Thus say the Lord God: “If you will take away the chain out of the midst of you, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which is good for nothing. When you will pour out your soul to the hungry, and will satisfy the afflicted soul, then will your light rise up in darkness, and your darkness will be as the noonday. And the Lord will give you rest continually, and will fill your soul with brightness, and deliver your bones, and you will be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water, whose waters will not fail. And the places that have been desolate for ages will be built in you: you will raise up the foundations of generation and generation: and you will be called the repairer of the fences, turning the paths into rest. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your own will in my holy day, and call the Sabbath delightful, and the holy of the Lord glorious, and glorify Him, while you do not your own ways, and your own will is not found, to speak a word: then will you be delighted in the Lord, and I will lift you up above the high places of the Earth, and will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your Father. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”Thanks be to God.
Dom Prosper Guéranger:
Saturday is a day replete with mystery. It is the day of God’s rest. It is a figure of the eternal peace which awaits us in Heaven after the toils of this life are over. The object of the Church in giving us today this Lesson from Isaias is to teach us how we are to merit our eternal Sabbath. We have scarcely entered on our campaign of penance when this affectionate Mother of ours comes to console us. If we abound in good works during this holy Season in which we have taken leave of the distracting vanities of the world, the light of grace will rise up even in the darkness which now clouds our soul. This soul, which has been so long obscured by sin and by the love of the world and self, will become bright as the noonday. The glory of Jesus’ Resurrection will be ours too and, if we are faithful to grace, the Easter of time will lead us to the Easter of eternity. Let us, therefore, build up the places that have been so long desolate. Let us raise up the foundations, repair the fences, turn away our feet from the violation of holy observances, do not our own ways and our own will in opposition to those of our Divine Master, and then He will give us everlasting rest, and fill our soul with His own brightness.Gospel – Mark vi. 47‒56
At that time, when it was late, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. And seeing them labouring in rowing (for the wind was against them) and about the fourth watch of the night, He comes to them, walking upon the sea, and He would have passed by them. But they seeing Him walking upon the sea, thought it was an apparition and they cried out. For they all saw Him and were troubled. And immediately He spoke with them, and said to them: “Have a good heart, it is I, fear not.” And He went up to them into the ship, and the wind ceased. And they were far more astonished within themselves: for they understood not concerning the loaves: for their heart was blinded. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Genesareth, and set to the shore. And when they were gone out of the ship, immediately they knew Him, and running through that whole country, they began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard He was. And wherever He entered, into towns, or into villages, or cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that they might touch but the hem of His garment: and as many as touched Him were made whole.Praise be to you, O Christ.
Dom Prosper Guéranger:
The Ship, the Church, has set sail. The voyage is to last Forty Days. The disciples labour in rowing, for the wind is against them. They begin to fear lest they may not be able to gain the port. But Jesus comes to them on the sea. He goes up to them in the ship. The rest of the voyage is most prosperous. The ancient Liturgists thus explain the Church’s intention in her choice of today’s Gospel. Forty Days of penance are, it is true, little enough for a long life that has been spent in everything save in God’s service. And yet our cowardice would sink under these Forty Days unless we had Jesus with us. Let us not fear. It is He. He prays with us, fasts with us and does all our works of mercy with us. Was it not He that first began these Forty Days of expiation? Let us keep our eyes fixed on Him and be of good heart. If we grow tired, let us go to Him, as did the poor sick ones of whom our Gospel speaks. The very touch of His garments sufficed to restore health to such as had lost it. Let us go to Him in His adorable Sacrament, and the divine life whose germ is already within us will develop itself, and the energy, which was beginning to droop in our hearts, will regain all its vigour.
