Lead me in your justice, Lord. — Psalm 5:9

Mass Readings: 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 / Luke 6:6-11 

Honoring the Sabbath 

Traveling to non-Christian countries, like Muslim Turkey or Jewish Israel, I felt convicted by the devotion and discipline of their faiths. Not only the public call to prayer five times a day (which is also available in our Catholic faith in the Liturgy of the Hours) but also by the public testimony of honoring the Sabbath as God’s day. No stores are open. No business is conducted. Not even elevators are operational, a reminder that the Sabbath is exceptional. 

In our hurried, technology-obsessed culture, there are no boundaries, no “blue laws” to mark this day as different. Business can and does take place anywhere, anytime. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us how to honor the Sabbath: to do good, to save life. Other than Mass, how else do I honor God’s day? 

Prayer: Lord, help me learn how to rest, worship, and rejoice with You on Your day.