January 18, Tuesday Weekday

The Lord will remember his covenant for ever. — Psalm 111: 5

Mass Readings: Hebrews 6:10-20 / Mark 2:23-28 

Day of Rest 

Today’s Gospel recounts Jesus’ dispute with the Pharisees about the Sabbath observance. When I read it, I remembered visiting my son and his wife in Brooklyn. Dave and Jennifer live in an apartment in the middle of a large settlement of Hasidic Jews. On Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, their neighbors don’t drive or use electricity because a strict interpretation of the Law prohibits making a fire. (Cars use spark plugs and burn fuel!) 

Jesus wasn’t keen on religious rules that put burdens on people. (“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath,” He said [Mk 2:27]). That doesn’t mean the Lord’s day, a day of rest, has no place in Christianity. It always has and still does. In our own time, ironically, it can take a little extra effort to observe a day of rest. 

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for giving us a day rest. Show me how to use it.