Every day of the week has a particular spirit. A distinctive state of mind.
Start with Fish Friday. This comes out of the Catholic tradition of avoiding meat on Fridays. For centuries, many Catholics have abstained from eating warm-blooded animals on that day, as a way of honoring the sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday. No beef, pork, chicken or turkey — just fish.
Then you have Steak Saturday. This observance goes in the opposite direction, with people enjoying a thick, juicy, grilled steak.
How about Sunday Roast? This British tradition revolves around a big meal including roast meat, vegetables and gravy. This one was common in my house during my youth.
And then there is Meatless Monday, often associated with vegetarian or vegan meals.
But what about Taco Tuesday?
A newspaper ad from 1933, seems to imply that it was The White Star Cafeteria in El Paso, Texas, who invited people to come to the restaurant on Tuesday and enjoy three “Mexican tacos” for 15 cents.
The term began to appear in ads from Wisconsin to Arizona. In 1973, a South Dakota drive-in “ran an ad in the Rapid City Journal with the line, ‘Stop In on Taco Tuesday.’”
Suddenly, Tuesday was the day for tacos.
All of which leads to the question: What is Sabbath Spirit?
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus starts his ministry on the Sabbath in his hometown of Nazareth. He goes to the synagogue, picks up the scroll and reads from the prophet Isaiah.
He rolls up the scroll, gives it back to the attendant and sits down. Then he says to the people of the synagogue, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Tuesdays may be for tacos, but the Sabbath is the day to receive the Spirit and work to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed. The spirit of the day is proclaiming God’s favor to all who are in need.
Sabbath Spirit: It is not the trademark of any church, but instead it is a state of mind.
Each of the gospel-writers describes the “Good News” of Jesus in a particular way, and Luke is no exception. He mentions women more than Matthew, Mark and John, and he has special concern for people on the margins of society, including the sick and the poor. Luke is the writer who speaks of God bringing down the powerful and lifting up the lowly, filling “the hungry with good things” and sending “the rich away empty.”
For Luke, the Sabbath Spirit is felt when God’s favor is directed toward vulnerable people.
We need to maintain this state of mind whenever we gather on the Sabbath. It is more important than sanctuary architecture, musical styles, seating choices or audiovisual systems. A church can have all different kinds of sights and sounds, but what really matters is that it has the proper Sabbath Spirit.
Luke makes clear that Jesus comes home to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit.” At this point, he has been baptized by John, and the Holy Spirit has descended on him. He has been led by the Spirit in the wilderness and has been tempted by the devil. His ministry is just beginning, but he is clearly filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
On the Sabbath, Jesus goes to the synagogue in Nazareth, as is his custom. He stands up to read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which is fitting since Jesus goes on to quote Isaiah eight times during his ministry, more than any other prophet. He reads the passage, which begins, “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me” (Isaiah 61:1). Then he rolls up the scroll, sits down and the eyes of all are fixed on him. He says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
Jesus is saying that he is there to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. His mission is to free the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. His ministry is one that reverses expectations by directing attention to those who are usually overlooked: Women, the poor, captives, the blind and the oppressed – including those whom we are turning our backs on at the border.
So, where can we see this today?
We know from Luke that Jesus is a great healer. He goes directly from the synagogue in Nazareth to the town of Capernaum, where he cleanses a man with an unclean spirit, heals the mother-in-law of Simon Peter, cleanses a leper and heals a paralytic. Jesus wants to eliminate any physical or spiritual condition that prevents people from enjoying the fullness of life.
Christ’s work continues today whenever Christians practice medicine or provide counseling, and when people who struggle with addictions find recovery in 12-step groups. Jesus wants to set us free from anything that oppresses us — including addiction.
Finally, Jesus proclaims “the year of the Lord’s favor.” This means that all his talk about good news, release, recovery and freedom is coming true in the moment! He is not talking about good things in heaven, but is saying that God is showing his favor at that time, on that Sabbath day. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled” — not tomorrow. This may seem impossible in the world of today and in the lives of those whose life is turned upside down. But, it is in these days that he wants to fulfil the needs of the day.
The year of the Lord’s favor is nothing less than a sign of the kingdom of God. As Jesus says a little later, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God … I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:43). The year of the Lord’s favor continues when Christians support centers for the homeless. The Scripture is fulfilled when people of faith free the oppressed by building affordable housing.
In Nazareth, Jesus shows true Sabbath Spirit by making a dynamic response to human need, and by showing deep concern for the most vulnerable people. Our challenge is to adopt his state of mind, and to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, healing to the sick and freedom to the oppressed.
Whenever this is done, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled, and the present time becomes “the year of the Lord’s favor.” More important than Taco Tuesday or even Fish Friday, this Sabbath Spirit should always be alive and well at the heart of the church.
Let us pray.
In today’s Second Reading, St Paul emphasizes to us that together we are Christ’s body, the Church, but each of us a different and important part of it. We pray for the wisdom, the understanding and commitment to be a true and active part of His body, promoting his Word in our daily lives and with our every action. We pray to the Lord.
We pray for world leaders that the Word of God guide them in government. We pray to the Lord.
As we come to the end of the Week of Prayer for Church Unity, we pray for unity among all Christians, and that the various churches and Christian communities in our parish and in our country may work in the service and love of God. We pray to the Lord.
We pray today for our Catholic schools, for the teachers and for the parents who support them. We pray particularly for our children that the Spirit bless them and bestow on them a true knowledge and love of God our Father. We pray to the Lord.
We pray for students of all ages, that they may grow in wisdom and that we bring that wisdom towards making their community a better place for all, particularly those in need.
We pray to the Lord.
We pray for our teachers that they be encouraged in their mission to help pupils grow into mature adults who can view the world with the love of Jesus and who can understand life as a call to serve God. We pray to the Lord.
We pray for all who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands that they find compassion and welcome among those who are blessed with peace and prosperity. We pray to the Lord.
We pray for the newly elected politicians, especially our one term removed newly elected president, to find himself enveloped with the Holy Spirit, to remember all persons are deserving of dignity, compassion, a nation of welcome, and not of blockades and treated like pariah. As Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC (Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde) so aptly stated during this past week’s inauguration, that he and his administration treat all persons with “mercy!” We pray to the Lord.
We pray that this president not push through legislation or executive orders to end same sex marriage, unilateral anti-abortion laws, nor a stop of the medical needs for the transgendered people, and a host of promised acts of hatred. We pray to the Lord.
We pray for new vocations to the priesthood. We pray to the Lord.
We ask that the Holy Spirit bless us with generous people to assist us in the upkeep of our chapel and advance our ministry. We pray to the Lord.
For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.
We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.
We believe that they are happy whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. We affirm that the LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
LORD God, as we have seen with the newly elected president, there is reason for concern. There is reason to know that his heart has not been touched in such a way that he can live out your lessons given by your Son from our Gospel reading this morning. We pray this day, that we, like Washington’s bishop, that we not fear speaking out against that which is not only wrong, but evil. We ask, O LORD, be our protection in these coming, days, weeks, months and years, so that we truly can be the Land of the Free, and Home of the Brave – that we live in mercy toward all. We ask all these things, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God Love You. +++
The Most Rev. Robert Winzens
Pastor – St. Francis Chapel
San Diego, CA.
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