Make holy the Lord’s day ~ Exodus 20:8-11
For a good portion of my adult life I have had to work on Sundays. When I was in the service as private, I worked KP or kitchen police. When I was an officer, I pulled guard duty. When I worked for the post office, I worked every shift they had, because like the military, it is a 24 hour per day service all year long including Sundays and holidays. Medical professionals, all mothers and those who work in the food industry all work on Sundays. Let’s face it every priest you know works Sundays and holidays and are lucky to get one day off during the week, and if they get it is well deserved. I have had many failed retirements over the years and right now I work on Sundays in a call center. I choose to do that and I will go into the reasons later.
It our Gospel reading today Jesus is being criticized by the scribes and Pharisees for not admonishing the apostles for in effect working on the Sabbath. As always Jesus knows what the law is and knows what is in the hearts of His critics. He uses the example of King David who when in 1Samuel 21: 1-6 David ate the temple bread which was reserved for priests and was baked fresh for every Sabbath. David knew this also but he was running for his life from King Saul who wanted to kill David because he was a popular rival for the throne that Saul wanted to keep for himself.
Jesus was pointing out to the scribes and Pharisees that there is a letter of the law and the intent of the law. Jesus isn’t saying that we not follow Exodus 20 and avoid keeping holy the lord’s day. He is talking about the intent of the ten commandments which he spells out for us in Matthew 22: 37-40
“He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.This is the greatest and the first commandment.The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Our country has changed over the years. Many states at one time had “Blue Laws” where businesses we closed on Sunday including some grocery stores and restaurants. When I was a child, I used to think Sundays were the most boring day of the week. You could not do anything really cool on a Sunday. That’s how I thought as a kid. Times have changed we no longer have blue laws in most states.
It is funny as I have grown older how my perspective has changed. My sister’s favorite bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 which says that God has a plan for your life. It is funny on how that plan started for me to work on Sundays in my present job which is the travel industry. I started out as a part timer and didn’t have the option of Sundays off. Then I had some seniority and got the option of becoming full time and again without Sundays off. When my wife developed breast cancer it was important I take her to chemo therapy and radiation during a weekday. (She is cancer free right now) I still thank God for family medical leave and days off during the week. Then again after my daughters divorce we had my daughter and granddaughter live with us for over two years. Even though they have moved out, we still take care of our granddaughter during the summer five days per week while her mom works and now before and after school. This is something we do out of love. We want to do it. Nonetheless, Grandma needs a break sometimes and that is Grandpa’s time.
My wife and I have two choices for mass on Sunday and we do worship as a family. They are 730AM and 600PM Mass. Because my wife is not an early person we usually end up going to 6pm. This is the mass reserved for the teenagers and young adults of our parish. Because we have a parish school, there are always bright happy faces on the altar servers. As you might expect it is an upbeat service. Afterwards we go out to eat and have a date night and sometimes share a meal with friends after Mass. It is adult conversation and happy. Our worship is joyous and the time we spend together afterwards is joyous.
Now as an adult how much I look forward to the worship on Sunday, the interaction and the celebration of the day. The trick is in family and community which are a vital part of our lives and hopefully if you search your way of celebrating the Lord of the Sabbath that even if you work, the celebration and worship are still in your heart and you can truly say yes to Exodus 20: 8-11. which says:
Remember the Sabbath day—keep it holy.Six days you may labor and do all your work,but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your work animal, or the resident alien within your gates.For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
In conclusion, I believe Jesus is asking us to look into our hearts. Whether or not we work on Sundays or not, do we love the Lord with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Tomorrow is Sunday and some of us will work. Irregardless, Jesus is asking not the letter of the law but what is in your heart for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath every day of the week.
God Bless!
Bob Burford
Readings: 1Corinthians 4:6B-15; Psalms 145:17-18,19-20,21; Luke 6: 1-5
