Colossians 1:21-23 / Luke 6:1-5
Let us say that this morning, or later in the morning, we meet someone and wished that person "Good morning".
But what we get was a sullen silence or a cold stare, or some unwarranted reply like: What's so good about the morning?
There will be two things that we might want to do; either we get into a tangle of heated words with that person, or we just let it be and walk away from that sticky situation and be at peace with ourselves.
So in almost every situation, there can be a reaction or a response.
A reaction can be quite scorching, much like a volatile chemical reaction; a response would be more gentle and sublime.
In the gospel, the Pharisees reacted to what the disciples of Jesus did.
But Jesus responded to their reaction; He made them think and reflect about what they said.
So in all kinds of situations, we have a choice : we can either react scorchingly, or we can respond sublimely.
In the 1st reading, even St. Paul would urge the Colossians to have a new way of thinking and acting because of their faith in Christ.
A reaction to a situation would only result in tension.
But we can only give a Christian response when we stand firm on the solid rock of faith and not drifting from the hope promised by the Good News.
Jesus is the master of the Sabbath. Let us let Him also be the Master of every situation. That is our best Christian response.