Humanity
lets God down on a daily basis but perhaps the greatest disservice we do God is
that we underestimate God!
For
all our talk about God’s power and might, wisdom, strength, knowledge and so on
we continually fail to understand perhaps the most important characteristic of
God in his relationship with humanity and that is MERCY. Our relationship with God is
defined by God’s initiative of mercy.
There is nothing we should be afraid to ask God for – God has
infinite patience, sympathy and mercy when it comes to hearing us – it is not limited
as we seem to think.
And
yet we behave as if it was – The Gospel for today is a perfect illustration
when Jesus is called to account for healing on the Sabbath, the day of rest,
when no work should take place. The leaders of the synagogue clearly believe
that God’s merciful interaction with humanity is limited to six days a week and
for that they are mocked and rightly rebuked by Jesus who skillfully points out
that they untie their ox or donkey and give it water on the Sabbath and yet are
not prepared to see this woman loosened from the chains of her illness. Jesus
demonstrates spectacularly that they have completely missed the point not only
of the Law but of the Sabbath.
The
law is there to protect the Sabbath for the sake of the people who need the
rest of the Sabbath to refresh their bodies and restore their souls but it is
not there to perpetuate the enslavement of those who suffer. As we hear in St.
Mark’s Gospel, the Sabbath is for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath.
The
law of the Sabbath is about how a merciful God provides the necessary rest and
refreshment for his people.
Unless
you are an Orthodox Jew, the Sabbath means very little to us today in Ireland.
Growing up we all remember how Sunday was a day that was completely focused on
Church. Many people went twice a day and to Sunday school as well and no
non-essential work was even contemplated. It was a family time and a day to
take a step back from the busyness of the week. It was often enforced quite
strictly and no doubt some people resented that and felt trapped by it but for
others it was a blessed relief.
Today
things are very different in our 24/7 world where shops are open every day and
of course with the internet and mobile communications work is never further
away than the next call, text or email.
When
anybody in a position of leadership in our Churches says anything about this
non-stop activity of modern lives they are usually mocked or ridiculed and told
to mind their own business.
Perhaps they are perceived to be trying to control people – a people who
have broken away from the chains of the old institutional church and found a
new freedom which by definition must be the opposite of that which they have
left behind.
But,
and I hesitate to use this cliché but I think no other fits, have we thrown out
the baby with the bathwater? In dumping the Sabbath have we lost something
fundamental and valuable, not only to people of faith but to all humanity?
Is
all this constant and at times frenetic activity good for us? It is good news
for gastric surgeons who deal with a greater number of stress related ulsers
than ever before. It is good news for relationship counsellors and solicitors
who deal with the increasing numbers of relationship breakdowns due to
exhaustion and working schedules that mean couples and their children become
strangers to each other. It is good news too to some in the self-help industry
that seek to help us squeeze every last bit of productivity out of our lives
regardless of the consequences so that we can become rich! The fact that we
have no time to enjoy that wealth is a minor detail!
The
current financial crisis while traumatic to many of us is also a time of
opportunity. The speed of working life has slowed down just a little to one in
which we might even be able to jump off without getting too badly hurt. The
rediscovery of time is a revelation to many people because when you are living
your whole life in a hurry there is no time but when the rush is over you can
actually begin to enjoy life and not just be carried along by it.
The
great Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote a lovely little book
simply called THE SABBATH and in
it he said the following:
“What we plead against is man’s unconditional
surrender to space, his enslavement to things. We must not forget that it is
not a thing that lends significance to a moment ; it is the moment that lends
significance to things.”
The
Sabbath is God’s gift to us so that we may lead lives of significance, purpose
and meaning. The Sabbath is a manifestation of God’s mercy which desires not to
enslave us to set us free. The Law of the Sabbath is a law that is there to
protect our souls from the addiction to activity that will ultimately destroy
us. The Sabbath may be Sunday if you are a Christian, Friday night to Saturday
night if you are a Jew or it may simply be that day you set aside to be with
those who are significant in your life so that you may rest, reflect and be in
each others presence. Whatever it is, guard it and treasure it as a blessing to
you and perhaps even an experience of God’s mercy and grace.
Amen.
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