Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Labor Day)
(Colossians 1:24-2:3; Luke 6:6-11)
This year the French government underwent a heated political debate on whether to allow stores to be open on Sunday. For over a hundred years the country’s commerce has been largely curtailed on the traditional day of rest. Recently, however, President Sarkozy and liberal politicians have campaigned for reform to spur France’s flagging economy. They were opposed by a rare coalition of labor advocates and social conservatives who argued that the country could do better than imitate American “commuting, sleeping, and buying.”
Would France’s liberal politicians find an ally in Jesus? In the gospel today Jesus defies the scribes and Pharisees who reject any kind of work on Sunday. But Jesus hardly seems a social a revolutionary for wanting to cure the man with a withered right hand on Sunday. He argues that because restoring life is not human pursuit of profit but God’s work, it cannot be prohibited.
It seems fitting to read a gospel passage dealing with Sabbath observance on Labor Day. Americans have today off not just to rest but to reflect on the value of work. We work in order to live, but also to create a better society. On the other hand, time to rest is necessary to replenish energy and to recognize that there are other, even higher, purposes in life than “commuting, sleeping, and buying.” Sunday worship and relaxation serve these other purposes. With or without government mandate everyone does well to curb activity on this day in favor of faith, family, reflection, and some fun.
Showing posts with label Sabbath work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sabbath work. Show all posts
Homilette for Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and martyr
(Hebrews 7:1-3.15-17; Mark 3:1-6)
The man was lying in a hospital bed depressed. He had been diagnosed with cancer and was not sure whether he was going to live much longer. He was also unsure of his relationship with God. He was not attending mass on Sunday because, he said, he was often busy. Was that a sufficient reason or perhaps it was only an excuse for a lifetime of neglecting his God?
In today’s gospel the Pharisees bring to fore a similar issue of Sabbath observance. They want to condemn Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Is that legitimate work on a Sabbath or is doing any work beyond sheer emergency on the holy day a way to mask one’s denial of God’s sovereignty?
Jesus will reveal the contradiction lodged like an embolism in the Pharisees’ hearts. He poses them the question, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Then he restores the ability of the handicapped person to use his hand; meanwhile, the Pharisees begin to plot Jesus’ death on the same Sabbath.
We should see the Sabbath as a gift from God so that we might do good. Giving praise to God is the highest good. Also taking a day to rest and recreate is another appropriate good for the Sabbath. If it is necessary, we might also work on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath. But we must take care that the labor is truly required and not pursued out of greed or, worse, to mask our neglect of God.
(Hebrews 7:1-3.15-17; Mark 3:1-6)
The man was lying in a hospital bed depressed. He had been diagnosed with cancer and was not sure whether he was going to live much longer. He was also unsure of his relationship with God. He was not attending mass on Sunday because, he said, he was often busy. Was that a sufficient reason or perhaps it was only an excuse for a lifetime of neglecting his God?
In today’s gospel the Pharisees bring to fore a similar issue of Sabbath observance. They want to condemn Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Is that legitimate work on a Sabbath or is doing any work beyond sheer emergency on the holy day a way to mask one’s denial of God’s sovereignty?
Jesus will reveal the contradiction lodged like an embolism in the Pharisees’ hearts. He poses them the question, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Then he restores the ability of the handicapped person to use his hand; meanwhile, the Pharisees begin to plot Jesus’ death on the same Sabbath.
We should see the Sabbath as a gift from God so that we might do good. Giving praise to God is the highest good. Also taking a day to rest and recreate is another appropriate good for the Sabbath. If it is necessary, we might also work on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath. But we must take care that the labor is truly required and not pursued out of greed or, worse, to mask our neglect of God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)