Saturday, March 11 : Saint Aelred of Rielvaux

In spite of their marvels, none of the days of creation can be compared with the seventh day on which no work was done and God rested after completing his handiwork. “And on the seventh day,” the book of Genesis tells us, “God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done” (Gen 2,2). Here we are told the two requirements of the Sabbath: it must be a day, and at the same time there is to be rest. This seventh day, however, does not seem to me to be measured in time between sunrise and sunset, to be bright in the morning and dusk in the evening (cf. Gen 1,5)… Listen to him who welcomes us into his rest: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11,28). This is the preparation for the Sabbath. As for the Sabbath itself, listen once more: “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (v.29). Here indeed is rest, calm and true Sabbath. For this yoke does not weigh us down but unites; this burden lifts us up, it does not press on us. This yoke is charity and this burden, brotherly love. There we find rest; there we celebrate the Sabbath; there we are delivered from slavery… And if it happens that our weakness succumbs to some fault, the feasting of this Sabbath has no interruption, since “love covers a multitude of sins” (1Pt 4,8).
maronite readings – rosary,team