Homily: 15th Week in Ordinary Time - Friday - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

Passing through a field, the disciples were hungry and began to pick heads of grain and eat them==an action permitted in the Old Testament Law.  However, for Jesus’ disciples to do so on the Sabbath was a source of contention with the Pharisees, who seem to view their action as a kind of harvesting and thus unlawful work on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees were often on the lookout for opportunities to catch Jesus and the disciples in some sort of unlawful action.  But their concern here isn’t all bad.  Along with circumcision and the dietary laws, the Sabbath rest was one of the main identity markers for the Jews of the first century, setting them apart from the Gentiles.  Surrounded by Pagans who did not observe a Sabbath rest, this particularly Jewish observance stood out as an expression of covenant loyalty to the God of Israel.  Moreover, according to Jeremiah, failure to observe the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy was one of the sins that brought judgment on the Jewish people in 586 BC, when Babylon invaded the land, destroyed Jerusalem, and carried many of the people off into exile. Observance of the Sabbath therefore was not just a matter of private piety but of national security.

In our own day, less than 25% of Catholics observe the Lord’s Day by coming to Mass.  In Europe, in many places it is less than 20%. Who among us does not have a family member who does not come to Church anymore.

Soon to be canonized Pope John Paul II said “given its many meanings and aspects, and its link to the very foundations of the faith, the celebration of the Christian Sunday remains…an indispensable element of our Christian identity.”

It is the day that Christians are obligated to come together, despite our many differences, to celebrate Christ’s conquering of death and giving us a share in his own immortal life.

On Sundays, we Christians are to withdraw from the earthly tasks that preoccupy us throughout the week and enter into God’s Sabbath res.  At the same time, as the Lord teaches in the Gospel today “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”.  The Catechism recommends that on Sunday, in addition to attending Sunday Mass, Christians pursue “good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly”.  Sunday is a particularly good day to volunteer at soup kitchens, to visit the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, but really to set aside the normal busyness of life and focus on our most important relationships.

By not treating Sunday as a day to catch up on yard work, shopping, and bills, we can enter more fully into the Sabbath and strengthen the bonds of love which matter most.

I know I’m sort of preaching to the choir here by talking about Sunday mass during at a weekday Mass, but I do so to strengthen our resolve to draw others back to this most fundamental Christian practice.

May we be committed to proclaiming Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, to all those in need of hearing the Gospel once again, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.