Tuesday, March 19, 2013
450. Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)?
(Comp 450) God did so because on the
Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, and also
the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Covenant which God
sealed with his people.
“In brief”
(CCC 2189) "Observe the
sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Deut 5:12). "The seventh day is a
sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord" (Ex 31:15).
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 2168) The third commandment
of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is
a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD" (Ex 31:15). (CCC 2169) In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls
creation: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the
sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex 20:11). (CCC 2170) Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of Israel's liberation from
bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you were a servant in the land
of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out thence with mighty hand and
outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath
day" (Deut 5:15).
Reflection
(CCC 2171) God entrusted the
sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of
the irrevocable covenant (Cf. Ex 31:16). The sabbath is for the Lord, holy
and set apart for the praise of God, his work of creation, and his saving
actions on behalf of Israel. (CCC 2172) God's
action is the model for human action. If God "rested and was
refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to "rest" and
should let others, especially the poor, "be refreshed" (Ex 31:17; cf.
23:12). The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It
is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money (Cf.
Neh 13:15-22; 2 Chr 36:21).
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