Sabbath

Philippians 1:1-11; Psalm 111 How great are the works of the Lord; Luke 14:1-6

For Israel the observance of the Sabbath with scrupulous care was the central expression of life in the covenant with God.

The dispute about what did and did not belong to the Sabbath was at the heart of Jesus' difference with the people of Israel, especially the Pharisees.  

The Sabbath was about imitating God who rested.  It was the one day of the week in which all things ceased and rest was embraced so that the circle of the family could be reformed.  It was a vital part of living the faith and a vital aspect to society.

In the gospel today Jesus is dining with one of the leading Pharisees.  A leading Pharisee was one who lived with a strict interpretation of the law and who was a model of behavior for all other Pharisees. 

Jesus encounters a man suffering from dropsy.  Dropsy was a illness in which the body was retaining fluid which usually led to swelling of the legs and feet.  Congestive heart failure was probably the reason behind the swelling.  It is a very common ailment that accompanies old age.

The man with dropsy was probably a family member of the Pharisee.  On observing the Sabbath, the Israelites were forbidden to travel long distances and had to remain at home. 

The clearest way of reforming the inner circle of the family was to spend time together and this was a positive result of observing the Sabbath. 

Jesus in performing the miracle seeks to clarify the importance of tending to the people who need assistance as an integral part of observing the Sabbath, as imitating God. 

The question he posed is still very salient to us today. "Who among you , if your son or ox falls into Cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"

Jesus reminds us that it is good to care for animals but never to the neglect of persons. 

Secondly, that what we would do for a child we should also be willing to do for all.  Jesus stretches our concern for all and includes all in the inner circle of our family.

In the Sabbath is meant to reform the inner circle of our family and reform society, then our family must never be a closed circle but must always make room for all at the table.

In Christ we are strangers no longer; in Christ the table is meant to be room for all. 

As we move forward in our life, we must always keep a space at our table for all, including the outcast, the sick, the immigrants, and those who are different than us.  This way we truly learn to be godly in our life and the Sabbath rest penetrates our very lives. 

We must not just keep the Sabbath but we must let the Sabbath keep us.

 

armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20; Psalm 144 Blessed be the Lord, my Rock; Luke 13:31-35

"Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war." Psalm 144

St. Paul tells us, "Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactic of the Devil.  For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of the present darkness, with the evil spirits.."

 

C.S. Lewis states this, "there is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter claimed by Satan."

Archbishop Chaput of Denver continues, "And this war goes on without rest in every age, in every nation, in every human life, in every choice, in every decision, in every action, in every public issue.  We can choose our side.  We can't choose not to choose.  Not choosing is a choice."

Put on the armor of God and be not afraid to enter the battle for goodness is worth fighting for, this is what Jesus shows us on the cross. 

 

strong enough

Ephesians 6:1-9; Psalm 145 The Lord is faithful in all his words; Luke 13:22-30;

Jesus in the gospel gives us a reality check, 

"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.  After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.'  He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.'"

"...but will not be strong enough."

St. Teresa of Avila in the introduction to her work "Interior Castle" on the spiritual life states that she is writing this work because her superiors have asked her to and in contemplating this reality she states that "true strength rises in obedience."

To be strong enough to enter is a pathway of choosing to do it not your own way.  The path to the Kingdom, the narrow path, is paved with obedience to the Father's will.  In obedience we stand strong, strong enough to enter not because the strength is in us but because we are dependent upon the strength of the one who walks the narrow path first and carries the cross to mark the way. 

Secondly, Jesus exclaims the master will say, "I do not know where you are from."

Pope Benedict reminds us that to name God as 'Our Father who are in Heaven' is a summon for us to both act like children and to recognize where we are from.  Every time we pray the Our Father we are directed to remember to where we are called and from where we come.

To live the Our Father is truly to embark on the narrow path and to never have to fear of hearing the words, "I do not know where you are from."

The gravitational pull of our selfishness is over come by the lofty heights invoked in the prayer taught to us by Jesus from whom we are sons in the son.

Not Iscariot

Ephesians  2:19-22; Psalm 19 Their message goes out through all the earth; Luke 6:12-16

In the gospels we get to meet the apostles, some better than others.  We get glimpses of the apostles through the lens of the gospel writers themselves.  We meet Peter who is a bit rash and Thomas who doubts and Nathanael for whom there is no guile.  We get Andrew who is willing to believe the young boy with two fish and five loaves can be effective for a multitude in the hands of Christ.  We meet James and John whose mothers insists they sit one at the right and the other on the left of Jesus when he comes into his kingdom.  

Some of the apostles we only get to know by name.  Some actually get speaking parts.  

St. Jude, whose feast we celebrate along with Simon the Zealot, two of the lesser known apostles, has speaking parts in the gospel. 

At the last supper, while Jesus is giving his last teaching, St. Jude poses a question: 

"Lord, how is it that you manifest yourself to us but not to the world." (Jn 14)

This is certainly a question for the ages; this is certainly a question that still rings true today.   How often do we as believers look out into the world and wonder the very same question as we ponder the reality that looks back at us, a reality filled with many who do not believe. 

We with Jude ask, "Lord, how is it that you manifest yourself to us but not to the world."

What was Jesus' response?

"If a man loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, we will come to him and make our home with him." (Jn 14:22-23)

St. Jude certainly was a man of courage who was not afraid to dialogue with Jesus his teacher, his Lord, his friend.  The question  he asks led to a beautiful answer, an answer that is essential to every Christian.  This answer would not have been heard lest the question was first asked. 

Jesus in the answer helps clarify and bring to light the mystery of the divine in dwelling, where the Trinity, The Father, Son, and Spirit, seek to make a home in the heart of one who professes faith and lives the faith they profess, "We will come to him and make our home with him."

It is important to note that questions are necessary to deepening one's faith understanding. 

Finally on the note of St. Jude.  In the gospels when St. Jude's name is mentioned Jn 14:22 he is described as Judas, not Iscariot. 

What a beautiful testimony to the great loyalty that St. Jude held in his heart for Christ.  He may have the same name of the betrayer but he certainly wasn't the same man, "not Iscariot."

May we seek to be known also as "not Iscariot"

 

Driven

Ephesians 4:1-6; Psalm 24 Lord, this is the people who longs to see your face; Luke 12:54-59

St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, "I , a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

St. Paul tells us to be driven.  

access

Ephesians 3:14-21; Psalm 33 The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord; Luke 12:49-53

"that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ  may dwell in your hearts through faith" 

These are part of the words St. Paul speaks today. 

Faith does many things for us.  In faith we have access to God; we have an insight to the mystery of God's paln for us in Christ; we peak into the unknown and we are enlightened. 

Faith not only gives us access to God and who he is in himself and what he desires from us, but just as important, Faith gives God access to us.  This is what St. Paul is speaking about, "that Christ dwell in your hearts."

Every time we make an act of Faith not only do we stand firm on what God has revealed but we open ourselves up a little more and we let God in to transform us.

Immeasurably generous is God's favor to us "who can accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine, by the power at work within us." 

Let God have access today and be amazed by the power from within. Let the Holy Spirit renovate your life from inside out and "be filled with the fullness of God."

hopefulness

Ephesians 2:12-22; Psalm 85 The Lord speaks of peace to his people; Luke12:35-38;

St. Paul tells the Ephesians that without Christ they were without hope and without God in the world.

Imagine a life without hope!

To have faith Christ, means that you never have to say "there is no hope."

The phrase "there is no hope" is no longer viable in the life of Christian.  In Christ the dark door of time has been thrown open, the future now radiates with light and we have been granted the gift of new life.

The good news of the gospel is not just about having access to new knowledge of God; it is about living differently; it is about making things happen; it is about a power that transforms the ordinary and fills it abundantly with the light of life. 

In the words of the psalmist, :"n your light I shall see light and walk in your presence in the land of the living."

Psalm 33 reminds us: 

"The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.  Our soul is waiting for the Lord.  The Lord is our help and our shield.  In him do our hearts find joy.  We trust in his holy name.  May your love be upon us. O Lord, as we place all our hope in you."

This the power of the new life gained in Christ.