Keeping the Sabbath Holy

The commandments are meant for us.

One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions." Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come forward." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. - Mark 2:23-3:6

Jesus changed everything.

In today's reading he helps us understand the meaning and purpose of the seventh day of Creation, when we were told God rested.

Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.

This day is a gift from God to us, as much as our keeping it holy is a gift of thanks to God.

How do we keep it holy?  Is it just remembering to go to church?  Or is something deeper involved?

I know I am not alone when I say that I find it hard to turn off the week on the weekend, and Sunday, our Sabbath Day, is no exception.

But spending time in prayer, in church, connected to others doing the same, is a big help.  It is a reminder that the day is different than every other day of the week.  

While I start every day of the week with one of these reflections, to recharge my soul and mind so I can face the day knowing I trained my thoughts on God and my purpose in His world, Sunday is a double reminder.

For many, Sunday may be the day when thoughts of the week ahead, or work and obligations creep in and steal away the respite we so desperately need.  We start thinking of everything we need to do tomorrow, and that may cause us to fail to properly reconnect with God.

God is always there for us, and we may try to connect every day, but the Sabbath could be a day of cleaning the slate and starting over.

Everything that pulls us away from God can be brushed aside and left in the week just ended, allowing us to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If we give some thought to inviting The Holy Spirit into our day one that day, we can find it easier to make that invitation daily.

So, keeping the Sabbath holy could be for us the pattern for our daily life.

Each day, we set our sights on God and open our eyes and ears to what God is telling us through His Spirit, so we can go out into the world with confidence that our purpose will reveal itself and we will lead a full and meaningful life.

More to come...