"I desire mercy, not sacrifice"
"The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." So states Jesus at the end of the Gospel for this Friday. What does this mean? Well, as we look around us on any typical Sunday, what do you see? Basically, it appears like any other day of the week. Businesses are open, restaurants feed hungry crowds, people are shopping for whatever, the traffic may seem a bit lighter in some places but not too much so, movie theaters are doing a brisk business, etc. What to appear different on the Lord's Day - the Sabbath.
Obviously, local Christian Churches are open for services and parking lots are more full than say on a Tuesday morning but overall beyond that little generally appears different than the rest of the week. You may even receive a UPS or Fed Ex shipment on a Sunday afternoon. Is this the best way to honor the Lord on his day?
Our Gospel this morning confronts us with two values: mercy and respect. Jesus and his disciples are out walking in a "field of grain." Maybe wheat or barley and they are hungry so they nibble on the various stalks of grain as they walk along. It happens to be a Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath day, and they are spotted by the strict legalism of the Pharisees. The Pharisees accuse Jesus and his disciples of violating the Sabbath law which prohibited even waking a short distance and the eating of grain from the fields. (One law broken). Secondly, what about Temple worship on the Sabbath. The doubling of sacrifice offered in the Temple on the Sabbath was noted but Jesus' own words taking note of human hunger recalling when David himself did when his companions were hungry on a Sabbath - they entered the Temple area and ate the sacred "bread of offering."
The point being made is that if the law itself becomes the focus of our motivation, rather than the greater law of love and mercy, then we miss the boat of what God desires of us on the Sabbath day. So back to our point about typical Sundays. While gathering with the community to break open God's word and share in the Holy Eucharist is a serious obligation for Catholics, in the end why do you really come? What other unnecessary "work" or activity pulls you away or simply turns the attendance at Holy Mass into an obligation fulfilled rather than a real desire to seek a deeper relationship with the Lord. Is Sunday or Saturday evening Mass simply a checklist to mark off weekly or a real time to reflect on God's goodness, mercy, and to really listen to the Scriptures and allow the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood to continue the change of heart you may have undertaken back in Lent? As Priest, I certainly need to remind myself of the sacredness of this day and despite the more intense attention to the general parish, keep my focus on the Lord more personally as well.
Could we spend our Sunday with a work of mercy for another rather than a trip to the store to buy the latest I Phone? Maybe a phone call or visit to a suffering or sick relative or friend. A visit to the hospital or a grandparent who sits waiting for some connection with his/her family or grandchildren. It is often family time, and that's a great thing, but what are parents showing to their children as the value of the Sunday Sabbath. How is it really the "Lord's Day" on not just a free day off work for you?
I distinctly recall a number of years ago, one parishioner sort of matter of factly telling me that during the summer they generally spend their weekends out camping and pretty much leave Church until school begins! "See you in three months, Father!" I gently confronted this person on their casual attitude, which was quite frankly shocking to me. Children will follow the lead of their parents and young boys in particular will imitate the behavior of their Father's. It's certainly food for thought.
While that's one extreme example, it just reveals the general position of our increasingly God-less culture. What can I as a Catholic-Christian do to maintain God's law to keep holy the Sabbath day?
No comments:
Post a Comment