The Pharisees have made a mistake we are all too familiar with: they have confused free time with leisure. They see the Sabbath first and foremost as “free time,” an occasion when nothing should happen. When Jesus heals the infirm woman, this is not nothing, and so a violation. But the Pharisees have forgotten the question: free time for what? We do not just have free time for its own sake, or in order to breathe so we may work more.
Josef Pieper reminds us that the Sabbath, like liturgy, is ultimately a celebration. Through the liturgy, we celebrate the good gifts God has given us, and rejoice. Seen in this way, Jesus’ declaration to the woman “you are set free” (Lk. 13:12) is entirely appropriate for the Sabbath day. He has given her a marvelous gift, and now she may celebrate God’s gifts. This is the same spirit we must take into every Sabbath, and every liturgy: to celebrate God’s gifts, and rejoice at His goodness and love for us.