March 5, 2013 – Catechism 2184 – 2183

You may not go to work on Sundays, but do your activities force others to work. That is something that people don’t often think about. I know many people that always go out to eat on Sundays after mass. It is a nice way to spend time and mom doesn’t have to spend time preparing a meal. But have you thought that your actions make others have to work on Sunday. This may not persuade many people because so many see Sunday as any other day and almost all stores and restaurants are open, what difference does one person make. First of all, that is a horrible reason to do anything. Second, much like the example of what would the church look like if every catholic went to mass every Sunday, what Sundays would look like if a large chunk of the population took Sunday as a day of rest seriously. It wasn’t so long ago that this was something that was done. I don’t know when the shoe dropped and that all changed, but ask older folks what Sundays used to be like and I think you will find that we aren’t so far removed from Sundays being a day for God and for family.

And the day of rest isn’t for God, IT IS FOR US. God knows us better than we know ourselves and we need a break from the world. We need a chance to sit back and recharge our batteries. You wonder why people are burnt out, why so many are on meds, why so many marriages are in trouble, why there is no communication in the family. Maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the fact that we fill our lives with stuff. 24 hours a day, cell phone in hand, constant contact with the world, starbucks 3 times a day, meals on the run. Enough is enough. We need a break. We know that is what we need, but we don’t give it to ourselves. God knew that is what we needed, and He knew that well before cell phones and the internet, and He gave us the tool to have rest. But we know better and so we have thrown the idea of Sunday out the window. It is just another day, it is filled with activities, it is our day to plan the things we can’t do during the week, it is another day for sports practices. The only thing people don’t set aside time for on Sundays is mass. As we disregard the Sunday rest and what it means, many are disregarding mass and what it means. Numbers go down, people become busier, and we still continue to wonder why we are having so many issues.