March 21, 2014
Picking Grain on the Sabbath
A reading from the Gospel of Saint Matthew 12, 1 – 8:
At that time Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath. He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater that the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
On Thursday, March 20, was the first day of Spring. However, it did not look like Spring here. We had snow in the afternoon and it was below the freezing point. There is still plenty of snow but I hope in a few weeks the weather will change and the snow will disappear.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words, “You know My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters the law of the Sabbath. The Father gave this commandment: ‘Keep Holy the Sabbath Day.’ For the Jews the Sabbath Day was Saturday but for Christians the Sabbath is on Sunday. It was changed because I rose from the dead on Sunday and the Day of My Resurrection became a very important day. From the time of the Apostles, Sunday was kept as the Day of the Lord, where the Christians went to Church and did not work.
However, one Sabbath day I was walking through a grain field with the Apostles and they were hungry so they picked the heads of grain and ate them. For the Pharisees that was sinful because it was unlawful to do that on the Sabbath. I had to teach them that they did not do anything wrong as they were hungry. I also told them that I was the Lord of the Sabbath.
Indeed I want every Catholic to respect Sunday as the Day of the Lord. It is a day to go to Church and attend Holy Mass and if you have repented of your sins to receive Me in Holy Communion. Holy Mass is the greatest prayer that you can take part in. So all are called to church to join the priest in the Eucharistic Celebration. You are to stop doing the usual work you do during the week. If you are a fisherman, then do not fish on Sunday. If you are a farmer, then do you work on your farm on Sunday. If you have a job in whatever company, do not work on Sunday. However, there are certain jobs that people have to work on Sunday. An example of this is a nurse: she has to take care of the patients even on Sunday. There are others who have to work on Sunday because of the nature of their work. However, the majority of Catholics can and should respect the law of God for Sunday. Sunday is a day of prayer, a day to read the Bible, a day to visit the sick and the elderly and the members of your family. I bless you all.”
Father Melvin