Exodus 20:8

I believe the Sabbath is an essential moment in time to reflect on the single most important fact of our lives. This is not a religious fact or belief, although the appreciation of it is the engine that powers every religious tradition. Rather, it’s a certain and absolute truth about everyone’s life; namely, that we’ve been given more than we deserve.

Christians call this fact grace (Romans 5:1-9). Jews called it Hesed. Muslims call it Rachamim. Hindus call it Kripa. Atheists call it luck. Whatever you call it, the fact remains that we don’t deserve the health, freedom, family, friends, intelligence, love, courage, abilities (you can add to the list) we possess. Our goodness, our virtue, is simply not great enough to justify being showered with so many blessings – and yet, wonderfully, we are blessed.

Grace is the opposite of justice. If God was simply a God of justice, fairly condemning us for all our sins, none of us would be saved. We’d all be guilty. However, God’s love and mercy ameliorates the harsh decree of justice. The Sabbath is the time we should speak that truth to our souls.

On the Sabbath, we do several things to address the abundance of our blessings. The first thing religious people do is thank God in prayer. By acknowledging the source of our blessings, we acknowledge our sacred debt to God. That debt is paid not only by prayer, but also by the solemn commitment to share our blessings with those not blessed as abundantly.

The Sabbath is a time when we rise above our animal natures and accept our spiritual station. We elevate gratitude and charity above self-absorption. We make sense of being placed at the pinnacle of things and beings God created on the first six days. We rest in order to rise to God in praise and love. That is why God made the Sabbath day.

Rabbi Marc Gellman
The God Squad

Comment:
The fourth commandment reminds us to “keep Holy the Sabbath Day.” Christians, for the most part, observe the Sabbath Day on Sunday. Jews observe it on Saturday. The Sabbath is often referred to as “a day of rest” because the Bible says the Lord “rested” on the seventh day, and commanded us also to rest from work in order to reconnect with Him and with one another. Today’s secular culture elevates money above God and largely ignores the Sabbath Day. We must do all we can not to fall into this secular trap.

“Remember to keep Holy the Sabbath Day.”

Fr. Hugh Duffy