The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live in Jesus' example of practicing mercy as the sign of our faith, hope, and love.
The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents the Sickness and Recovery of Hezekiah.
* [38:1] In those days: before the siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C.
* [38:5] Since Hezekiah died in 687 B.C., his sickness may have occurred in 702 B.C., that is, fifteen years before.
* [38:8] Stairway to the terrace of Ahaz: this interpretation is based on a reading of the Hebrew text revised according to the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah; cf. 2 Kgs 23:12. Many translate the phrase as “steps of Ahaz” and understand this as referring to a sundial.
* [38:21–22] These verses are clearly out of place. Logically they should come after v. 6, as they do in the parallel account in 2 Kgs 20, but the two accounts are not identical, and it appears that the version in Isaiah is abbreviated from that in Kings. If that is so, Is 38:21–22 would be a secondary addition from Kings, inserted by a later reader who thought the account incomplete. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 38 | USCCB, n.d.)
Isaiah 38 proclaims Hezekiah’s Hymn of Thanksgiving.
* [38:10] In the noontime of life: long before the end of a full span of life; cf. Ps 55:24; 102:25.
* [38:11] See the LORD: go to the Temple and take part in its service.
* [38:12] These two metaphors emphasize the suddenness and finality of death.
* [38:15–16] The Hebrew text is very problematic and its meaning uncertain. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 38 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses Picking Grain on the Sabbath.
* [12:1–14] Matthew here returns to the Marcan order that he left in Mt 9:18. The two stories depend on Mk 2:23–28; 3:1–6, respectively, and are the only places in either gospel that deal explicitly with Jesus’ attitude toward sabbath observance.
* [12:1–2] The picking of the heads of grain is here equated with reaping, which was forbidden on the sabbath (Ex 34:21).
* [12:3–4] See 1 Sm 21:2–7. In the Marcan parallel (Mk 2:25–26) the high priest is called Abiathar, although in 1 Samuel this action is attributed to Ahimelech. The Old Testament story is not about a violation of the sabbath rest; its pertinence to this dispute is that a violation of the law was permissible because of David’s men being without food.
* [12:5–6] This and the following argument (Mt 12:7) are peculiar to Matthew. The temple service seems to be the changing of the showbread on the sabbath (Lv 24:8) and the doubling on the sabbath of the usual daily holocausts (Nm 28:9–10). The argument is that the law itself requires work that breaks the sabbath rest, because of the higher duty of temple service. If temple duties outweigh the sabbath law, how much more does the presence of Jesus, with his proclamation of the kingdom (something greater than the temple), justify the conduct of his disciples.
* [12:8] The ultimate justification for the disciples’ violation of the sabbath rest is that Jesus, the Son of Man, has supreme authority over the law. (Matthew, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)
Steve Scholer comments that for those of us who focus on being a Monday-through-Saturday Christian, services on Sunday are but icing on the cake, where we find rest in the arms of Jesus.
But oh, if only it were that easy. We all know it isn’t.
Distractions abound, words are said or actions misinterpreted that often prevent us from granting mercy. Instead, we want the proverbial sacrifice.
So, as we do our Daily Examen of Conscience, let’s try to focus on the word mercy or the Latin word, misericordia. Per the internet, It translates to “having a heart for the wretched.” It means sharing the pain of another as if it were your own and actively working to remove it.
Maybe if we focus less on who is breaking the rules and more on who needs our mercy, we can find the joy and love in our hearts that Jesus wants us to experience. (Scholer, 2026)
Don Schwager quotes “The Seventh Day,” from the early Greek fathers, attributed to Eusebius of Alexandria (5th century AD).
"Now every week has seven days. Six of these God has given to us for work, and one for prayer, rest, and making reparation for our sins, so that on the Lord's Day we may atone to God for any sins we have committed on the other six days. Therefore, arrive early at the church of God; draw near to the Lord and confess your sins to him, repenting in prayer and with a contrite heart. Attend the holy and divine liturgy; finish your prayer and do not leave before the dismissal. Contemplate your master as he is broken and distributed, yet not consumed. If you have a clear conscience, go forward and partake of the body and blood of the Lord." (excerpt from SERMON 6, 1-2) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Isaiah, Hezekiah seems to be near death. He was a very good king, unlike his father, Ahaz. Hezekiah cleared out the Temple of pagan elements. In desperation Hezekiah turns to the Lord. Isaiah goes to tell him the sign that the Lord has granted him 15 more years is that the shadow on the terrace of Ahaz will reverse. Ahaz was earlier sought by Isaiah to ask for a sign from the Lord. Ahaz did not listen and Hezekiah did. In the Gospel of Matthew the plucking of grain that is allowed on the Sabbath is prohibited by the Pharisees who hold a very scrupulous interpretation of the Law. Jesus reminds them that David ate the showbread dedicated to the Lord. David showed charity to be greater than the Law. Pharisees worship the idol of Law without compassion. The Son of God is Master of the Law. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus is undercutting the authority of the Pharisees over interpretation of the Law.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8 comments that even in this situation, even when his opponents might think they have an indisputable objection, Jesus sees the bigger picture. His priority is that everyone would come to accept him and receive salvation and life through him.
The next time you feel as if someone is questioning your faith, remember Jesus. Your priority isn’t to amaze them with a clever argument. It’s to approach them as Jesus would, with love and with your eyes on the big picture. So try to look beyond the arguments, as Jesus did. Ask the Holy Spirit how to demonstrate the attitude of Christ as you seek to speak the truth in love.
“Jesus, help me not fall into the trap of trying to win every argument. Help me to love people and to proclaim your good news.” (Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8, n.d.)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Lutheran priest and author Nadia Bolz-Weber who questions how we might follow the Beatitudes.
Maybe Jesus was simply blessing the ones around him that day who didn’t otherwise receive blessing, who had come to believe that, for them, blessings would never be in the cards…. Doesn’t that just sound like something Jesus would do?
Bolz-Weber offers her own version of beatitudes for people who may not feel blessed today:
Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.
Blessed are they for whom death is not an abstraction.
Blessed are they who have buried their loved ones, for whom tears could fill an ocean.
Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss feels like.
Blessed are the mothers of the miscarried.
Blessed are they who don’t have the luxury of taking things for granted anymore.
Blessed are they who can’t fall apart because they have to keep it together for everyone else.
Blessed are the motherless, the alone, the ones from whom so much has been taken….
Blessed are those who no one else notices. The kids who sit alone at middle-school lunch tables. The laundry guys at the hospital. The sex workers and the night-shift street sweepers.
Blessed are the losers and the babies and the parts of ourselves that are so small, the parts of ourselves that don’t want to make eye contact with a world that loves only the winners.
Blessed are the forgotten.
Blessed are the closeted.
Blessed are the unemployed, the unimpressive, the underrepresented….
I imagine Jesus standing there blessing us all because I believe that is our Lord’s nature. Because, after all, it was Jesus who had all the powers of the universe at his disposal but did not consider his equality with God something to be exploited. Instead, he came to us in the most vulnerable of ways, as a powerless, flesh-and-blood newborn. (Rohr, n.d.)
We are invited to seek the guidance of the Spirit as we contemplate the times on our journey when we have experienced unwarranted mercy as we resolve to accept the opportunities in our days to offer mercy to the people in our lives.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 38 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/38?
Matthew, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12?
Meditation on Matthew 12:1-8. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/17/1624659/
Rohr, R. (n.d.). It’s Not a Matter of Working Harder. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/its-not-a-matter-of-working-harder/
Scholer, S. (2026, July 17). Daily Reflection July 17, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-17-2026
Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Desire Mercy and Not Sacrifice. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 17, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
