Daily Gospel Reflection for September 6, 2025

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 6:1-5

In our achievement-oriented culture, keeping the Sabbath holy by avoiding unnecessary work seems like an antiquated tradition, especially when most of us have work at our fingertips through our smartphones.  

Today’s Gospel shows how Jesus and His disciples actually broke that commandment by picking and eating heads of grain on the Sabbath. In addition, when Jesus went into the house of God, He ate the bread of offering, which only priests were allowed to eat.

Were Jesus and His disciples a bunch of rebels, breaking rules for no reason? That’s not a helpful story for moms trying to instill the importance of rule-following in their children.  What Jesus tells us is,

 “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

When I read this Gospel, I hear a message of balance. Rest, but don’t ignore your neighbor in need. In a way, the Sabbath is there to help us balance our lives. Without a required day of rest, how many of us would find excuses to work 24/7? 

In recent years, I have made an extra effort to avoid true work on Sunday. When my children were younger and Saturdays were full of kids’ activities, I relegated housework to Sunday, thus breaking the Sabbath. Today, I am more intentional about limiting heavy household chores to Saturdays and trying to spend Sunday with family or resting, reading, and writing. As an avid runner, I do not avoid running on Sundays. I don’t consider it work. Rather, it is recreation and an opportunity for me to be outside enjoying God’s creation. 

The Sabbath is a gift to us, and we honor God and our own humanity when we keep it holy.

Ponder:

What actions should I take – or what activities should I stop – to better keep the Sabbath holy?

Pray:

God, help me to honor Your commandment by keeping Sunday holy. Help me to discern how to best use the gift of a Sabbath rest.

Copyright 2025 Leigh Ann Roman