Monday
Rom. 12:4-5, 15-21; Matt. 12:9-13
It is lawful to do well on the sabbath days (Matt. 12:12). After healing the man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath, the Lord said this as a reproach to the Pharisees, who took the commandments about the Sabbath rest so far that they even measured the number of steps they could walk that day. But since it is not possible to do good works without movement, they would sooner have agreed to neglect good works than to allow ant extra movement. The Savior denounced them for this time and again, because the Sabbath required rest from worldly cares and not from works of piety and brotherly love. In Christianity, instead of the Sabbath, Sunday is celebrated with the same goal: rest from all worldly affairs and the devotion of that day solely to God's works. Christian sobriety has never reached the point of pharisaic pettiness concerning not doing things on this day has been set far beyond the proper limits. Not doing things kept the Pharisees from performing good works, whereas the things which Christians allow themselves are what lead them away from good works. On the eve of Sunday they go to the theater and then to some other entertainment. In the morning, they oversleep and there is no time to go to church. There are several visits, then lunch, and in the evening again entertainment. Thus all their time relegated to the belly and to pleasing the other senses, and there is no time even to remember God and good works.
-From St. Theophan the Recluse
No comments:
Post a Comment