GOSPEL - Lk 9:46-50
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.”
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 - Veni Creator Spiritus
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
and in our hearts take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
O Comforter, to Thee we cry,
Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,
Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
O Finger of the hand divine,
the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;
true promise of the Father thou,
who dost the tongue with power endow.
Thy light to every sense impart,
and shed thy love in every heart;
thine own unfailing might supply
to strengthen our infirmity.
Drive far away our ghostly foe,
and thine abiding peace bestow;
if thou be our preventing Guide,
no evil can our steps betide.
Praise we the Father and the Son
and Holy Spirit with them One;
and may the Son on us bestow
the gifts that from the Spirit flow.
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
and in our hearts take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
O Comforter, to Thee we cry,
Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,
Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
O Finger of the hand divine,
the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;
true promise of the Father thou,
who dost the tongue with power endow.
Thy light to every sense impart,
and shed thy love in every heart;
thine own unfailing might supply
to strengthen our infirmity.
Drive far away our ghostly foe,
and thine abiding peace bestow;
if thou be our preventing Guide,
no evil can our steps betide.
Praise we the Father and the Son
and Holy Spirit with them One;
and may the Son on us bestow
the gifts that from the Spirit flow.
Monday is dedicated to the Holy Spirit & the Holy Souls in Purgatory
STUDY - An excerpt from Link to Liturgy Lesson 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.
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.
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.
Why is the Sabbath on the first day for Christians? Christians continued the tradition of rest on the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for the Christian is on the first day of the week, rather than the seventh. The Third Commandment, says “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day” and the first of the five precepts of the Church, “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and remain free from work or activity that could impede the sanctification of such days.” [2] The evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all stress that Jesus rose on the first day of the week. It was important for the early Christians who rested and worshiped on Sunday, to identify and distinguish themselves from the Jewish tradition of resting and worshipping on Saturday. It was on Sunday, the first day, the Jesus makes all things new. This is the new creation in which Jesus who slept in death, now rises. “I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell.”[iii] Jesus is the meek and humble lamb led to the slaughter on Good Friday, sleeps on Saturday, but on Sunday, He is the Lion of Judah, whom awakened by His Father’s voice, rises from sleep.
Why is the Sabbath on the first day for Christians? Christians continued the tradition of rest on the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for the Christian is on the first day of the week, rather than the seventh. The Third Commandment, says “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day” and the first of the five precepts of the Church, “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and remain free from work or activity that could impede the sanctification of such days.” [2] The evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all stress that Jesus rose on the first day of the week. It was important for the early Christians who rested and worshiped on Sunday, to identify and distinguish themselves from the Jewish tradition of resting and worshipping on Saturday. It was on Sunday, the first day, the Jesus makes all things new. This is the new creation in which Jesus who slept in death, now rises. “I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell.”[iii] Jesus is the meek and humble lamb led to the slaughter on Good Friday, sleeps on Saturday, but on Sunday, He is the Lion of Judah, whom awakened by His Father’s voice, rises from sleep.
[1] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Modern Catholic Dictionary, pg. 476
[2] Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church; Appendix B: Formulas of Catholic Doctrine; page 193
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