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And they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?. . . And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? (Mark 2:18-24)
And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day. (Mark 3:1-2)
The Pharisee
Not to pray
and fast at the set times; to harvest
on the Sabbath; to work
a healing, however large or small, on days
of rest. What havoc
does he bring upon us?
The rules received in such
great honor so long
ago have given us
sound structure in a chaotic
world, helped to define the essence
of our lives and provided
a rope to cling to when
all was dark.
Small hands lighting candles, old
lips repeating familiar words,
women baking fragrant breads
in preparation of a sacred meal.
The rituals do often lapse
in meaning. Hands move and lips
speak with no accompanying thought.
Well I know it.
But would he have us
constantly at watch
over every thought, ready
with each heartbeat to distinguish
between our desires and God’s?
Man is not made so!
All our small minds can ask
is that, as the occasion rises
and our hands reach out to touch
the sacred books, our lips
to tell the age-old words, that these
familiar motions will become
imbued, in that instant, with
the golden edge
of who we truly are.