Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
I’m not often good at keeping Sunday as a day of rest and reflection. I get too caught up in preparing for the week, and distractions every Sunday. I might take moments of rest, but I certainly fall short in taking the opportunity to pray and reflect in addition to that rest. I put so much work into being prepared for the logistics of the week (meals, laundry, email, etc.) that I fail to recognize how God is with me in those preparations and how God might walk with me in the week to come. I become disillusioned to the fact that in some ways “Sabbath” calls us to actually do work – prayer can certainly be restful and rejuvenating but it also means putting in the work to grow with God.
This theme seems prominent this week as we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., who challenged and encouraged many to overcome the temptation to be silent and instead put forth the work to stand up for what they believe in. I believe his message to work to understand those who are “the opposition” in order to find common ground and move forward with love is especially poignant amidst the political turmoil of our country.
In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds us of this fact – that sometimes partaking in the Sabbath means having to do work. We cannot sit by idly waiting for the promises of Christ to come to fruition, instead we must embrace those promises as we go about our daily work – finding moments of sabbath throughout the week and taking time on the Sabbath to work to embrace God and embrace others more fully. May we not only engage this call to work but also let our work build bridges out of love so that God’s grace may further permeate our world.
—Mike Bennett