The eighteenth-century French philosopher Voltaire, who was no friend of Catholicism, once wrote, “If you want to kill Christianity, you must abolish Sunday.”
Where the Sabbath rest and worship is forgotten, a weak to nonexistent practice of Christianity can almost inevitably be found. Conversely, those who take their spiritual life seriously know that Sunday is the key to personal and family peace, the lifeblood of Christian culture in the home.
So I would like to offer a few suggestions of some ways to keep holy the Sabbath, which for most Christians means the Lord’s Day or Sunday. Other than Church attendance, Holy Mass for Catholics, you may want to try the following or even develop your own practices.
• Refraining from shopping & servile work
• Getting the most out of Mass by going over the readings as a family and later discussing what you took away from Mass that day through the Scripture, homily, or personal prayer
• Reserving time for naps or just relaxing
• Spending time outdoors hiking or playing in the backyard or at a park
• Getting together with family friends or relatives
• Saying a family Rosary
• Serving the poor and others in need in the community
• Join in the fellowship after Mass
• Visiting sick friends or relatives
• Initiating or joining in a service project
Don’t let the secular demands of your life kill your Christianity. Reveling in the peace of the Resurrection is supposed to be the way in which we start the week off on the right foot, with a sense of rejuvenated rest, having devoted the day to prayer, play, thanksgiving, remembrance of God’s covenant with his people, and, most importantly, communal worship in the Holy Mass. Then, and only then, are we adequately equipped to meet the demands of daily life. What’s that old saying? A day hemmed with prayer is less likely to unravel!
Peacefully,
Father Mike