We are all aware of the commandment, ‘Keep Holy the Sabbath Day’ and we strive to observe it mainly through the attendance of Sunday Mass. But is this all we are called to do?

The Sabbath commemorates the day on which God rested and, for the Jews, the observance is governed by many rules, most of them severe. What people tend to forget is that these rules are not only man made but were framed with the assumption that they please God! It, therefore, scandalized the Pharisees that Jesus and his followers appeared to ignore them.

What is implicit in Jesus’ response is the understanding that the Sabbath is not given to make man miserable. It is a time set aside to rejoice in the presence of God and in being what He has called us to be – connected (through participation in the Eucharist as a community), compassionate (attuned to the needs of the other) and concerned (involved in making the Kingdom of God a reality).

‘Keeping the Sabbath’ means to live the Gospel message not out of compulsion but out of sheer love of God.