February 18 Lev. 23-24 & Rom. 8:28-39
What would our world be like, our community be like, our family be like if we took seriously the Sabbath as a Holy Day of no work? A day we spend with family, friends, and parishioners. At age 63 giving the day to the Lord and family, etc. sounds right and I know it would be next to impossible to do. But it is what the Lord asked, maybe we should listen. The idea of Holy Days started with the Israelites, and we have adopted the idea. We have some Holy Days in common, and others are our own. The Holy Day of Pentecost is a special Holy Day for me because it is the feast of my first Mass. A perfect day to celebrate for the first time the Mass as a priest. The Israelite Holy Day of Atonement is one we need in the world today. I do not need to look any further than myself to know this. We as Catholic Christians have the opportunity for atonement each Sunday as we celebrate the penitential part of the Mass and as we pray the Lord’s prayer and share the sign of peace. Those are all ritual actions that offer us the opportunity to atone before God for our sins and here his call to reconcile with those we have trespassed against as the Lord’s prayer says. Just as the tent of meeting had a sanctuary light because God was present so do we have a sanctuary light because the body of Jesus is present in the Tabernacle. Ask me sometime about the horrible story I read about the sanctuary lamp as a 4th grader. The Idea of an eye for an eye was to bring some equity to the law. Before this, a life could be taken for stealing something from your neighbor. It was a step in the right direction. But it was just a step.
Paul tells us that Jesus is on our side. He intercedes for us before the Father. Worth hearing again, open your heart and soul – “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your great love!
