Sabbath



		Sabbath Lorraine Ferguson, OP “Let the land, too, keep a sabbath for the Lord.” Leviticus 25:2
In Maria Harris’ book, Proclaim Jubilee, we are invited during this new millennium to a rich and evocative program for us individually and as a world community. To “let the land lie fallow” is gleaned from Biblical texts. It reminds us that the world has a life of its own from the Creator, that may not be farmed to death or used up to human advantage and indulgence. The author suggests that the fallowness necessary to land, which leads directly to the Sabbath principle, challenges us in pondering of a whole way of existence that is infused with listening, waiting and receiving. If we perceive the need for this period of rest, a Sabbath for the land, how do we tend to our own inner landscape? Where is our creative power to minister to the suffering within and beyond ourselves? Do we allow sacred time to pause – to be silent – to respect the stillness of the Sabbath? If we truly listen to our inner voice, what is God’s word for the world’s chaotic turmoil which is today’s “dis-ease.” Can we begin to maintain a balance and nurture re-creation personally and globally? In scripture we are called to be responsible agents of our earth and to permit the land to lie fallow. We also honor the soil by honoring its past and future production by allowing time to renew and replenish itself. Sabbath does not demand denial of activity for ourselves but a renewal of life and appreciation for our gifts and many blessings. We need to allow God’s vision for a new creation to deepen within our hearts and minds. Can we be co-creators as the spirit leads us into tomorrow? Stillness and solitude will help us to be “jubilee people.” Rest brings balance to a tired and depleted society that craves power and money. We can only be attentive to our own dryness and the suffering of others by allowing our spiritual thirst to be replenished. This Christian response to accepting responsibility and to challenge one another is a vision of hope. Can we truly participate in Jubilee, “sing a new song,” and rejoice in God’s love for the world’s creation? BACK