The Second Sunday after Pentecost

The first thirty chapters of Deuteronomy are a speech from Moses to the Israelites just prior to his death. Part of that speech is a prolonged explanation of the Ten Commandments, and today’s reading pertains to the fourth commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy. In the Bible, holy implies being set apart for special purposes, that is, not ordinary. God set aside the seventh day as a time of rest for everyone in the household, including servants. In an agrarian society, dealing with crops was a constant activity. By not working on the Sabbath, people could put their trust in God and not themselves to provide the necessities of life, which promoted faith in God.

Between the writing of 1st and 2nd Corinthians, false prophets (sarcastically called “super-apostles”) had infiltrated the church. Earlier in 2 Corinthians, Paul asserted his authority but never to boast of his prowess. Paul is a vessel being used by God to point the way to Christ. In today’s reading, we are reminded again of the tremendous suffering that St. Paul endured as he went about proclaiming the Gospel. Personally, I revere Paul and his writings as God’s Holy Word, and that we best heed all that he wrote. Paul’s mission is always to bring others to Christ and the desire for us to live holy lives.

— David Littrell