RBWords

     The scene in today's gospel scripture is the first of two incidents involving Jesus in conflict with the scribes and Pharisees over sabbath observance.  Jesus' position on this is that basic human needs like hunger and healing take precedence over sabbath observance.  His statement that he is "lord of the Sabbath" would be quite startling to the religious authorities who considered the observance a matter of the Ten Commandments and something established at the dawn of creation!  Is nothing sacred?  Jesus' reply is, in essence, that the human person is as sacred as the sabbath, and made in the image and likeness of God.

     One of the most frequent items I hear in the sacrament of Reconciliation is "I missed Mass on Sunday," but then I hear the reason, "I was sick..." or "I had to take care of my child who was sick."  I also hear, "We were traveling....." or "Our son's little league game was scheduled at the time we usually go to Mass."  The difference between human need and better scheduling seems fairly obvious to me but the Sunday obligation is engrained, even if not always observed.  Surveys show that less than a third of Catholics in the USA attend Sunday Mass every Sunday without fail!  And, certainly, the former ban on doing "servile work" on Sunday has nearly disappeared!  This was the objection of the Pharisees in today's gospel!

     The establishment of Sunday evening Mass and Saturday evening Vigil Masses (both of which have occurred in my own lifetime)has made weekend observance more convenient, but there is a matter of the heart.  If going to Mass is seen more as a chore to be done and gotten out of the way so the rest of the weekend can be enjoyed, I think we're missing the point of our relationship with God! AMEN