9.06.13

Lectio:  Lk 6.1-5                                                                                                            

Meditatio: “Jesus said to them in reply, ‘Have you not heard what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry’?” Lk 6.3    

Oratio: O God, You provided Your commandments to us for our spiritual and temporal good and welfare but You also expect to realize when they apply and when they do not.

 I remember You commanded us to keep holy the Sabbath and we do so by abstaining from servile work; but that is not an absolute command and the demands of charity such as responding to the hunger and sickness takes precedence and Jesus made this clear in His response to the Pharisees when they criticized His disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath.

Grant that I may rejoice in Your great concern for our well being and the guidance to attain it  in the Commandments You gave us.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what God is saying to you..

Operatio: reflect on "David did...hungry”; a good example for the Pharisees ; David is the lead figure for them and for all and a very good example of why the prohibition of work on the Sabbath is not an absolute.  In prayer may I always remember that the requirements of charity and works of mercy take precedence in following Your Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath for that is how I best serve You.                  

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 14.25-33