Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy….For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
—Exodus 20.8, 11
From a lectionary reading for Lent 3: Exodus 20.1-17
Reflection for Tuesday, March 6 (Day 12 of Lent)
Today’s reflection is from In the Sanctuary of Women, from the chapter “A Way in the Wilderness: The Book of the Desert Mothers.”
But there is this too. Respite. Rest. Letting the desert be the desert, without feeling compelled to bulldoze our way through it. I think of a long stretch when I found myself in a soul struggle that had caught me entirely by surprise. Consumed by the wrestling and working and searching, I felt exhausted. After a time, my spiritual director, Maru, gave me this phrase: holy absence.
There are times, she said, sometimes seasons, for removing ourselves from the struggle. Time for sabbath. Time for rest.
Blessing
Even in the desert,
even in the wilderness,
sabbath comes.
May you keep it.
Light the candles,
say the prayers:
Welcome, sabbath.
Welcome, rest.
Enter in
and be our guest.
—Jan Richardson
This reflection is part of the series Teach Me Your Paths: A Pilgrimage into Lent.
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March 6, 2012 at 8:00 AM |
Absolutely! When Christ removed himself from ethe crowds to be with His Father, I believe He was keeping the Sabbath. We need these periods of time and when we take them we can show renewed strength for God’s work. I did this recently by skipping church (gasp!) and going to the beach with a friend. It was a holy retreat. We prayed, talked and ate well. The next Sunday I had a wealth of energy to play piano and sing the praises of God.