Yes. I am actually going down to Marietta for a day on Labor Day this year. I plan on working with my hands and tinkering with a little shack my grandpa built over 50 years ago. Is this wrong? Is it wrong to do actual work on Sunday? I remember having a conversation about this a number of years ago with a priest while we were walking his dog. He explained it this way… If you are an office worker all week and find that you spend over 40 hours sitting down at a desk doing paperwork…if it is re-creational to use your hands and chop wood on Sunday, that would be a good thing for the soul. If you continued to do your same job this would lead to burnout in no time. We need to stop and pray and ask God what is re-creational to us. But most of the time, it is good to take the option to rest. In my own life, I find myself sitting and listening to people, which is a great privilege and honor and a joy in my life. But when the opportunity arises, I enjoy using my hands and body and doing a little manual labor—similar to someone who enjoys working out at the gym. It re-creates us.
At the heart of it all is a call to be humble and accept the fact that we need rest. The Catechism states that “God's action is the model for human action. If God ‘rested and was refreshed’ on the seventh day, man too ought to ‘rest’ and should let others, especially the poor, ‘be refreshed.’ The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.” (CCC 2172). I love that last line. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money. Our lives need to be a living protest against the culture that worships these realities. Let’s make our actions reflect the fact that we worship God and strive to imitate God’s action.
Just a couple weeks ago, we paused our lives on Sunday, August 18 to adore the Lord outside and honor Him with praise and worship. Next week, on September 8, from 12:00 to 4:00pm, I encourage you to protest against the servitude of work and money and pause to enjoy the community life of St. Francis de Sales at our Parish Festival. Come enjoy friendship, good music, food and simply delight in God and one another.
Let’s re-create our lives together,
Fr. Jeremy
