Friday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Origen (c.185-253), priest and theologian
Homilies on the Book of Numbers, no.23
"The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath"
We don’t see that the words of Genesis: “God rested on the Sabbath day from all his works” came to pass on this seventh day of creation nor, indeed, that that they have come to pass today. We always see God at work. There is no Sabbath when God stops working, no day when he does not “make his sun rise on the bad and the good and cause rain to fall on the just and the unjust”, when he does not make “grass to sprout on the mountains and herbs for the service of men”…, or when he does not “put to death and give life”.
This is how our Lord answers those who accused him of working and healing on the Sabbath: “My Father is at work until now and I am at work.” By this he showed that, during the time of this world, there is no Sabbath when God rests from watching over the progress of the world and destiny of humankind… In his wisdom as Creator he never ceases to exercise his providence and watchful care over his creatures “until the end of the world”. Therefore the real Sabbath when God will rest from all his works will be the world to come when “sorrow and mourning will flee” and God will be “all in all”.
(Biblical references: Gn 2,2; Mt 5,45; Ps 146[7],8; 1Sm 2,6; Jn 5,17; Mt 28,20; Is 35,10 LXX; Col 3,11)
-St. John Paul II