It is 17th January 2017. We celebrate the memorial of St Antony of Egypt, the Abbot. The readings are from Hebrews 6:10-20; and the Gospel from Mark 2:23-28. The first reading is a kind of a prelude to the discourse on Jesus Christ, the High Priest. Today’s passages stresses the importance of having hope like that of Abraham who hoped for a son nearly 25 years. The presence of charity and faith are inseparable. When these two are present, hope abounds. “God will not forget your work and the love you have shown God by your service, past and present.” (Heb.6:10). God does not overlook our good works. God rewards us with hope for being charitable. Hope alone offers the hold in the times of instability and dangers in life. Our hope is in the Lord Jesus. “We have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil… and to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb.6:20). We need to learn constantly to be patient and have a strong faith to overcome our sluggishness and procrastinations in doing good. The world may toss us around and make all our dreams upside down, yet Jesus is our anchor of hope and charity. The responsorial Psalm praises, “The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.” (Ps.100:5). The Gospel points out the importance of upholding humanity while following the ethical codes of the society. We must not sacrifice people to over set of rules and regulations. We need to be address the growing greediness and ignoring God wilfully with sufficient reasons on the Sabbath. Extracting the most from human beings without adequate rest and refreshments is selfish, greedy and gradually destroying the image and likeness of God and liking for God. We all need to respect and reserve a day for the Lord who offered the rest of the days in a week to work and to celebrate life. We must not steal the sacred space by upholding something, or someone that offers material gains. We all truly deserve a day exclusively for doing charity, praising God intensely, and to celebrate the space with the others. May you have a good respecting God and loving everyone. Have good day.