Friday 18 July 2025 - Unexpected blessings

Friday 18 July 2025

Today is Friday the 18th of July, in the 15th week of Ordinary Time. Jon Guerra sings, ‘I See the Birds’. Can you make these words your own today? Do not be anxious about your life I heard you say to me You dress the lilies You leave the weeds The sower of the seed Am I in charge of my own mind Or is it in charge of me? I see the birds up in the air I know you feed them I know you care So won't you teach me How I mean more to you than them In times of trouble Be my help again You've held me sturdy You've led me on Through years of joy and grief So don't you leave me All on my own You know me, Lord I'm weak I see the birds up in the air I know you feed them I know you care So won't you teach me How I mean more to you than them In times of trouble Be my help again Oh, be my help again Don't you worry, child Don't you worry, child He won't leave you by yourself In times of trouble, he's your help I'm letting go of my own life I'm letting go again Be ever present Lord, won't you be my closest friend In times of trouble Be my help again Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’ He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’ Today we hear that the disciples were hungry, and even though they are with the Lord who miraculously feeds the thousands, they are hungry, so together as they walk through the cornfields, they take the edge off their hunger by plucking the heads of grain. Imagine this scene now and perhaps their relief at finding food to eat on their journey. We might recall that in Deuteronomy, the farmers were commanded by God to leave some of their harvest behind for travellers and the poor, so that they might have something to eat. Where in your life have you encountered God’s provision for you, in everyday ways or perhaps unexpected blessings? Remember and enjoy these moments, giving thanks. For the disciples, their snack is interrupted by the critical voices of the Pharisees, complaining, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’  How does this criticism feel as it lands in a moment of grace? As you listen to the reading again, notice Jesus’s reply. Matthew 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’ He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”, you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’ Jesus tells the Pharisees, ‘I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.’ In the time of Jesus, the temple was regarded as the highest, most holy of holy places, so these words must have been shocking for the Pharisees. But perhaps for us, as we appreciate Jesus’s description of himself, we can take a moment to rejoice in his Holy presence... in love, wonder and joy in the Lord of the Sabbath and in all his provision. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be World without end Amen