First Reading - 1 Corinthians 4:6-15
Gospel - Luke 6:1-5
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In the first reading, St Paul speaks very strongly to the Corinthians because they have become divided and proud. Some consider themselves superior to others. They compare themselves, boast about their knowledge and spiritual gifts, and even begin to judge the apostles.
Paul responds with a touch of irony: “What do you possess that you have not received?” It is a simple but profound question.
Everything we have is ultimately received. Our abilities, education, opportunities, possessions, vocation, talents, and even our faith are gifts. Therefore, there is no reason for us to boast as though we had created everything ourselves.
Paul then contrasts the attitude of the Corinthians with the condition of the apostles. While the Corinthians think they are already strong and successful, the apostles experience weakness, rejection, hunger, suffering, and humiliation. Yet Paul does not see this as a failure of their mission. He sees it as part of following Christ.
This prepares us for the Gospel.
The disciples of Jesus are walking through the grainfields on the Sabbath. They are hungry, so they pick some heads of grain and eat them. The Pharisees immediately object: “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
They see the action through the lens of the rule. Jesus invites them to see something deeper.
He reminds them of David, who, when he and his companions were hungry, entered the house of God and ate the bread that was reserved for the priests. Then Jesus makes the extraordinary declaration: “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
Jesus is not teaching people to ignore God's commandments. Rather, he is revealing that God's law must always be understood according to its purpose: to lead people toward God, holiness, mercy, and life.
The Sabbath was given as a gift, not as a burden. The law was given for the good of the human person, not to become an instrument for judging and condemning others.
This is where the first reading speaks directly to the Gospel. The Corinthians had turned their gifts into reasons for boasting. The Pharisees had turned the law into a reason for judging. In both situations, something given by God had become a source of pride rather than a means of serving God.
This can happen to us as well.
We can take something good—a religious practice, knowledge, a ministry, a position, our experience, even our traditions—and gradually turn it into something we use to feel superior to others.
We may begin to think, “I know better.” “I have been doing this longer.” “I am more faithful.” “They are not doing it correctly.”
But Paul asks us: “What do you possess that you have not received?”
That question brings humility.
And Jesus asks us to look again at the person standing before us. Before judging someone's actions, can we understand their hunger, their struggle, their circumstances, and their need for mercy?
Christian faith is not a competition about who is more perfect. It is a life of gratitude for what we have received and generosity toward others.
The apostles in the first reading appear weak in the eyes of the world, but they are faithful to Christ. The disciples in the Gospel appear to be breaking a rule, but Jesus sees their genuine human need. In both readings, God looks deeper than outward appearances.
Perhaps this is a challenge for us today. How quickly do we judge others? How easily do we compare ourselves with them? How often do we measure another person's faith according to our own expectations?
Jesus teaches us to move from judgment to understanding.
This does not mean that truth no longer matters. It means that truth must always be accompanied by love. The purpose of God's commandments is not to make us proud of ourselves and harsh toward others. They are meant to draw us closer to God and make us more capable of loving.
Today, therefore, let us ask for two graces: humility and mercy.
Humility to recognize that everything we have is received. Mercy to remember that the person before us is also someone loved by God.
Let us not use our faith to make ourselves feel superior. Let us use it to become more compassionate. Let us not allow religious practices to become empty habits. Let them lead us into a deeper relationship with Christ.
And whenever we are tempted to judge another person, may we remember Paul's question: “What do you possess that you have not received?”
Everything is gift.
And if everything is gift, then the proper response is not pride, but gratitude; not judgment, but mercy; not superiority, but service.
May Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, teach us to live our faith not merely by observing what is written, but by discovering the heart of God behind it.
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