I was very intrigued by the insert in one of our Sunday bulletins from the Catholic Update, "Sabbath Moments in a Busy World" by Susan Rowland.
"A Sabbath Moment is a brief pause in one's day to pull away from work, to refresh oneself, to pray, to think about God."
"It is true that the Catholic Church through the authority of Christ replaced the Hebrew Sabbath (Saturday) with the Lord's Day (Sunday); however, this occurred very early - well before the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. For Christians two important events happened on Sunday. First, the Resurrection of Christ occurred on Easter Sunday (John 20:1ff). Secondly, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church on Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2:1ff). Also after His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the Apostles twice, each on Sunday (John 20:19 & 26). As a result, Sunday became known as the Lord's Day for Christians." -A Catholic Response, Inc.
Now the essential point of the Commandment is that we set one day a week holy to the Lord. It is the only one of the Ten Commandments that has to do with how we treat ourselves. Deadlines and productivity are a measure of our worth that many of us feel work is our real life and our spiritual life is second. So I wanted us to recheck how we are keeping the Sabbath. How are we resting and taking the time to reflect about God? Is it going to church on Sunday, then finishing off chores before going back to work or school the next day? A common excuse is we do not have the time. So to help overcome that obstacle, we must make celebrating the Sabbath or the Lord's Day intentional and plan ahead. Resting, renewing, prioritizing for one day a week helps bring order to the chaos of our lives.
Before we meet on Monday, the 28th, at the Mongolian Grill, I would like everyone to practice the Sabbath at least once. Put aside all distractions: work, homework, chores, cooking, bills, projects, checking email and facebook for one day and rest, be present. Plan your rest by enjoying God's gifts, God's presence - alone reading, listening to music, visiting with loved ones, or with your church community. Then I want you to share your experience with us: what you did, what you didn't do =), if it was easy or difficult and why, obstacles you came across, how did one day of rest affect you the rest of the week. If celebrating Sabbath is a common practice for you, then please share with us how you have
made it work in your life to help others succeed.
made it work in your life to help others succeed.
I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's stories!
