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The inner word

11 Mar 2012 - Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

A good Lenten exercise is to take one of the Commandments and see how you live it. For example: keeping holy the sabbath. There are plenty of good resources on this topic, including Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter Dies Domini. Consider as well that the sabbath is not to be observed simply because God said, "No work." What makes it holy is that it is part of the fabric of creation; it was the "day" God rested after the work of creation. To do the same, then, is to draw closer to God, which is holiness itself. In this sense, how can you "keep holy the sabbath day"?

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Exploring the word

15 Mar 2009 - Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

In Torah commentaries rabbis always point out the unequal proportions of the Decalogue. The first four Commandments (concerning our obligations to God) take up ten extended verses, while the ensuing six (about mortal relationships) occupy a half dozen clipped lines. It should be noted that in Jewish tradition the Commandments are numbered differently. Because the two forbidden “covetings” at the end are combined as one prohibition, the first four Commandments are counted as follows: 1. God alone is the God of Israel (vs. 2-3); 2. Idols and images are forbidden (vs. 4-6); 3. False oaths using God’s name are forbidden (v. 7); 4. The sabbath must be kept holy (vs. 8-11). God’s singularity, as well as the holiness of the divine name and the day of rest, are clearly weighted with more significance than the obligations we have toward one another: parents, neighbors, and fellow citizens. In Hebrew, in fact, the weightiest Commandment is the one regarding the sabbath day, if sheer word power is the measure. To get the sabbath right paved the way to getting everything right. That is why the use Jesus made of the sabbath was the most shocking part of his ministry. He used the sabbath for the sake of his neighbors and fellow citizens—even strangers and outsiders! He used God’s day for the welfare of people. It turned the traditional understanding of the Law inside out and on its head. If we listen to the responsorial psalm of the day, we hear a refrain that echoes through the Psalms, not to mention the books of law, prophecy, and wisdom. God’s law is perfect. You can trust it. You can bet your life on its clarity and purity. Many righteous people resonate with that idea. Submitting yourself to the dictates of law—whether the laws of the land or God’s laws or interior convictions—is a most uncomplicated way to live. It removes ambiguity and indecision from the picture because, in a sense, you don’t have to decide at all. You just have to obey. The icon of that submission, of course, was the Jerusalem Temple. There, lawgivers rendered their judgments on individual cases. There, sacrifices on behalf of the nation were judiciously performed. There, offerings were made and taxes were collected to serve as ballast against sin. When Jesus made his assault against the Temple, which he did toute de suite in John’s gospel, he challenged the traditional understanding of Law altogether. And when his motives were questioned, Jesus declared that he was replacing the great institution of the Temple with himself. Of course no one understood him, nor would they have believed him. An incarnate law changes everything. Related scripture links Gospel parallels: Mark 11:15-19; Matt. 21:12–17; Luke 19:45-48 My temple a house of prayer: Isa. 56:7 In your eyes, a den of thieves: Jer. 7:11 Jesus in his Father’s house: Luke 2:49 Jesus the highest authority in the heavens: Phil. 2:9-11; Col. 1:16 Built into living stones: 1 Pet. 2:4-5 Catechism links Monotheism: CCC 200-202 Idolatry: CCC 1852; 2112-14 Jesus and temple authority: CCC 576; 583-586; 651; 653

Authors Alice Camille

commandents torah sabbath god's law jerusalem temple

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Word of the Week

01 December 2024

Apocalypse

\ə-'pä-kə-“lips\

Alternative name for the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, that describes the end times in symbolic and allegorical language. Apocalyptic literature is concerned primarily with the fulfillment of history and God's purposes and often involves a human intermediary receiving hidden visionary knowledge of future events.

Pronunciation Read more

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