Second Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus got so crazy-busy that relatives wanted to rescue Him from the crowds pressing for His help. At times, He and the Disciples could not even manage a quick meal. Nevertheless, Scripture describes Pharisees objecting when the Lord allowed the Disciples to pick and eat heads of grain as they walked along on a Sabbath day. Jesus cured a man’s withered hand right in the synagogue, after Pharisees declined to say whether keeping the Sabbath prevented doing something good. Like new cloth that would pull at a tear if used to patch old fabric, or like new wine that would burst an old wineskin already stretched to the limit by prior fermentation, Jesus offered new ideas and showed us how to use them. How often do we sin, express our sorrow to try to patch things up, but then go back to our old ways without seeking the grace we need?