of today, we
see the king Hezekiah praying to God to spare his life from death. The king had
all the best things of life and was not praying for more money or material
things, he was only praying for more time to enjoy what he had. Since he was a
good and righteous man, God added 15 more years to his years. As the psalmist
says today, God held his life from the pit of doom.
In the gospel reading, we see the
Apostles of Jesus suffering from hunger and were therefore picking ears of corn
to eat. The Jewish culture was sensitive to the needs of the poor and needy who
either do not have lands to farm or could not afford it. During harvest
therefore, people were expected to leave few ears of their crops so that those
who do not have could move round and get it for themselves. It is the same
practice we have in some African cultures. A man who plucks few mango fruits in
the farm or compound of his neighbour just for the sake of eating because he is hungry is not called a thief. It is the
one who plucks many of them to take home or to go and sell that is regarded as
a thief.
The pharisees did not have a
problem with the Apostles that they were picking ears of corn to eat, the
problem they had with them was because it was the sabbath day. The pharisees
obviously had food in their homes and were not hungry, less they would have
understood with the poor and hungry Apostles. Citing other examples, Jesus
therefore admonished them that laws are made by man to help man, and love comes
before the law.
We all have different intentions;
just as some people are praying for their business to grow or for their project
to blossom, many are praying just to have food on their table. It is therefore
inhuman to make or enforce a law that does not consider the human person above
every other thing.
No matter your prayers and
intentions today, may almighty God also send you good news like Hezekiah
through Christ our Lord. Amen. God help us.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP
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