Holiday

First Reading: Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37
Psalm: Ps 81:3-6, 10-11ab -- Sing with joy to God our help
Gospel: Mt 13:54-58
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola

The Lord said to Moses,
"These, then, are the festivals of the LORD which you shall celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly." - Leviticus 23:1,4

Friends,

In today's reading, God is telling, nay, commanding that we take a holiday. In fact, he has three of them in mind. Let's take a look at them briefly:

The Passover: Recalling the time of flight from Egypt, where God worked many wonders to help his people.

The Passover of the LORD falls on the fourteenth day of the first month, at the evening twilight. The fifteenth day of this month is the LORD'S feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. - Leviticus 23:5-6

Day of Atonement: Recognition by the people of Israel that they are in need of the great mercy of God.

"The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement, when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves and offer an oblation to the LORD." - Leviticus 23:27

Feast of Booths: Recalling the time spent in the desert, when the Lord led them. Also a celebration of the harvest.

The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the LORD'S feast of Booths, which shall continue for seven days. - Leviticus 23:34

Each of these holy days is accompanied with a list of things that the Israelites are to do in memory of the Exodus and as worship for the Lord. Among those things is the command that no work shall be done on certain days. Furthermore, each day has a period before or after where preparation and offerings are to be made.

In our own day (at least, here in the U.S.), we have lots of holidays throughout the year. Each holiday has a certain event associated with it: 4th of July - fireworks, Thanksgiving - turkey and feasting, St. Patrick's Day - green, etc. We also have certain behaviors that are expected (or at least encouraged) on these days also. Yet, it seems to me that we often begin to forget, in the midst of all the activities, why certain holidays are being celebrated. When we think of the fireworks on the 4th, we don't think much of the great moment in our history, or the great price paid to realize the dream declared that day. Likewise, we don't spend a lot of time afterward thinking about either the holiday, or the history behind it.

A sharp contrast are the Catholic celebrations of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. These are periods of the year specifically set aside to do as was originally intended: reflect up to the holiday on the greatness of what happened these two days that changed our entire world, and then to reflect after them on the many blessings that God has given to us.

One does not need to wait until December or spring to celebrate, however. We are given a chance every week to celebrate and commemorate the greatest event in all of human history. That is the importance of attending Mass on Sunday, to recall the wonders our God has done for us. Furthermore, we have a period of a few days (six, in fact) where we can reflect and continue to offer thanks.

"For six days work may be done; but the seventh day is the sabbath rest, a day for sacred assembly, on which you shall do no work. The sabbath shall belong to the LORD wherever you dwell." - Leviticus 23:3

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for giving us great days to celebrate and the tradition to remember why they are important to us and to you. Lord, help us to recognize and adore the wonderful celebration of the Mass. Grant that we might grow in love of this sacred event, where we are joined with your beloved Son. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Road to Emmaus

First Reading: Acts 3:1-10
Psalm: Ps 105:1-4, 6-9
Gospel: Lk 24:13-35

Friends,

In today's gospel, we join two disciples of Jesus on the way to Emmaus. In this particular story, we see our own journey from our old lives to ones of faith.

We start out on the road, we are burdened with sorrows. Life is not going the way that we thought it should. We speak with our companions along the way, trying to make sense of what should be done now and disagreeing some. The future seems bleak.

All of a sudden, Jesus draws near to us. We're busy with our grief, so it is difficult to recognize Him. He asks what is troubling us, and we tell Him, putting emphasis on the despair that we have at the moment, but also sharing that there are some strange things about. Testimony is given that Jesus is alive, but it is being weighed against what we and others have seen. The evidence is there, but not the proof.

Then, something happens that we would not expect. Jesus (or as He's seen at the moment, a stranger), bruises our ego. For those to Emmaus, He calls them slow of heart, and implies that it should be plain that this hardship had to come to pass. For us today, it might be the loss of a job, or missing the bus, or any of a multitude of other things. "Why wan't God there," we ask? The answer comes, "He was there, and is here. He's asking us to wake up to the truth."

Then the scriptures are studied. As it would happen, the rest of the journey is spent discussing the scriptures, with Jesus giving the interpretations. His words are powerful and even though not everything that He reveals is happy, it is additional evidence that things aren't as hopeless as they appeared at first. All of the answers are here, waiting to be revealed.

At the end of the road, we don't wish to be parted from our new friend. His presence is a comfort that we don't want to lose. In the breaking of the bread, we finally see Him for who He is. This is our Lord! He Lives! We hurry back to share the good news with others because it is too good to keep to ourselves. Others must be told, and at once!

Hmm, strange that. This is also the pattern for the Mass. Coming in heavy with the worries of the weak, listening to the word of God and its interpretation and application to our lives, meeting Christ in the Eucharist, and then departing to share the good news with our friends.

Heavenly Father, Your works are masterful. You have hidden these great mysteries from the wise and revealed them to us. Thank you for our community in the Church, to guide and support us along the way as we grow in faith. We pray that You will guide our leaders and bless them with the understanding that you gave to those on the way to Emmaus. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.