Much has been written and said about the sabbath. From the Orthodox Jews who, from sundown on Friday till nightfall on Saturday, abstain from work, driving, preparing meals or using electricity, to the Christians, with their focus on Moses and the Fourth Commandment, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. For both groups, the sabbath is to be a day of rest, as God rested after the six days of creation.
As far back as the early 1600’s there were laws in the United States that banned retail sales, especially liquor and other non-essential items, in hopes of encouraging the observance of the sabbath and attending services. We can probably thank the Puritans for the “Blue Laws” that still exist in some areas of the country.
Today’s Gospel reading brings us full circle to the question of faithful observance of the sabbath, whether as a Jew or a Christian. As usual, Jesus is able to outwit the Pharisees using their own words to lay bare the fallacy of their arguments. Now we could end there, but Jesus continues with a very powerful statement, I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. What exactly is that something greater to which Jesus refers??
For most of us, how we go about our daily lives as Christians is the true test of our faith vs. the rigid adherence to a rule – or dare I say a commandment. Think about it. Is this the something greater? Which is better: to live your faith in thought, word and deed, Monday through Saturday, or to ignore your faith throughout the week, be the first one in the pew on Sunday, and then check the box marked “Completed” after services?
For those of us who focus on being a Monday-through-Saturday Christian, services on Sunday are but icing on the cake, where we find rest in the arms of Jesus.
But oh, if only it were that easy. We all know it isn’t.
Distractions abound, words are said or actions misinterpreted that often prevent us from granting mercy. Instead, we want the proverbial sacrifice.
So, as we do our Daily Examen of Conscience, let’s try to focus on the word mercy or the Latin word, misericordia. Per the internet, It translates to “having a heart for the wretched.” It means sharing the pain of another as if it were your own and actively working to remove it.
Maybe if we focus less on who is breaking the rules and more on who needs our mercy, we can find the joy and love in our hearts that Jesus wants us to experience.
Steve Scholer
I came to Creighton to attend law school in 1976 and following 5 years of private practice I started what I thought would be a 4 year job to help Fr. James Hoff, S.J. raise funds for the Campaign for Creighton. Little did I know that the many wonderful people I would soon meet, both here on campus and across the entire country, over the next few years would lead me to stay and continue to support the mission of this University. My wife is a Creighton graduate and our son, Frank, is a Xavier undergraduate and Creighton law graduate. Our daughter, Paige, has both her undergraduate and master’s degree from Creighton.
I do not participate in social media websites so posting my personal interpretation about what the readings mean to me is a novel experience for me. However, being required to put pen to paper forced me to become more reflective about what God is really trying to say to me and this has helped me in my daily prayer life - to slow down and let the Word of God dwell within me instead of racing through the daily devotions.
