GOSPEL - Lk 13:10-17
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.”
PRAYER - Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
Prayer #11 from the Oratory: Place of Prayer Book ($7)
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
STUDY - Excerpt from The Sabbath
What is the Sabbath? “The Sabbath is the Jewish day of rest…it began on Friday night at sundown. No manual labor was done on the Sabbath. This meant complete withdrawal from business and trade interests, and giving oneself to family, friends and religion. Already in apostolic times (Acts 20:7) Christians transferred the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week.” [1]
Why is the Sabbath on the seventh day for Jews? For the Jewish people, Saturday is the day of rest. God rested on the seventh day. The creation story has a pattern to show that God is a God of order, not chaos. Day one and day four concern the creation of light; day two and day five have to do with the separation of water from the sky and the animals that dwell in them; lastly, day three and day six deal with the dry land and the creatures that live on it.
Day 1 – God separates light from dark (Gn. 1:4)
matches with
Day 4 – Sun, Moon and Stars (Gn. 1:14-16)
Day 2 – God separates body of water in sky from the body of water below (Gn. 1:6)
matches with
Day 5 – Water creatures and Birds (Gn. 1:20)
Day 3 – God separates water from dry land (Gn. 1:9)
matches with
Day 6 – Land Animals and Man (Gn. 1:24-27)
The only day that does not fit into the pattern is day seven. This emphasizes the seventh day and sets it apart from the first six days. God blesses the seventh day and commands that it be kept holy. Jewish people had a sense of pride because of this beautiful tradition; they practiced it and passed it on to their children. The Israelites were the only people who practiced the custom of resting on the seventh day in the ancient world. God prescribed the ritual of setting aside the seventh day and keeping it holy to his chosen people, the people he set aside.
What is the Sabbath? “The Sabbath is the Jewish day of rest…it began on Friday night at sundown. No manual labor was done on the Sabbath. This meant complete withdrawal from business and trade interests, and giving oneself to family, friends and religion. Already in apostolic times (Acts 20:7) Christians transferred the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week.” [1]
Why is the Sabbath on the seventh day for Jews? For the Jewish people, Saturday is the day of rest. God rested on the seventh day. The creation story has a pattern to show that God is a God of order, not chaos. Day one and day four concern the creation of light; day two and day five have to do with the separation of water from the sky and the animals that dwell in them; lastly, day three and day six deal with the dry land and the creatures that live on it.
Day 1 – God separates light from dark (Gn. 1:4)
matches with
Day 4 – Sun, Moon and Stars (Gn. 1:14-16)
Day 2 – God separates body of water in sky from the body of water below (Gn. 1:6)
matches with
Day 5 – Water creatures and Birds (Gn. 1:20)
Day 3 – God separates water from dry land (Gn. 1:9)
matches with
Day 6 – Land Animals and Man (Gn. 1:24-27)
The only day that does not fit into the pattern is day seven. This emphasizes the seventh day and sets it apart from the first six days. God blesses the seventh day and commands that it be kept holy. Jewish people had a sense of pride because of this beautiful tradition; they practiced it and passed it on to their children. The Israelites were the only people who practiced the custom of resting on the seventh day in the ancient world. God prescribed the ritual of setting aside the seventh day and keeping it holy to his chosen people, the people he set aside.
[1] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Modern Catholic Dictionary, pg. 476
