Thomas Aquinas, on Isa 56:2

“Blessed is the man that doth this, and the son of man that shall lay hold on this: that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, that keepeth his hands from doing any evil.”

“Blessed is the man. Here he sets out the fruit of this counsel in those who receive it. And first, he sets out its utility, setting out the fruit of fulfilling it: blessed is the man that doth this, fulfilling it by his works, and the son of man that shall lay hold on this, undertaking it strenuously: blessed is the man that fears the Lord (Ps 111[112]:1); and the manner of fulfilling it, as to ceremonial precepts: that keeps the sabbath. For the observance of the sabbath belonged to the moral law as to the requirement that rest be placed in God and sometimes freed for divine affairs by abstaining from other things; but it belonged to the ceremonial law as to the determination of the time. Now, for them, the seventh day was determined because of the work of creation, which had as yet been surpassed by nothing worthier; for us, the first day, or the eighth, is determined because of the mystery of the resurrection, in which created nature was restored to something better: remember that you keep holy the sabbath day (Exod 20:8); take heed to your souls, and carry no burdens on the sabbath day (Jer 17:21). And as to moral precepts, that keeps his hands from doing any evil: I will wash my hands among the innocent (Ps 25[26]:6).”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.