Dear brothers and sisters: In our catechesis on the Ten Commandments, we have been reflecting on the third commandment: to keep holy the Lord’s Day. In the version of the Decalogue found in the Book of Deuteronomy, the command to rest on the Sabbath is linked to the memory of Israel’s liberation from the slavery of Egypt. Slaves, as we know, cannot rest. In our own day, so many of our brothers and sisters suffer various forms of enslavement, injustice and inner torment; they long for rest and freedom. Yet, as the example of the martyrs shows us, even in the darkest prisons, it is possible to experience profound interior freedom and repose. True freedom is more than choice. It is liberation from the bondage of selfishness, sin and lovelessness; from such slavery there can be no rest. As Christians, we read, and observe, the third commandment in the light of Christ’s coming. By his sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus redeems us from the slavery of sin and enables us to rest in the freedom born of his truth, his mercy and his undying love.
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