Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
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Gospel of Mark 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"......Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for men, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
Unlawful on the Sabbath Those pesky Pharisees always watching Jesus and his disciples! It reminds me of school hall monitors patrolling the halls looking for students breaking rules. If a student doesn't have a hall pass, off to the principle's office! In Jesus' case, his "infractions" are tallied up in an effort to gather evidence against him. Did the Pharisees have nothing better to do than to track Jesus' every move? Didn't other Jews violate of the sabbath laws? Why not track them down, too? Why the obsession with Jesus? The Pharisees felt threatened. They knew Jesus was out of the ordinary. Enforcing the law gave them power and authority. However, Jesus' law of love and compassion for human needs clearly overshadowed any rigid, man made law. Nobody should go without food and nourishment on the sabbath. Nobody should go without medical care on the sabbath. Keeping the sabbath holy doesn't mean enforcing rigid rules oppressing people. Keeping the sabbath holy means spending time praising Our Lord for our blessings, helping those in need, and spending time at rest not over burdened by useless actions.
The Pharisees are like annoying camel flies that can't be shooed away! Fortunately, Jesus is so above their scheming and questioning. The Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.
Just Laws Society today can't function without laws. Laws protect citizens from danger, give people certain rights and privileges, and keep things orderly. However, there's a difference between just laws helping people and unjust laws crippling people. Recently, the Malaysian government instituted a law making it it illegal for non-Muslims to refer to God as "Allah" either in written or verbal form. In a raid, the police conviscated over 100 Christian bibles with the word "Allah" printed in them. The owners of the bibles were arrested. In my mind this is an unjust law. It's very rigid and goes against freedom of religion. However, in the eyes of a nation who is predominantly Muslim this is seen as a just law. Malaysians decided to implement a law protecting the name "Allah" from blasphemy, limiting it's use to the Islam only. The same protection can go toward Christianity. We certainly don't want the name of Jesus or Mary taken in vain or demoralized! Laws are relative to cultural expression. Just as the Pharisees believed collecting grain on the Sabbath was unlawful, Jesus as the Christ believe collecting grain was just and needful.
I think it's important for Christians to take a day of rest and honor the Sabbath. We all need that one day of the week to rest and rejuvenate. With all of the busyness of our lives, we often forget about God. For me, Sunday is my favorite day of the week. I go to Mass and spend time the late morning reading. I take a much needed afternoon nap. I may work out in my garden, cook a nice meal, take my dachshund for a walk, or spend time with my mother. Sundays to me are a blessing and really help me prepare for the week ahead. Keep the Sabbath holy!
-J.
Just Laws Society today can't function without laws. Laws protect citizens from danger, give people certain rights and privileges, and keep things orderly. However, there's a difference between just laws helping people and unjust laws crippling people. Recently, the Malaysian government instituted a law making it it illegal for non-Muslims to refer to God as "Allah" either in written or verbal form. In a raid, the police conviscated over 100 Christian bibles with the word "Allah" printed in them. The owners of the bibles were arrested. In my mind this is an unjust law. It's very rigid and goes against freedom of religion. However, in the eyes of a nation who is predominantly Muslim this is seen as a just law. Malaysians decided to implement a law protecting the name "Allah" from blasphemy, limiting it's use to the Islam only. The same protection can go toward Christianity. We certainly don't want the name of Jesus or Mary taken in vain or demoralized! Laws are relative to cultural expression. Just as the Pharisees believed collecting grain on the Sabbath was unlawful, Jesus as the Christ believe collecting grain was just and needful.
I think it's important for Christians to take a day of rest and honor the Sabbath. We all need that one day of the week to rest and rejuvenate. With all of the busyness of our lives, we often forget about God. For me, Sunday is my favorite day of the week. I go to Mass and spend time the late morning reading. I take a much needed afternoon nap. I may work out in my garden, cook a nice meal, take my dachshund for a walk, or spend time with my mother. Sundays to me are a blessing and really help me prepare for the week ahead. Keep the Sabbath holy!
-J.
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