20190907 HOLINESS BY
TAKING THE SABBATH REST SERIOUSLY
07 SEPTEMBER,
2019, Saturday, 22nd Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Colossians 1:21-23 ©
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Not long ago, you were foreigners and
enemies, in the way that you used to think and the evil things that you did;
but now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body. Now you
are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless – as long as you
persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting
yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the Good News, which you have
heard, which has been preached to the whole human race, and of which I, Paul,
have become the servant.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 53(54):3-4,6,8 ©
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I have God for my help.
O God, save me by your name;
by your power, uphold my
cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my
mouth.
I have God for my help.
But I have God for my help.
The Lord upholds my life.
I will sacrifice to you with willing heart
and praise your name for it is
good:
I have God for my help.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps26:11
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn14:6
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says
the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except
through me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 6:1-5 ©
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One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a
walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn,
rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why
are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Jesus answered
them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were
hungry how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate
them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed
to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’
HOLINESS BY
TAKING THE SABBATH REST SERIOUSLY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [COL 1:21-23; LK 6:1-5 ]
The theme of today’s readings is growing
in holiness. St Paul’s writing to the Colossians urges us to be pure
and blameless. Before God, we must remain holy and spotless. How
can we be holy?
Firstly, we must contemplate on
the mercy of God. St Paul reminded the Christians, “Not long ago, you were
foreigners and enemies, in the way that you used to think and the evil things
that you did; but now God has reconciled you, by Christ’s death in his mortal
body.” Indeed, only by contemplating on God’s mercy in Christ’s passion
and death, can we find motivation to grow in holiness by dying with Him.
For this reason, Blessed Pope John Paul II reminded us that holiness must
depart from contemplation on the face of Christ. Unless we have
contemplated on His passion, death and resurrection, we cannot fathom the mercy
and love of God for us.
Secondly, we must contemplate on
the hope that has been promised to us. St Paul exhorted the
Christians, “never letting yourselves drift away from the hope promised by the
Good News, which you have heard, which has been preached.” Indeed, unless
there is hope in this life and unless we know the Final Hope of life, we will
never take the path to holiness seriously. If we know that our final
destiny is to share the life of God that has already been promised us in
Christ, then we will be focused on growing in holiness. The motivation
for living a life of holiness is the hope of sharing the life of God.
Thirdly, to grow in holiness requires fidelity
to the faith we have received. St Paul reminded the Christians
to “persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith.” Being
firm in our faith is important because of the changing values in the
world. Many of us are easily shaken by all kinds of erroneous teaching on
the values of life. Influenced by the secular values of the world, we
tend to subscribe to the relativist, pragmatic and materialistic lifestyle of
the world without understanding the consequences.
For this to be a reality, what is
necessary is that we must return to the observance of the Sabbath in
the fullest meaning of the law. Indeed, in the apostolic letter of
Blessed Pope John Paul II, he said that keeping the Lord’s Day is of extreme
importance to the faith of the Catholic. So important is the Day of the
Lord, that the Holy Father even issued a special document regarding a proper
observance of the Day of the Lord. This is what the gospel is inviting us
today.
However, we must clarify the real
meaning of the observance of the Sabbath, lest we fall
into the same mistake of the Jews during the time of Jesus. We read in
the gospel that the scribes and Pharisees reprimanded the disciples of Jesus,
not because they “were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and
eating them”, but for doing so on the Sabbath. They questioned them
saying, “Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the Sabbath
day?” So in the eyes of the Pharisees, they found the violation of the
established religious norm unacceptable.
But this is precisely what Jesus
rejected. Laws cannot be absolutized in such a manner
that it no longer serves its purpose. Norms are made for people and for
the good of the people but they are not above the people. When laws are
taken out of context and no longer set the people free to love, such laws
become burdensome and oppressive. Indeed, quite often because of a
slavish attitude towards laws, such observance becomes an excuse for inaction
and irresponsibility.
So what is the real meaning of the
laws? More specifically, what does the commandment “keep holy the
Sabbath” require of us? In order to understand the meaning of the laws,
we must understand the purpose and intention of the laws. In
the mind of Jesus, man is not made for Sabbath but the Sabbath is made for
man. The Sabbath law is to be at the service of man and to promote life
and love. How then does the Sabbath law serve the good of man?
Firstly, the Sabbath Law is to
ensure that man would take some rest from menial work. He is not a
machine that goes on working for hours on end. For the sake of his
physical, emotional and spiritual health, we must rest. When the book of
Genesis tells us that God rested on the Seventh day, it does not literally mean
that God needed to rest. Rather, provides us an example that human
beings, like the rest of creation, need rest and refreshment. Both the
mind and body need to relax so that they can be renewed. Of course,
Sabbath is not only a time to look after our bodies but also to feed our
Spirit.
Secondly, in bringing work to a halt, it
is to remind us of God’s greatness and that we are only cooperators in the
development of God’s creation. Thus, by refraining from unnecessary
work and from activities that hinder the worship we owe to God, the Sabbath
rest gives us time to ponder the goodness and providence of God for His
creation. In celebrating the Sabbath, we are celebrating both the creative and
redemptive work of God. For us Christians, in a special way, the Sabbath
Day is to celebrate the recreation of God by the redemptive death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. By so doing, we are contemplating on Jesus who is
the Lord of the Sabbath.
Thirdly, the Sabbath is a time to
give special consideration to the Eucharist. Perhaps it
is not too farfetched to see the reference of Jesus to the manna, which was
regarded by the Israelites as the Bread of God’s presence, to the anticipated
Eucharist. He is the true bread that came down from heaven. Thus,
being the Lord of the Sabbath, it is only appropriate for Christians to
celebrate the Sabbath on a Sunday, the day of recreation and new life.
Fourthly, the commemoration of the
Sabbath is not simply to remember God but to remember our fellowmen.
For the purpose of the Sabbath is to restore everything, including
relationships, to its original and pristine order. This explains why on the
Sabbath year, all debts are forgiven. Accordingly, in the gospel, Jesus
justified why the Sabbath must serve human needs. David himself set the
precedence when he and his men ate the bread offered in the Temple, which was
meant for the priests alone. The demands of mercy therefore supersede
rules and regulations. It is also a time to strengthen family and social
bonds among each other by taking time to be with family members, friends and
loved ones.
Thus, the observance of the
Sabbath law means also a time to practise mercy and charity. The
Sunday rest does not mean that we cannot do anything. Such “rest” does
not exempt us from loving our neighbor. It simply means that we cannot do
anything that is for self-benefit, unless it is done for the service of the
people. So the Sabbath Law does not prevent us from working to provide
essential services e.g. hospitals. By extension, the Sunday rest requires
us to help out in the Church or in voluntary services that assist the poor, the
marginalized and needy. This explains why Jesus also healed on the
Sabbath. He showed mercy to those in need. All who are burdened can find
true rest and refreshment in Him. Indeed, if we truly love the Lord, then the
love of God will overflow in the love we give to our neighbours. It was
St Augustine who said: “The charity of truth seeks holy leisure; the necessity
of charity accepts just work.”
Yes, if we want to be holy,
then we must find time for God in worship and prayer; and then express our love
of God by love for our neighbour. Holiness entails these two
dimensions. So to be holy requires that we constantly turn to the Lord,
not only on Sundays but every day, to find rest and refreshment from Him,
especially in the Eucharist.
Today, we are invited to be like St Paul,
a man who cared for his people. If we grow in our
relationship with the Lord, we too will be like Paul who was a servant of the
gospel. In this way, we can proclaim the Good News to the whole human
race.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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