for July 17
Friday of the Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time

When I was in graduate school and ready to embark on the journey of writing a thesis I recall a conversation I shared with a friend. He had already completed his studies and was teaching at the time. I was trying to figure out a personal schedule to help me stay on course in the hope of completing and surviving the process of writing and defending a thesis. My friend gave me some wise advice. He said: however it happens and regardless of the day of the week, be sure to “take a sabbath” every week for a rest and break from your work. His suggestion went against the 24/7 work culture of graduate school. I knew my friend was right. I found this to be wise counsel that I did my best to follow.

Matthew’s Gospel today presents Jesus as he confronts complex questions of Sabbath observance. The Sabbath was central to Jewish life and religious practice from earliest times. A basic question of Jesus’ time was: what may or may not be done on the Sabbath? Jesus takes a relatively free attitude to this question. Importantly, here Matthew presents Jesus the authoritative teacher who has the authority to set guidelines about the Sabbath. This gospel builds on the Gospel of Mark’s account of this event and justifies the disciples seeming failure to follow the rules in picking grain to feed themselves. This view suggests that the Sabbath is not primarily meant for ritual observances but rather for doing good for human beings. Is the Sabbath primarily for human beings or for worship of God? This is an enduring question in all religions. A key point here for Matthew is to make clear that Jesus is an authoritative teacher who can interpret what is proper behavior on the Sabbath. Here Matthew’s Gospel also shows us how Jewish Christians struggled to integrate their new faith in Jesus with traditional Jewish practices.

While these are ancient religious concerns in Judaism and early Christianity in some ways these are questions we still today must address if we take our faith seriously. At the heart of the debate are the questions: how do we pray? How do we live and rest? Do we live consistently and generously in our lives outside of our prayer in Church? How do we find a work-life-prayer balance in our 24/7 culture that has strong tendencies to reduce much human activity to utilitarian-financial calculation and personal advantage? These are tough and enduring questions for us.

The first reading from Isaiah narrates the recovery of King Hezekiah from illness and from a situation of near death. The King prays for healing and God answers him. In this passage Hezekiah is shown to be an exemplary believer and his prayers are answered. This beautiful passage reminds me of so many persons around the world who are ill with COVID-19 and of our desire to pray for and minister to them. Our desire is to be united in prayer for the sick and for all care givers. It may be that when we can find ways to honor the Sabbath in our own lives we become more prepared to bring healing and hope to others.

One especially consoling lesson from today’s Gospel is that the good Jesus does holds no bounds and accepts no restraints. Jesus gives life, teaches, continuously. Restrictions do not hold back the power of our Risen Lord. And we are called to live as he lived—loving, doing good, and sharing the joy of his life with all.
—Francis T. Hannafey SJ

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website.