Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest
I have good parents. They love my siblings and me (and our spouses). They desire to know what is happening in our lives, even when it has been a while since I’ve checked in with them. They worked hard to set good examples, and provide us with great educations. Most of all, they were not afraid to have us kids groan at them about the [good] choices they made. The example that came to mind as I reached the end of the Gospel today was ‘Vacation Church’.
Vacation Church was when we would be at the beach or touring some part of the country and on Sunday morning they’d load us in the car to go to Mass. At the time, getting me in the car for church was probably as pleasant as getting a cat in the bathtub, but looking back on it, I’m appreciative. I don’t think I’m alone in resisting ‘Vacation Church’ though. I think it can be easy to go on a trip or go on vacation and desire to check out from our faith too, because we’re getting some R&R. We’re on vacation, why should we ‘have’ to go? When we struggle with this I think we’ve illuminated two areas where we could grow in our spiritual lives.
First, we’ve allowed the work to overshadow the relationship. We are looking at the rules and obligations of our faith without the remembering their purpose and the fruit that they bear. This is reminiscent of the opening scene of today’s Gospel when Jesus is confronted about violating the Sabbath. Jesus doesn’t work on the Sabbath to undermine rules and show that they are unimportant and altogether arbitrary.
Rather, he knows the priority behind the rule. The Sabbath reminds us of our relationship to God and the reality of creation as gift. When we groan and roll our eyes about all the things we should do to deepen our relationship with God, we need to look at this vast beautiful universe and remember all that God did for us before we even knew him.
Second, when our faith-lives seem to interfere with our rest and relaxation, we have forgotten the title Jesus claims at the end of today’s Gospel. Jesus uses the title, “The lord of the Sabbath.”
Have we met that side of Jesus? The Jesus who is the lord of our rest? Especially as someone who works in ministry, it can be tempting to want a break from work, and incidentally include the work of my own discipleship. Those times show when I’ve forgotten that I’m a disciple of the lord of the Sabbath. I can find no deeper rest than the Sabbath that Jesus offers me.
Easier said than believed? Sometimes it is hard for me, at least. I desire to be lord of my rest. I want to dictate how and when, and what is allowed and what isn’t. I can critique the Pharisees all day, but the truth of the matter is, I’m more Pharisaical about my rest than they are. They kept God in the picture, but too often my pursuit of rest sidelines the Lord, and thus leads to an idolatry we call sloth. Instead of pursuing the Lord and in him finding Sabbath, I pursue rest and find myself wearier, jaded, and jealous, and I’m a grumpy thirteen-year-old again, staring out the mini-van window, wondering why we must go to church on vacation. It is at those times that I need to re-encounter the Lord of the Sabbath.
Who is the Lord over your rest?
- Spencer Hargadon