“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter...In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20: 8-11)
How are you at keeping holy the sabbath? Is it a restful day? Or is it exhausting? Is it a day of re-creation? Or is it a catchup day for the week? I am often asked if mowing the grass or doing the laundry is acceptable to do on a Sunday. What are your thoughts? Talk about this with your family. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks to the vision of Sunday as a day of grace and rest from work. Take a moment and read these beautiful pieces of church teaching:
Just as God “rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,” human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives (CCC 2184).
...The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits harmful to religion, family life, and health (CCC 2185).
...Christians sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life (CCC 2186).
Are you taking time to be with your family on Sunday? Are you taking time to reflect and deepen your Christian interior life on Sunday? Recently, I was reflecting on the impacts of Covid in our lives. While there are many frustrating and devastating realities caused by this virus, the good news about Covid was that, for most of us, it truly made us slow down. This slowing down is necessary for the cultivation of all things spiritual. Will you continue to slow down more and more this Lent, so that you can have the time for reflection, silence and meditation, ultimately causing growth in the spiritual life? Go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
May God’s peace and joy be with you,
Fr. Jeremy
