Rubbing of the Grains in the Hands and Eating: Its Significance

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season:  Twenty Second Week :  Saturday*

*Gospel : Lk 6:1-5*

*First Reading : Col 1:21-23*

*Responsorial Psalm : Ps 54:3-4, 6 and 8*

*Rubbing of the Grains in the Hands and Eating: Its Significance*

*1) An Act of Simplicity and Dependence*

The disciples are not preparing a feast or demanding luxury—they're eating raw grain, likely because they’re hungry and have little else. 

It’s a moment of vulnerability, showing Jesus and his followers depending on nature’s provision.

This speaks to a spirit of simplicity, humility, and trust. 

They are not stockpiling wealth but living in the moment, receiving from the land as it offers. 

It’s a reminder of God’s provision in daily life, even in the smallest things.

*2) Spiritual Discernment: Rubbing Grain as a Metaphor*

The act of rubbing grain in their hands is also a subtle metaphor: it's the process of separating the kernel from the husk—getting to the nourishing core.

This mirrors what Jesus is doing in the passage—stripping away the husk of legalism to reveal the nourishing truth of God's heart. 

In our spiritual lives, are we willing to *“rub away”* the surface and traditions to get to the deeper, life-giving core of faith?

*3) Sabbath as a Space for Grace*

Rather than breaking the Sabbath, the disciples are actually living into its true purpose—a time for rest, reliance on God, and restoration. 

The Pharisees see lawbreaking; Jesus sees trust, simplicity, and grace.

Sabbath isn’t just about *“not working.”* It’s about remembering who we are and who God is. 

The disciples eating grain in the fields becomes a quiet act of worship—a moment of recognizing divine sustenance in the ordinary.

*4) Fragility and Transformation*

The grain is whole until it’s rubbed. Then it changes—its form shifts, its identity begins to dissolve into something new. 

In this, we can see a metaphor for change, vulnerability, and transformation.

Sometimes, only through a bit of friction—pressure or challenge—do we reveal our true essence. 

Like the grain, we must sometimes be *"rubbed"* to become food for the world.

*5) What Does This Mean for Us?*

A challenge to legalism in favor of mercy

A symbol of dependence on God’s daily provision

A quiet protest against religious systems that forget compassion

A metaphor for discernment and seeking true nourishment

A call to enter into the true meaning of Sabbath: restoration and grace

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*