You do know
the Ten Commandments,
don't you?
Are they meant for us, though?
[PAUSE]
You might say,
"Yes, of course!"
but they are part
of the Old Covenant.
Remember,
that covenant was with
the Children of Israel,
not with Gentiles.
If we keep these Ten Commandments,
then shouldn't we also
circumcise our boys
and eat no pork?
Why these Ten
and not the other six-hundred
or so?
[PAUSE]
Of course, you realise
that these commandments
are repeated in the New Covenant.
They are moral commandments,
not ritual commandments.
They are for everyone,
not the priests alone.
The New Testament is filled
with teaching
the necessity to worship
God alone,
not to make idols,
not to blaspheme.
St Paul reminds us
to honour our parents.
The Lord Himself
prohibits
murder,
adultery,
stealing,
bearing false witness
and coveting.
Hang on!
There's one missing!
Which one?
[PAUSE]
There is no mention
of observing the Sabbath day
and keeping it holy.
Indeed,
Our Lord seems to be
quite severe on those who keep it
and encourage others
to do the same.
The Disciples transgress tha Sabbath
by picking corn to eat.
The Lord Himself
heals people on the Sabbath day.
Does that mean
the Sabbath has lost its meaning?
[PAUSE]
In a sense,
Jesus is showing the Pharisees
that they have lost the meaning
of the Sabbath.
God gives the Israelites
the commandment
to observe the Sabbath day
because they have just
escaped slavery,
and God wants them to be
free to rest,
to enjoy life
not to live to work
but work to live.
The Sabbath is made for Man
not Man for the Sabbath.
Over the centuries,
the Sabbath becomes
a set of enforced rules
that miss the point
of not being slaves.
These Pharisees
have forgotten what was intended.
They have hardened their hearts
as at the waters of Meribah and Massah,
and they are in danger
of not entering into God's rest,
that great expanse of freedom
and joy away from the burden
of sin, death and misery.
Thus, the Sabbath remains
part of the Old Covenant.
But what about the New?
Are we to be slaves in the New?
[PAUSE]
Christians have designated
Sunday as the day of worship.
It's not technically
in Scripture,
but is part of the great
Tradition of the Church,
observed from
the very earliest moments
of the Church's Mission
after Pentecost.
We separate the day
to meet for the Mass
and to focus our
attention on God.
Of course,
we should be doing that every day.
What makes Sunday special,
is that it's
the day of Resurrection.
It's a day when we should
make an attempt to
go to church on
and meet with each other
in the light of the Resurrection
to receive communion
with God and each other.
But it should not be forced.
We go to church
because we want to
because we recognise our need for God
and because we are free
not to go to church!
Yes!
We go to church
precisely because we are free
not to go the church.
Sunday and the Sabbath
should alert us
to what enslaves us.
If we are not allowed to
seek healing
then how can we be free?
If we are not allowed
to put things down
and seek refreshment of our soul
from communion with Christ,
then how are we not enslaved?
[PAUSE]
Freedom means
becoming the person
God created us to be.
If we cannot find time
to becoming perfect in God
then we need a Sabbath
to sit down,
rest,
and reconsider
in His presence.
We must not be too hasty
to pick up our worktools
and say, "sayonara, Sabbath!"
No comments:
Post a Comment