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<v SPEAKER_00>One of the greatest spiritual dangers is that we can become more concerned with the rules than with the reason the rules exist.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's exactly what Jesus confronts in today's gospel.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The Pharisees see the disciples plucking grain because they're hungry.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They do not see hungry men, they only see a violation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They're so focused on the law that they completely miss the people standing right there in front of them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Jesus responds with one of the most important lines I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Notice that he does not reject sacrifice, he does not abolish the Sabbath, he simply restores its proper purpose.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God never gave his commandments to burden his children.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He gave them so that his children could flourish.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The law was always meant to lead us to love.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's the lesson the church has had to remember in every age.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Rules do matter, discipline matters, truth matters.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But whenever the application of a rule becomes detached from law, something has gone terribly wrong.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The first reading gives us this beautiful example of what we're talking about.

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<v SPEAKER_00>King Hezekiah is told that he's going to die.

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<v SPEAKER_00>There's no argument, no negotiation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yet instead of falling into despair, what does he do?

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<v SPEAKER_00>He turns his face to the wall and prays.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He pours out his whole heart before God.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He cries.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He's honest.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He places himself entirely in God's hands.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Then something remarkable happens.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God hears his prayer.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God sees his tears.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Scripture does not simply say that God heard his words.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It says he saw his tears.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The Lord responds by granting him fifteen more years of life.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That should give every single one of us tremendous hope.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Prayer is not informing God of something he does not already know.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Prayer opens our hearts to the God who already knows us completely.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Our tears are never wasted before him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now there's another detail that's easy to overlook.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Isaiah tells the king to apply a poultice of figs to the boil.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God performs the miracle, but he also uses ordinary means.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Divine grace and human action work together.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God could have healed Hezekiah instantly, but instead he chose to work through a simple remedy.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That is how God often works in our lives.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He heals us through doctors, through medicine, through wise counselors, through faithful friends, through the sacraments and through daily acts of obedience.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We should never oppose faith and ordinary means.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God is often working through both.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When we place today's readings together, one theme emerges.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God is not distant.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He is not cold.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He's not looking for technical violations so that he can condemn us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>No, he is a father who sees our tears, hears our prayers, feeds the hungry, heals the sick, and teaches us that mercy is the deepest expression of his law.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The challenge for us is simple.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Do I look at people the way the Pharisees did?

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<v SPEAKER_00>I first notice where they fall short?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Or do I look at them the way Christ does, first noticing their hunger, their wounds, and the need for mercy?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because in the end, holiness is not measured by how well we can quote the rules.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Holiness is measured by how much our hearts have begun to resemble the heart of Jesus, a heart who is full both of truth and mercy.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Amen.