"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath," beckons us to ponder a deeper understanding and experience of connecting our religious practice and God. In principle, man- made rules or symbols are temporal signs for navigating life's tumultuous journey to a final arrival - communion with God. St Ignatius Loyola's principle "Tantum Quantum"- as much as it helps, is to make use of means to reach the goal of our existence. Sabbath is a means, not an end.

Our hope is in Christ, not in emblems. It is said that in the secret Roman catacombs, one of the carved symbols that survives for persecuted Christians is the anchor. It is found on Christian tombs as a sign of hope in the life of the world. Why would early Christian choose an anchor to symbolize hope? Scripturally, Hebrews 6:19 ties the anchor to the concept of "hope", and thus Christian hope of salvation is through Christ.

Sabbath sustains and gives life. It should not impede efforts to sustain life. Christ Jesus and His disciples were picking heads of grain as they passed through a field of grain. Without judgment, their passing through the field could be as sojourners as signified in Leviticus 23:22 "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God."