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| Statue of Baldwin of Forde from the exterior of Canterbury Cathedral |
Tuesday,
20 January 2015
Tuesday
of the Second week in Ordinary Time
"The Sacrament of the altar"
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
Saint Mark 2:23-28.
As
Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began
to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to
him,
At
this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful
on the sabbath?"
He
said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and
he and his companions were hungry?
How he
went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of
offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his
companions?"
Then
he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That
is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
Commentary
of the day :
Baldwin
of Ford (?-c.1190), Cistercian abbot, then Archbishop of Canterbury
The
Sacrament of the altar, 3, 2 (SC 94 rev.)
"The
sabbath was made for man"
Blessed
repose and a holy satisfaction are what make for true beatitude and of this the
Sabbath and the manna are symbols. When he had given rest and satiety to his
people with the Sabbath and the manna, thus prefiguring the true blessedness he
will give to those who obey, the Lord rebukes for his disobedience the man who
might cause them to lose these most desirable possessions: “How long will you
refuse to keep my commandments and laws?” (Ex 16,28).
After this question of
the Lord's, Moses invites his brethren to consider God's gifts: “Take note! The
Lord has given you the Sabbath. That is why on the sixth day he gives you food
for two days so that you may consent to serve him.” This warning means that God
will give rest for their labours to his elect and the consolations of this
present life in addition to those of the life to come.
But in
addition to this, two forms of life are suggested to us by this passage: the
active life in which we now have to work, and the contemplative life for which
we are working and in which we shall be completely available to the
contemplation of God. For although the contemplative life belongs especially to
the world to come, yet it must be represented even in this life by the holy
Sabbath rest. Concerning this rest Moses adds: “On the Sabbath day everyone is
to stay home and no one is to go out.” In other words: Everyone is to rest in
their house and not go out for any kind of work on the Sabbath.
This teaches us
that during times of contemplation we should remain within ourselves, nor go
out by means of forbidden desires but collect our whole intention “in purity of
heart” [as Saint Benedict says] to think on God alone and love him only.
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