The Top Priority for Christians
Yesterday was a glorious day. The weather was nearly perfect, a delectable afternoon meal was served (and consumed) at table, friends gathered, and I even caught a cat nap while the evening breeze blew in. Yet, none of these was the most important characteristic of the idyllic day. No, the reason that yesterday approached such blessed perfection is simple: it was Sunday, the day for communion with the Lord and His people, which leads to rest.
In recent weeks and months, I have been very much attuned to the need to keep Sunday sacred. It is apparent that the enemy, who is still very much alive and lurking in the world, wants to distract God's people from the things that will keep them close to God. (Believe me, I am first among the group of the distracted.) The very first thing that he would like us to forget is the covenant day, the day when we pause everything else in our busy lives to commune deeply with the Creator God. After Satan distracts us from that, it is easy to trick us into laziness in prayer, refusal to love our neighbor as ourselves, and many other spiritual and moral quagmires.
So, in order to begin healing ourselves as well as the culture around us, we must reclaim Sunday as the foundation of our Christian life. First and foremost, we must no longer think of Sunday as "the last day I have to catch up on chores and rest" before Monday. Rather, we must recapture the understanding that Sunday is the first day of the week, the day of the Resurrection on which our new life in Christ begins. Further, Sunday must revolve around Mass. The worship that Christ commanded must take priority, even over the other rest that we need and want. We will only be effective in our Monday-through-Saturday lives if we re-covenant ourselves with the Risen Christ (specifically in the Eucharist) on every Sunday!
When folks begin to recognize that there is something altogether different about Sunday, that it's not simply "the day after Saturday," we might even begin to re-examine our priorities and activities on that day. We will begin to guard our Sunday time very carefully against the encroachments of organized sports, the latest holiday sale at the mall or car dealership, unnecessary household labor, or even checking up on the usual news. There are six whole days (minus time for sleep) to toil in work, purchase "necessary" household goods, and read about the latest economic and political trends. All of these will begin to take a back seat to the relationship with God that He so desperately desires to have with us, if only we will grant Him time to speak and work in our lives.
Make no mistake: this exhortation has little to do with simply keeping the third commandment, "Keep holy the sabbath day." While not breaking one of the commandments is certainly a great benefit, it is ultimately only a by-product of our desire to return the love that God wants to pour out on His special, holy, covenant day. Simply attending Mass on Sunday in order to check off one box on the to-do list is not the way to enter deeply into communion with God Almighty. Rather, the desire to enter into communion with Him must come first, and our actions must reflect that desire. When the worship of God comes first, everything else false nicely into place, even if all of those things are not checked off of our weekly to-do lists. It is then that we begin to realize that He is in command of our lives, not us.
For good measure, here's another article about this topic, entitled "Saving Sundays," by Theresa Thomas at Integrated Catholic Life. Check it out and pass it on to others if you find it helpful.
In recent weeks and months, I have been very much attuned to the need to keep Sunday sacred. It is apparent that the enemy, who is still very much alive and lurking in the world, wants to distract God's people from the things that will keep them close to God. (Believe me, I am first among the group of the distracted.) The very first thing that he would like us to forget is the covenant day, the day when we pause everything else in our busy lives to commune deeply with the Creator God. After Satan distracts us from that, it is easy to trick us into laziness in prayer, refusal to love our neighbor as ourselves, and many other spiritual and moral quagmires.
So, in order to begin healing ourselves as well as the culture around us, we must reclaim Sunday as the foundation of our Christian life. First and foremost, we must no longer think of Sunday as "the last day I have to catch up on chores and rest" before Monday. Rather, we must recapture the understanding that Sunday is the first day of the week, the day of the Resurrection on which our new life in Christ begins. Further, Sunday must revolve around Mass. The worship that Christ commanded must take priority, even over the other rest that we need and want. We will only be effective in our Monday-through-Saturday lives if we re-covenant ourselves with the Risen Christ (specifically in the Eucharist) on every Sunday!
When folks begin to recognize that there is something altogether different about Sunday, that it's not simply "the day after Saturday," we might even begin to re-examine our priorities and activities on that day. We will begin to guard our Sunday time very carefully against the encroachments of organized sports, the latest holiday sale at the mall or car dealership, unnecessary household labor, or even checking up on the usual news. There are six whole days (minus time for sleep) to toil in work, purchase "necessary" household goods, and read about the latest economic and political trends. All of these will begin to take a back seat to the relationship with God that He so desperately desires to have with us, if only we will grant Him time to speak and work in our lives.
Make no mistake: this exhortation has little to do with simply keeping the third commandment, "Keep holy the sabbath day." While not breaking one of the commandments is certainly a great benefit, it is ultimately only a by-product of our desire to return the love that God wants to pour out on His special, holy, covenant day. Simply attending Mass on Sunday in order to check off one box on the to-do list is not the way to enter deeply into communion with God Almighty. Rather, the desire to enter into communion with Him must come first, and our actions must reflect that desire. When the worship of God comes first, everything else false nicely into place, even if all of those things are not checked off of our weekly to-do lists. It is then that we begin to realize that He is in command of our lives, not us.
For good measure, here's another article about this topic, entitled "Saving Sundays," by Theresa Thomas at Integrated Catholic Life. Check it out and pass it on to others if you find it helpful.
