THE WORD
1 Cor 4,9-15 / Lk 6,1-5
While Jesus was going through a eld of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions.” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.
IN OTHER WORDS
An oft repeated comment about Sunday Eucharistic celebrations is “It’s boring!” Even those brought up as Catholics nd the Mass devoid of anima – a lifeless celebration. Has Sunday worship lost its relevance?
The early church justified its own worship by choosing the first day of the week (Sunday) to observe the Sabbath. Sabbath for the Jews was a consecrated and blessed day (Ex 28: 8-11), a day of liberation when God assured them of their deliverance from slavery.
In North America, people work in shifts, even on Sundays. Sundays no longer hold a prime (sacred) importance like they used to. Sundays mean work for professional athletes, working students, and parents who go shopping and attend to family gatherings.
How do we show these people that Sunday is still relevant? What opportunities can we provide to renew them? Sunday Eucharistic celebrations in malls have long been practiced in the Philippines and in parts of Canada. Masses have also been celebrated in stadiums before some NFL pre-season games. Such opportunities for renewal need not be in the church. Sunday evening Masses are also becoming popular and in demand. Christianity has now transitioned itself into a new time, a new setting, and with a new crowd. History has shown that Christians nd a way to celebrate and to worship God.
Reforms imply that changes are possible. After all Christianity is not a rigid and joyless religion.
What we need to ask is: how can we contribute to enhancing the prophetic dimension of the Sunday celebration? In Luke 6:6-11, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, on a Sabbath no less, by simply saying: “Stretch out your hand!” Is it possible for us to stretch not only our hand but also our imagination with regard to the days or the ways we worship God?
- Fr. Joey Miras, SVD | Toronto, Canada
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
