Luke 6:1-5 The Sabbath was made for Man

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,
his disciples were picking the heads of grain,
rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
Some Pharisees said,
"Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?
How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,
which only the priests could lawfully eat,
ate of it, and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath."

In this passage, Jesus is reminding us that the Sabbath was made for man, not man made for the Sabbath. This means that religious practices are meant to be life giving. In going to church, participating in the ecclesiastical community, and celebrating the sacraments, we gain something. We benefit from building community and celebrating together. If participating in these activities is exclusionary or hurtful, then one must immediately stop. Religious institutions are meant to bring us to God but what sometimes happens is the exact opposite. Here Jesus reminds us that God wants us to be happy and that religious practices should bring us to God.