The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invites us to contemplate the hope that sustains us on our journey as agents of healing, rest, and transformation in union with Christ.
Action for healing
The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews shares our hope in the certainty of God’s Promise.
* [6:12] Imitators of those…inheriting the promises: the author urges the addressees to imitate the faith of the holy people of the Old Testament, who now possess the promised goods of which they lived in hope. This theme will be treated fully in Heb 11.1
Psalm 111 offers praise for God’s Wonderful Works.
* [Psalm 111] A Temple singer (Ps 111:1) tells how God is revealed in Israel’s history (Ps 111:2–10). The deeds reveal God’s very self, powerful, merciful, faithful. The poem is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.2
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus makes a pronouncement about the Sabbath.
* [2:27] The sabbath was made for man: a reaffirmation of the divine intent of the sabbath to benefit Israel as contrasted with the restrictive Pharisaic tradition added to the law.3
Cindy Costanzo comments that the physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of the disciples are not at the forefront; the rules, laws and traditions are at the forefront.
Saint Ignatius followed Jesus and his teachings. St. Ignatius emphasized the importance to consider the context and experiences, to observe, listen, and find meaning in what was happening. Then take that information, reflect, and pray. Ultimately, the message for me is understanding that God loves me and you unconditionally. We have a deep need to understand God’s love as did the Pharisees and the disciples. What stops us from recognizing this love or loving others? Let us continue to look within, seek to understand, to be self-aware and to connect with others.4
Don Schwager quotes “The Lord of the Sabbath,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.
"Doubtless he speaks of himself when he mentions the 'Lord of the sabbath' (Mark 2:28, Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5). Mark relates a complementary saying about our common human nature, that "the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Why then should someone who gathered sticks on the sabbath be censured? The law that was established earlier could not be scorned without jeopardizing the law to be given later. "The sabbath did confer many benefits, great blessings in the earlier dispensation. It made people more gentle toward those close to them. It guided them toward being more sympathetic. It located them temporally within God's creation and providence, as Ezekiel knew (Ezekiel 20:19-20). The sabbath trained Israel by degrees to abstain from evil and disposed them to listen to the things of the Spirit. "They would have stretched the law out of shape if, when he was giving the law of the sabbath, Jesus had said, 'You can work on the sabbath, but just do good works, do nothing evil.' This would have brought out the worst in them. So he restrained them from doing any works at all on the sabbath. And even this stricter prohibition did not keep them in line. But he himself, in the very act of giving the law of the sabbath, gave them a veiled sign of things to come. For by saying, 'You must do no work, except what shall be done for your life' (Exodus 12:16), he indicated that the intent of the law was to have them refrain from evil works only, not all works. Even in the temple, much went on during the sabbath, and with great diligence and double toil. Thus even by this very shadowy saying Jesus was secretly opening the truth to them. Did Christ then attempt to repeal a law so beneficial as the sabbath law? Far from it. Rather, he greatly magnified the sabbath. For with Christ came the time for everyone to be trained by a higher requirement."(excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 39.3)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 6:10-20 comments that in light of all that has happened and is still unfolding, this verse from today’s first reading can encourage us: “Hold fast to the hope that lies before us” (Hebrews 6:18). As Christians, we can place our hope in the promise that one day we will be united with God in heaven. No illness, no financial loss, no disappointment or canceled plan or other kind of strife can thwart that promise.
That’s not just a vague promise. God gives us three tangible sources of grace that can strengthen and renew our hope. In the Eucharist, Jesus becomes present to us, healing us, strengthening us, and nourishing us. In the Scriptures, the Lord teaches us who he is, how much he loves us, and the wonderful plans he has for us. And through our relationships, God blesses us with family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ who can provide us with the love and support we need to get through our trials. In all of these ways, we can experience a foretaste of heaven, and our hope grows stronger.6
Thinking Faith author Karen Eliasen shares insight from Jewish experience in her article “Counting Sabbath days in pandemic days”.
Friar Jude Winkler notes the author of Hebrews uses the symbolism of Abraham to show Jesus as our High Priest fulfilling the Promise of God. The religiosity of the Pharisees resulted in a wide interpretation of the Law that made the legally permissible action of the disciples a transgression. Friar Jude recommends observance that brings rest and prayer rather than regulations that imprison.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we all think we are freely and consciously making our own choices when, in his experience, most people live most of their lives unconsciously! Before transformation, we are basically sleepwalking, going through the motions on the surface of life, which is why spiritual teachers like Jesus and Buddha tell us to “wake up.” When our ego or small self is in charge, we are not free; we are being ordered about by our preferences, our likes and dislikes.
There is no authentic freedom if we do not also consider the rights and well-being of others. As Pope Francis reflects:
Looking to the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals. It means having a regard for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the least fortunate. . . . [3]
The transformed person finds freedom in the service of Life and Love. Your life is not about you. You are about life!7
Our hope for healing of the social, political, and religious rifts in society lies in our authentic freedom to be agents of Jesus Love in our encounters with people.
References
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