Friday Gospel Recharge: A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 22: 34-40

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

 Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 22: 34-40 

(20th Friday in Ordinary Time, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

Living our best by loving God and Neighbour as ourselves

In this Gospel, Jesus teaches us two very important aspects of how to be properly human beings. The first of his teachings is that we ought to be absorbed in loving God above every creature with our mind, body and soul. After this commandment, Jesus then instructs us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. If we do these two things, we are then on the straight and narrow path to live the proper human life.

If you are questioning why Jesus informs us to prioritise the love of God with our total existence as the first principle of life, we should first ponder who is God in relation to us. According to Catholic doctrine, God, whose nature is love, is the creator of all that is confined in space and time, and he created all that there is for us out of love. Because God loves us, and gave us a share in his existence out of his own love, we should return this love that God has for us.

Naturally, we came into the world through the marital act which our parents had joined themselves in however by the grace of God, he allowed for human life to be created through that act which made us. Through the martial act, our parents became co-creators with God, which is love.

How can one show this kind of love towards God? As reflected in Jesus’s example, we ought to be obedient to the will of the Father. Jesus did this by dying for us on the cross. We can emulate this act by observing the law he has written in our own hearts, the Ten Commandments. When observed, we mirror Jesus in our behaviour and attitudes; though we do not make a literal sacrifice with our own life with the shedding of our blood, nevertheless we sacrifice and deny ourselves the temptation of the flesh which constantly wants to rebel against God. Other than observing this law, we can enter into a loving relationship with God through prayer, making that relationship with him a personal and intimate one.

Prayer which makes our relationship personal gives real meaning to how we think speak and act in the world. We consider our actions and ask ourselves in prayer with God if I do this or that, who will be affected by them? While we naturally hurt others with our poor choices - and some of these include cheating our friends and spouses, fornication, stealing, murdering to name a few - we also offend God too by those behaviours because we hurt the ones who God also loves, who happen to be our friends, family, and other colleagues. We offend God when we fail to love ourselves in a healthy manner, which is observed once again in keeping of the law.

Now, Jesus says the second command is like the first: our love for others should be the same love we have for ourselves. This is an important commandment to reflect on. Jesus wants us to share a part of our existence with others, wanting them to have the same quality of life that we would wish for our own selves. In some way this is the same love God has loved us with. When God loves us he does not love us with a love that is separable from himself but of the same love that he has for himself. God knows how to love himself properly and with this proper love he has, he gives to us unconditionally.

It might help to reflect on Jesus’s own sacrifice and how that act resembles his command to love others as we love ourselves. Jesus who is God has for himself the beatific vision, meaning that contained in his own person he shares the triune divine life. This life from Jesus’s point of view is awesome and much more. He sees himself happy and content in God. He wants us to be happy and content too in God. So that we might be happy and content some day with him, he died for us to make this future reality possible. In other words, with the command to love our neighbour as ourselves, Jesus invites us to put into practice how it is to love others the way God loves us. God in the person of Jesus wants us to experience his love for us and we experience this by loving him first completely. From there, once we discover his unconditional love and are affected by it, we should learn that we are made not just for but also to love unconditionally. God in his commandment to love others as ourselves is a call consider laying down our own lives for others so that they might find life in God.

Today, in our Catholic culture, there seems to be an over emphasis on an horizontal love while neglecting our vertical obligation to love. By horizontal I mean man’s love for man, and by vertical man’s love for God. It is good that our brothers and sisters of the Catholic ilk are out there advocating and seeking the basic needs and more for our downtrodden and neglected neighbour, however, when we neglect a healthy love for God, our love for neighbour is seriously diminished. You see, Gods love is unconditional. To experience this kind of love requires our constant attention on God. When we experience this love of God, we are able by God’s grace to make our love unconditional towards others. We give more than what we can or want to give that justice demands; in extension of justice, we show our neighbour mercy. This kind of attitude we read in Jesus’s parable on the workers in the vineyard, where the vineyard owner pays each of his labourers, whether they worked half a day or an hour, they got the same pay. While half a day’s work warrants half a day’s pay and an hours work an hours pay, God is reckless in his giving, providing more than what justice deserves. God not only gives us the grace to love as he loves, but coming to know and experience God and place our trust in him, our faith informs us this is the only kind of love that warrants a gold star.

Too often we make a fuss about people whose needs have been forgotten, and forget to put God in the equation in their neglect. God motivates us to love others since it is he who wants a just world and for people to flourish. This aspect of love is seriously overlooked and it’s most likely because of secular inculturation of every sphere of society.

God gave us these two commandments not for the sake of the law itself but so that we can truly discover who God is and what we were made for. We were made to love God and others and find life in a relationship genuine in love. Ultimately, Jesus gave us this commandment so that through knowing, loving and serving God in this life we can be happy with him in a beatific way, someday, in heaven. As Catholics who are hard bent on justice, we should love God first and learn to love others as God loves us so that our society will have life and more at the heart of its values rather than so much an ideology separated from love.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 19: 3-12

 

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 19: 3-12 

(19th Friday in Ordinary Time, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

A much longer commitment is what Jesus had intended for us

What Jesus teaches us in this Gospel is that divorce - although prevalent in our culture today and perhaps, in Jesus time - is not something intended in the big scheme of divine things. The text is clear: it was Moses who issued certificates of divorce for those whose hearts were stiff to be reconciled, and not God. In fact, now that God never intended divorce an acceptable practice, he likens it to adultery if the divorcee remarries.

Is this saying too difficult for us to accept? Our modern world who issues one divorce cert. after another would find this intolerable. I speak from personal experience. Family members and friends of my own are remarried. They never seem to consider any advice on reconciling with their sacramental spouses but instead dismiss it, pretending the thought of reconciliation is an impossible game or an inconvenience. Even parents of these people don’t like to hear about it. Their excuse is that the rest of the world is doing it so what’s the problem? A pathetic response in my opinion when these folks profess to carry Jesus in the hearts and on their lips and cross themselves before a holy icon of our Lord. This attitude towards marriage does not align with what Jesus tells us here: if a divorced person marries another, that person commits adultery.

Jesus must have had a reason for preaching this difficult doctrine which is highly regarded by the modern world as intolerable. It’s intolerable because as human beings we want more for ourselves in life and if we live selfishly, we are going to want more of the good things via illicit means which violates God’s commandments. If in our hearts we have More and the means to more is by rejecting God’s boundaries, than hearing this doctrine is hard to accept. However, we must remember that Jesus wants us to have more too just as our hearts desires, even if our means to attaining more of whatever that might be is unacceptable. He says so himself: ‘I’ve come to give you life and to have it to the full’. To have more as Jesus intended it requires us to listen to him and accept his teachings. When we do this, we find a more fulfilling life.

Our faith teaches us that Jesus is God who is one with the Father and that God is love. Whatever God tells us in scripture and whatever he has done for us through others in the scriptures is because he loves us. If God is love and Jesus tells us that divorce and remarriage is tantamount to and is in fact adulterous, we must consider for a moment why this doctrine is spoken from a place of love. Jesus has our best interest at heart. He wants us to flourish and for that to happen he must direct and govern our lives. Divorce is never a clean business. Most of us know this with firsthand experience since we know someone we love who is divorced and perhaps sadly remarried unsacramentally. If they have children, they get caught in the mess of it all too. While it has an emotional toll on both parties it is also ecologically taxing. Think about the extra beds that need manufacturing so that divorced spouses and their displaced children need to sleep on, all those extra household appliances when one would do for a family unit, or the extra houses that need constructing and the space it takes up. Each square meter required to build new homes means one less square meter for sister bee and brother wolf to share and coexist with us. Sensible beings such as non-human animals while are a beautiful sight to behold play a vital part In the ecosystem that allow our existence to flourish.

There are good grounds that one must separate from their spouse especially if they are violent. I am not saying a man or a woman should remain in a household if their life is threatened, that would go against Gospel values but let’s face it not all marriages are abusive and if one is subject to abuse, our Lord tells us that this doesn’t warrant for remarriage as it would mean adultery is committed. His or her option is to isolate from the violent one and seek counselling. 

However, the church does provide a condition for a valid marriage. One who is entering a marital contract require four conditions for its validity, which are free will, consent, have the intention to marry for life, and to be open to children. If I can add a fifth, no impediments such as one of the parties has not been married.  Now if you don’t satisfy these conditions the Church - through the marriage tribunal - provides an opportunity to explore the possibility of an annulment, provided that one or more of the elements of the validity have not been met at the marriage. This process is thorough and can be very slow (up to 5 years because it has to be completely sure that one has legitimate grounds for an annulment and that there has been an impediment from the beginning). In other words, the marriage covenant is a serious business and not broken through annulment lightly. 

On a much deeper level, Jesus preachers against divorce and remarriage because marriage is a sacrament and that marriages should reflect the love the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have for each other. God are three distinct beings united in love. They are never divorced from their love but each wills the good of the other. As a married person you’re ought to reflect this love with your spouse because marriage is a covenant between both God and your spouse.  

As disciples of Jesus, what does this mean to us? It means a number of things but I will propose two things. Firstly, if we are single and are prepared to get married, choose your spouse wisely and discern through prayer with Jesus whether he or she is the appropriate partner and whether you have a vocation to marriage. If you are married and find the commitment a struggle, find a way forward to preserve not because it’s your duty, but because you love God and the one whom you have promised to death do you part. Thirdly, if you have a happy marriage then continue to build on the relationship between your spouse and God and be an example for all who aspire for a lifelong commitment of love through this sacrament.

Amen, praise God.

Friday Gospel Recharge: A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 16: 24-28

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 16: 24-28 

(Friday Week 18, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

Challenges of Discipleship in the Modern World

The word disciple comes from the Latin word ‘discipulus’. Its basic meaning is that of discipline. We all know too well what it feels like to be disciplined in a task or skill set. It comes with study, preparation and hard work. Without discipline of some skill, trade, or even the body against its appetite for food, drink and sex then really you haven’t mastered what you had set out to acquire.

In this Gospel passage, Jesus says to his disciples that if they wish to follow after him, then they ought to say no to their own ambitions, aspirations and carry their crosses too. However, not all ambitions are subject to renouncement, since people desire to be religious, priests, married or remain single in the world and these particular lifestyles are good and something which we are all called to consider.  However, what Jesus has in mind here is the denial of our pursuit of worldly things and seek what our Heavenly Father intends for us, which is total obedience to the will of the Father. Total obedience to the Father’s will is what Jesus accomplished with his own life and death on the cross, and total obedience is required to all those who so desire to live to know love and serve their God.

Disciplining oneself to the total will of God requires the discipline of discernment, effort and perseverance. Effort and perseverance are pretty self-explanatory, since every work task requires these two elements to master anything. However, discernment is also important in the part of the discipline of discipleship because we have competing forces here for our soul.  God wants us and the devil wants to conquer us also. To figure out what God wants from us requires discernment therefore because while God informs our hearts that wily bastard seeks to distract us from the data God gives us or distort it with false realities.

God’s will while it is not too demanding on the mind, body and soul, since he asks us to love one another as he has loved us, our weak bodies and societal influences can sway us to direct our wills on ungodly things such as those things which is the opposite of love, which might be to speak uncharitably about others, lie, neglect the need of a neighbour who we are capable of helping, or even lay with our neighbours spouse or any man or woman for that matter outside the covenant of marriage. You see, the influence of the flesh and the world is so enticing we can at times say no to God and say yes to a falsely perceived good, which are some of those things mentioned earlier. We can fall prey to the ungodly for many reasons but one that has been drawn to my attention is that our weak bodies and societal influences inform us that we might just miss out on something good if we constantly direct our attention and will on God’s plan.

Also in this Gospel, Jesus tells us that it’s not what we possess but what we have done that merits eternal life. Even having possession of the whole world will not save man from being judged unfavourably. It’s not all the gold medals nor accolades that wins God’s heart, but our effort in taking the knee and washing the feet of those whom God loves. This point is pertinent because God wants us to be aware that being on top of the world or dominating others is not a condition of discipleship nor something he takes favour in. Discipleship entails something much more than having loads of possessions, it means to have less for ourselves in this life and take up our crosses and follow The way of Calvary and be crucified for Jesus sake. When we bear our crosses, we not only avoid domination of others but instead stand beside our neighbour and relate with them.

Think of the Story of Adam and Eve. It is from Adams rib that the woman is made from. In other words, the woman is neither beneath nor above man but is equal to him. Adam had to lose something apart of himself so that that wonderful creature the woman can also have life and share all that is good about it. The sacrifice of Adams rib for the sake of woman is an indication that from the beginning and in our DNA we were made to be disciples of each other.

Let’s remember too that Jesus who from the beginning was arrayed in majesty humbled himself and became not just a man, but a Nazarene, a nobody, and served others, a hopeful reminder for those who have their hearts set on silver and gold to reconsider their priorities.

So, when the time comes for his second return, Jesus will judge us accordingly to charity and our contribution to building up God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus’s return is a helpful reminder to us that in the presence of God we will be judged, that we ought to lose it all at the time of his second coming which is drawing near.

In summing up, let’s consider our priorities. Is Jesus number or are we attached to worldly pleasures and possessions of all kinds of goods and rarely use them for the benefit of others and the kingdom? The choice is real - our reward for eternity by denying ourselves now or enjoying the pleasures of this world and not nurturing our soul and therefore losing our reward?

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew: 13: 54-58

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 13: 54-58 

(Friday Week 17, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

Rejection of a commoner: Jesus

According to St Augustine, the greatest act one could do for another is to lead them to the truth. Truth in the usual sense is something that is in accordance with a fact or reality, definition (provided by google). This truth is not what Augustine means to say, but instead, he means God. God in general is truth because all things that is true which entails the good things in life, beautiful things, love and everything that is true proceed from him. As for us, who shouldn't only be lead to the truth and thrive on it, always have a tendency to share it and sometimes, when sharing it, are faced with hostility. You see, truth, while it can be a reality or fact that is positive in nature, can say something negative about someone else. For example, this behaviour or lifestyle is morally questionable, and as a result reconsider your actions and outlook in life. People don't like being told what to do and as a result don't want to hear it, expressing it by dismissing what you have to say or rejecting you all together, known as the cancel culture.

In this week's Gospel, we read that Jesus is faced with some hostility by his own Nazarene kinsmen. If you are attentive to the reading, you will realise that the hostility brought upon him is due to what he knows and the things he said. The nature of Jesus's sayings isn't exactly fire and brimstone, but that his words are rich in wisdom and insightful in the mystery of God. It isn't so much that the people can bare the wisdom he has to share, but the fact of his social status among them: isn't this man a bastard Nazarene? Where and how has this man acquired this knowledge and why are we being addressed by such an insignificant figure like this man?

You might be wondering where in the text does it offends and likens Jesus as an illegitimate son. thanks to scholarship, the fact that Matthew addresses Jesus as a son of a carpenter and not the son of Joseph raises suspicion of Jesus not having proper status nor is worthy of honour. To heighten Jesus’ insignificance and being without distinction among his own, Matthew also names each and every one of Jesus’ step-siblings which stresses the fact that his whole family is well known in the village. So, the narrative tells us then that the people are hearing wonderful things about God but from a commoner who according to custom should know less and ought to think and behaviour like a commoner.

Jesus however addresses the people after their dissatisfaction and apostasy by saying that no prophet is welcomed in his home town. We can say that the people apostasies because the Greek verb for turning their backs conveys something close to the idea of apostasy or the renunciation of faith. It is incredible to think that people would turn away from God therefore, because of individuals who are chosen to represent God and his God’s teaching because they see that individual as insignificant and unworthy of speaking with this authority.

Prophets according to Holy Writ were sometimes subject to violence from the people. A prophet is a messenger of God who often came with a message condemning the people’s wayward behaviour, and so no wonder why they were not welcomed at times. However, these chosen individuals were sometimes ordinary in the eyes of the people such as Moses, and others having high social and religious status such as Jeremiah, a man who first spent his career as a temple priest before his calling as a prophet. We get a general feel then that a professional career as a prophet is not acquired through rigorous learning, having social status nor attaining qualifications to meet the job requirements. Instead, God chooses the person for the task irrespective of his standing in society and equips him with the words required for the job.

Prophets in the Old Testament sense do not exist anymore. With the revelation of God made fully known in the person of Christ as God’s last word, there is no need for further revelation nor a need for prophets acting as the mouth piece of God. Although, God’s message found in scripture is still important to us and to those after us to hear so the urgency of having the word proclaimed remains.

As baptised Catholics we have the duty to proclaim the Word of God. The church states that after baptism we share in the threefold mission of Christ as priest, prophet and king. Like the prophets of old, we are sent by God as his messengers to speak for God by word and deed. Whether we find ourselves capable or not, we are required by virtue of our baptism to say something about Christ and about his teachings we are called to observe. For example, to say Jesus is God is an example of our sharing him with others. Saying there is no salvation outside Christ is an example of sharing teaching of his.

We are still called to be a prophet of own time amongst family and friends, but like Jesus, we face being rejected. If you think you’re an insignificant figure representing Christ and have nothing to offer, Jesus sympathies with you because of his own rejection from his kinsman who saw little of him, though their understanding of who he was, indeed was superficial and lacking true insight of him.

However, we need to stand in the truth of who we are in Christ through our baptism as Jesus saw who he was in God, and take the message of the Gospel among the many who are yet called to also know, love and serve God. We need to continue to preach the Gospel, face rejection from others, because in their eyes our social status does not count.

·         How important is preaching the Gospel to you?

·         How much are you prepared to suffer when you preach it?

·         What strategies will you employ to ensure that God’s word is heard?

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew: 13: 18-23

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 13: 13-28 

(Friday Week 16, Year A of the Liturgical Calendar, 2023)

The Good Seed 

We all find it a struggle to learn new things in various periods of life's journey. For some people their struggle could lie in perseverance: they have a capacity to court and acquire knowledge, but lack the virtue of perseverance to persist in enquiring data or a new skill set and choose rather not to learn, while comprehension in general for others is an arduous task. 

In this Gospel reading (Matthew 13: 18-23), Jesus speaks about the Seeds of the Word sown in all, and how absorbing this knowledge can be difficult to understand also. 

Understanding knowledge of God is something different from knowledge of the operation of the universe. Knowing God requires God infusing in us his own knowledge; this kind of knowledge cannot be possessed through rational enquiry. This does not mean faith and reason don't speak to each other, but that knowledge of faith is something handed to us by God and not from laboratory experiments in trial and error. It has to be given to us by God because it is knowledge of God himself and not the world.

Also in this Gospel we learn of a particular creature ready to snatch and corrupt our understanding of the Seed which God gives to us. We must remember here that the seed is knowledge of God a truth undiscoverable through natural enquiry. This creature as we read is the devil. The devil is a real being, he is not some abstract idea which the world and new age thinking would have us think. The reason why the devil acts in this manner is because he desperately wants to take away from us the joy that has been denied to him: beatitude with God. He is so jealous of us that he pursues us endlessly until our last breath, until he knows completely that he has won us over to desire and dwell in darkness rather than in the light. It also seems though in this Gospel that the devil is more successful at his work upon those individuals who lack strong faith-based foundations and are less receptive to accepting God’s words. These people are characterised as folks found on the edges of the path, patches of rocks, and in thorns. We notice that a person who has good soil takes up the seed and lets it grow within and flourish in his existence.

Jesus wants nothing more than for us to respond to his Word like the seed sown in good soil. When we a responsive to the Word of God, it enables us to flourish in our own lives. His words are so powerful that it not only acts as a guide from right from wrong, but also strengthens us to withstand the elements of the world, whatever that might be: false ideologies, saying no to injustices nor participating in it, warding off evil from overcoming us;  the seed which yields in abundance  also enable others to witness by our own lives the goodness of God's existence at work within us. While Jesus wants his Word to take root and dominate our lives, he is completely aware that his seeds of truth will not take root and flourish in every person's life. Whatever the circumstances might be, some either reject or conditionally accept Jesus but because of their partial commitment they fall away.

However, it's also good to point out that although God's word is scattered amongst good soil or not, we can all go through the phases of being on the edge of the path, in the thorns or in good soil; we oscillate between the two throughout our lives or even throughout the day, but ideally, we are to remain sturdy as good soil so that we can yield a harvest that is a hundredfold for the Lord.

• Where do you identify yourself now: are you on the path, in the thorns, or in good soil? 

• What will you do about it? 

• What changes are you going to make so that God's seeds of truth might take effect in you and make disciples in other people?

Friday Gospel Recharge: A Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew: 12: 1 - 8

Friday Gospel Recharge Series

Friday Gospel Recharge

A Reflection on Matthew 12:1 - 8 

(Friday Week 15, Year A of the Liturgical Calander, 2023)

Rest on the Sabbath: The Christian duty

The Sabbath, in case you were wondering, fellow Neighbour, is a sacred day of observance for the universal Church each Sunday. It's treated sacred because Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, as our faith informs us, and we observe it because we hold it in remembrance of his resurrection. From a practical point of view, when observed and treated with reverence it serves as a reminder that someday we will die and meet God and be judged; and when that day arrives, praying we will also reign with Christ for all eternity in heaven with the saints and the angels and, of course with our Heavenly Father and the Spirit. Now we cannot forget those two.

For me, when I look around, it seems that the honour owed to the Sabbath is near forgotten in parts of the world in which Christianity held as a strong hold: England, majority if not all of Europe, and Lebanon perhaps. In places like China, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Sunday is another day on the calendar and not regarded as a sacred universal day: another philosophy or ideology dominates the social, cultural, and economic sphere of those places. However, wherever we may be placed in the world, observing the Sabbath in former Christian strong holds or not can also be tough for Christians irrespective of their denomination since the day is highly commercialised and spared as any ordinary day.

Putting aside the troubles associated with observing the Sabbath due to social structures in place in various parts of the globe, what does it mean to observe the Sabbath you might be thinking?  On this day the people of God are called to refrain from their servile, everyday labour and rest their mind and body instead, and worship God.

In the tradition of the church, one way to fulfilling the duties of worship on the Sabbath is done by our attendance at Mass. Attending Mass if you were wondering is an obligation that is not transferable, nor an optional free choice for baptised Catholics and those in communion with the Universal Church; attending Mass or if you are not familiar with that language going to church makes part of observing the Sabbath. We have a requirement to be there, it is a sign of love and veneration of the Heavenly Father who created and knows us best.

Equally important to fulfilling the Sunday Mass obligation, is that we give rest to our body and mind from unnecessary and needless work. In other words, we are called to have a day off work. A day of rest is necessary for the whole man: it allows us to reflect on the week past and plan how we can better serve our God. In addition, it provides time and no excuse to skipping our obligation of attending Mass.

So we rest on the Sabbath to worship God and to give our mind and body rest- these are the two primary reasons why we take time on the Sabbath to rest from our labour. We can say also that we rest on the Sabbath because God rested from all his work on the Sabbath, after seven days of creation as it reads: “God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation” (Gen 2: 3), and since God rested from all his work, we too require a patten of work and rest from our labour: after all we come from God and reflect in our own existence to resemble something of the divine.

Although God rested on this sacred day, we must bear in mind however that in God there is no rest. According to that famous theologian, Thomas Aquinas, God is existence itself and existence itself is a pure activity. If I can draw from an example perhaps it would help paint a picture. When one rests, he or she is not exactly doing anything active but remains in a passive state of existence. For example, if I am a graduate in medicine and operate as a doctor in either a practice or a hospital, I am actually a doctor when I attend to patients and draw from my medical knowledge. If after a day’s work I've gone home and thrown myself on the couch, I'm potentially a doctor in that state because I not only have medical knowledge and the authority to act as a doctor, but I choose not to. It is in this state I exist passively as a doctor. It is right then to say that God does not rest. If God is existence and existence in its pure form is an activity, then God does not need to rest nor has rest in him. In fact, Jesus himself reminds us in scripture that God our Father is always working. We read this in John’s Gospel, “ My Father is still working, and I am working,” and as a result Jesus on the day of the Sabbath cures the sick, feeds the hungry and forgives sinners.

Turning now to today's Gospel - and this is the main piece of text I want to focus my attention - Jesus along with his follower disciples are accused of breaking the Sabbath. They are caught, according to Jewish custom, working, eating off a fruit tree, a scandal in the eyes of Jesus's contemporary. Now Jesus being the man-made God that he is, is able to put into perspective the true interpretation of this Law. Indeed, as I have tried to outline, The Sabbath is a day where no servile work should be performed.  However we must be mindful that the Sabbath was instituted for people's sake and not people for the sake of the Sabbath. In other words, the Sabbath is there for our good so that something spiritually, mentally, and physically might be gained. However, what Jesus is saying here is this: the body and mind requires rest although if work is necessary to provide the basic needs which preserves your human dignity, one is not culpable of breaking the Sabbath if he or she works on that sacred day. Everything must be interpreted in light of the dignity of the human person when it comes to reflecting on work and the Sabbath.

If a person circumstance does not prevent him from participating fully in the spirit of the Sabbath, grocery shopping, window shopping, purchasing coffee and other delicacy at a cafe, playing competitive sport, mowing the lawn, academic study, and refueling at the service station are just some contemporary activities which we would consider as unnecessary labour on the Sabbath. These things do little in order to give our mind and body rest. We have six other days in the week to fit these chores in our weekly schedule and to accomplish that we need to be better organised. I think we can and we as Christian’s ought to try and rethink our priorities when we leave some of these tasks for Sunday. God must come first and everything else follows. If we are organised enough then we can have a day off.

In a world that is highly commercialised, household’s dependent on dual incomes and demand for work on Sundays it then becomes more difficult to dedicate Sunday to rest as people’s job security depends upon it, and I would not dare doubt that God understands. A way forward from here for us whose employment and its future depends on it can ask their employers to provide them opportunities to not work on that day. Asking our employers for a day off so that we might observe this day would be courageous and highly commended; it is also a sign that you have tried put God first. But if we haven't even bothered to try then what value does it say where you put your commitment? It's a tricky one but a lot of people don't try, and if they are given the weekend off, the majority of those being Catholic fail to fulfil their other obligation and surrendering themselves in worship to the Lord at Mass.

The duties of doctors, nurses, police and defense personnel are necessary in preserving the sovereignty of human life, their obligation to rest from servile work on the Sabbath if rostered on do not apply. However, and this applies to all Catholic men and women, whose work duties falls under the category of necessary or not: we are required to worship God on Sunday. Our Sunday obligation is fulfilled by attending the Vigil Mass on a Saturday evening or any Mass on a Sunday. If we happen to be working on a Sunday and cannot get to Mass then, we have the opportunity to give God our full attention at a Vigil Mass which fulfils our obligation. The question is whether we are bothered to make time for it.

Obviously if you are sick in hospital as a patient, the obligation to attend Mass is not required.  However, if your commitment to Jesus is strong and He truly is no 1 priority in your life, then you need to ask that Holy Communion be offered to you, find out the times of the Mass on the television above your bed or if you are able, ask one of the nurses ahead of time to take you to the chapel for Mass.  If you have no success with these options, there is also Mass online at various churches. St Benedict’s in Burwood Australia is one such opportunity or St James the Great in Pettswood in UK is another opportunity. Remember Mass online if you are not able to go to Mass due to illness or recuperating is suitable, but it is not suitable to fulfil your obligation this way if you see it as more convenient and you are able to physically attend Mass.

In summary, the Sabbath is a day dedicated for rest and for worship of God - Jesus by his own example reminds us of this sacred duty. However, according to Jesus, our circumstances might require us to perform some duty of labour on this day, because the dignity of the other or self requires it. From this day forward let's remember to reserve the Sabbath for rest and for worship, and only work if circumstances deem it vital for the sake of dignity.

Let's keep praying for each other. 

Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated July 18, 2023

This privacy notice for us describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share your information when you use our service, such as when you:

• Visit our website at http://www.thecatholicpitstop.blogspot.com, or any website of ours that links to this privacy notice

• Engage with us in other related ways, including any sales, marketing, or events.

Questions or concerns? Reading this privacy notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you still have any questions or concerns, please contact us at thecatholicpitstop@gmail.com.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

This summary provides key points from our privacy notice, but you can find out more details about any of these topics by clicking the link following each key point or by using our table of contents below to find the section you are looking for.

What personal information do we process? When you visit, use, or navigate our Services, we may process personal information depending on how you interact with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. Learn more about personal information you disclose to us.

Do we process any sensitive personal information? We do not process sensitive personal information.

Do we receive any information from third parties? We do not receive any information from third parties.

How do we process your information? We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. We process your information only when we have a valid legal reason to do so. Learn more about how we process your information.

In what situations and with which parties do we share personal information? We may share information in specific situations and with specific third parties. Learn more about when and with whom we share your personal information.

How do we keep your information safe? We have organizational and technical processes and procedures in place to protect your personal information. However, no electronic transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Learn more about how we keep your information safe.

What are your rights? Depending on where you are located geographically, the applicable privacy law may mean you have certain rights regarding your personal information. Learn more about your privacy rights.

How do you exercise your rights? The easiest way to exercise your rights is by submitting a data subject access request, or by contacting us. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Want to learn more about what we do with any information we collect? Review the privacy notice in full.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?

3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

5. WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?

6. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

7. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?  

8. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

9. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

10. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

11. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

12. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

13. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

14. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?

15. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?

16. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

Personal information you disclose to us

In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us.

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us.

Personal Information Provided by You. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:

• names

• email addresses

Sensitive Information. We do not process sensitive information.

Social Media Login Data. We may provide you with the option to register with us using your existing social media account details, like your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media account. If you choose to register in this way, we will collect the information described in the section called "HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS?" below.

All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

Information automatically collected

In Short: Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our Services.

We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.

The information we collect includes:

• Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data is service-related, diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers automatically collect when you access or use our Services and which we record in log files. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type, and settings and information about your activity in the Services (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches, and other actions you take such as which features you use), device event information (such as system activity, error reports (sometimes called "crash dumps"), and hardware settings).

• Device Data. We collect device data such as information about your computer, phone, tablet, or other device you use to access the Services. Depending on the device used, this device data may include information such as your IP address (or proxy server), device and application identification numbers, location, browser type, hardware model, Internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, operating system, and system configuration information.

• Location Data. We collect location data such as information about your device's location, which can be either precise or imprecise. How much information we collect depends on the type and settings of the device you use to access the Services. For example, we may use GPS and other technologies to collect geolocation data that tells us your current location (based on your IP address). You can opt out of allowing us to collect this information either by refusing access to the information or by disabling your Location setting on your device. However, if you choose to opt out, you may not be able to use certain aspects of the Services.

2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent.

We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:

• To request feedback. We may process your information when necessary to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our Services.

• To deliver targeted advertising to you. We may process your information to develop and display personalized content and advertising tailored to your interests, location, and more.

• To save or protect an individual's vital interest. We may process your information when necessary to save or protect an individual’s vital interest, such as to prevent harm.

3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We only process your personal information when we believe it is necessary and we have a valid legal reason (i.e., legal basis) to do so under applicable law, like with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services to enter into or fulfill our contractual obligations, to protect your rights, or to fulfill our legitimate business interests.

If you are located in the EU or UK, this section applies to you.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR require us to explain the valid legal bases we rely on in order to process your personal information. As such, we may rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information:

• Consent. We may process your information if you have given us permission (i.e., consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Learn more about withdrawing your consent.

• Legitimate Interests. We may process your information when we believe it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate business interests and those interests do not outweigh your interests and fundamental rights and freedoms. For example, we may process your personal information for some of the purposes described in order to:

• Develop and display personalized and relevant advertising content for our users

• Understand how our users use our products and services so we can improve user experience

• Legal Obligations. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary for compliance with our legal obligations, such as to cooperate with a law enforcement body or regulatory agency, exercise or defend our legal rights, or disclose your information as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.
  

• Vital Interests. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of a third party, such as situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person.

 

If you are located in Canada, this section applies to you.

We may process your information if you have given us specific permission (i.e., express consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose, or in situations where your permission can be inferred (i.e., implied consent). You can withdraw your consent at any time.

In some exceptional cases, we may be legally permitted under applicable law to process your information without your consent, including, for example:

• If collection is clearly in the interests of an individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way

• For investigations and fraud detection and prevention

• For business transactions provided certain conditions are met

• If it is contained in a witness statement and the collection is necessary to assess, process, or settle an insurance claim

• For identifying injured, ill, or deceased persons and communicating with next of kin

• If we have reasonable grounds to believe an individual has been, is, or may be victim of financial abuse

• If it is reasonable to expect collection and use with consent would compromise the availability or the accuracy of the information and the collection is reasonable for purposes related to investigating a breach of an agreement or a contravention of the laws of Canada or a province

• If disclosure is required to comply with a subpoena, warrant, court order, or rules of the court relating to the production of records

• If it was produced by an individual in the course of their employment, business, or profession and the collection is consistent with the purposes for which the information was produced

• If the collection is solely for journalistic, artistic, or literary purposes

• If the information is publicly available and is specified by the regulations

4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?     

In Short: We may share information in specific situations described in this section and/or with the following third parties.

We may need to share your personal information in the following situations:

• Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.

• When we use Google Maps Platform APIs. We may share your information with certain Google Maps Platform APIs (e.g., Google Maps API, Places API).

5. WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?

In Short: We are not responsible for the safety of any information that you share with third parties that we may link to or who advertise on our Services, but are not affiliated with, our Services.

The Services may link to third-party websites, online services, or mobile applications and/or contain advertisements from third parties that are not affiliated with us and which may link to other websites, services, or applications. Accordingly, we do not make any guarantee regarding any such third parties, and we will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by the use of such third-party websites, services, or applications. The inclusion of a link towards a third-party website, service, or application does not imply an endorsement by us. We cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of data you provide to any third parties. Any data collected by third parties is not covered by this privacy notice. We are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of any third parties, including other websites, services, or applications that may be linked to or from the Services. You should review the policies of such third parties and contact them directly to respond to your questions.

6. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

In Short: We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Specific information about how we use such technologies and how you can refuse certain cookies is set out in our Cookie Notice.

7. HOW DO WE HANDLE YOUR SOCIAL LOGINS? 

In Short: If you choose to register or log in to our Services using a social media account, we may have access to certain information about you.

Our Services offer you the ability to register and log in using your third-party social media account details (like your Facebook or Twitter logins). Where you choose to do this, we will receive certain profile information about you from your social media provider. The profile information we receive may vary depending on the social media provider concerned, but will often include your name, email address, friends list, and profile picture, as well as other information you choose to make public on such a social media platform.

We will use the information we receive only for the purposes that are described in this privacy notice or that are otherwise made clear to you on the relevant Services. Please note that we do not control, and are not responsible for, other uses of your personal information by your third-party social media provider. We recommend that you review their privacy notice to understand how they collect, use, and share your personal information, and how you can set your privacy preferences on their sites and apps.

8. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements).

When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

9. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organizational and technical security measures.

We have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment.

10. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

In Short: We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.

We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Services. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at thecatholicpitstop@gmail.com.

11. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short: In some regions, such as the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), and Canada, you have rights that allow you greater access to and control over your personal information. You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.

In some regions (like the EEA, UK, and Canada), you have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. These may include the right (i) to request access and obtain a copy of your personal information, (ii) to request rectification or erasure; (iii) to restrict the processing of your personal information; and (iv) if applicable, to data portability. In certain circumstances, you may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information. You can make such a request by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section "HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?" below.

We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

 

If you are located in the EEA or UK and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to your Member State data protection authority or UK data protection authority.

If you are located in Switzerland, you may contact the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.

Withdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section "HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?" below.

However, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal nor, when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.

Cookies and similar technologies: Most Web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove cookies and to reject cookies. If you choose to remove cookies or reject cookies, this could affect certain features or services of our Services. You may also opt out of interest-based advertising by advertisers on our Services.

12. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track ("DNT") feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice.

13. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of Virginia, you may be granted specific rights regarding access to and use of your personal information.

Virginia CDPA Privacy Notice

Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA):

"Consumer" means a natural person who is a resident of the Commonwealth acting only in an individual or household context. It does not include a natural person acting in a commercial or employment context.

"Personal data" means any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person. "Personal data" does not include de-identified data or publicly available information.

"Sale of personal data" means the exchange of personal data for monetary consideration.

If this definition "consumer" applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal data.

The information we collect, use, and disclose about you will vary depending on how you interact with us and our Services. To find out more, please visit the following links:

• Personal data we collect

• How we use your personal data

• When and with whom we share your personal data

Your rights with respect to your personal data

• Right to be informed whether or not we are processing your personal data

• Right to access your personal data

• Right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data

• Right to request deletion of your personal data

• Right to obtain a copy of the personal data you previously shared with us

• Right to opt out of the processing of your personal data if it is used for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects ("profiling")

We have not sold any personal data to third parties for business or commercial purposes. We will not sell personal data in the future belonging to website visitors, users, and other consumers.

Exercise your rights provided under the Virginia CDPA

More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice.

You may contact us by email at thecatholicpitstop@gmail.com, by submitting a data subject access request, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.

If you are using an authorized agent to exercise your rights, we may deny a request if the authorized agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorized to act on your behalf.

Verification process

We may request that you provide additional information reasonably necessary to verify you and your consumer's request. If you submit the request through an authorized agent, we may need to collect additional information to verify your identity before processing your request.

Upon receiving your request, we will respond without undue delay, but in all cases, within forty-five (45) days of receipt. The response period may be extended once by forty-five (45) additional days when reasonably necessary. We will inform you of any such extension within the initial 45-day response period, together with the reason for the extension.

Right to appeal 

If we decline to take action regarding your request, we will inform you of our decision and reasoning behind it. If you wish to appeal our decision, please email us at thecatholicpitstop@gmail.com. Within sixty (60) days of receipt of an appeal, we will inform you in writing of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decisions. If your appeal if denied, you may contact the Attorney General to submit a complaint.

14. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?

In Short: Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Revised" date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

15. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?

If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may email us at thecatholicpitstop@gmail.com.

16. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please fill out and submit a data subject access request.

This privacy policy was created using Termly's Privacy Policy Generator.