The Sabbath
Maybe like me, you thought about Sunday after reading today's Gospel. Not this past Sunday, but Sunday in general. This past Sunday, the chances for the Browns to have a Super Bowl Sunday came to an end. Our Browns had a great season. I hope there are more to come with our current coach and team. Go Browns! At the end of Gospel, Jesus speaks about the Sabbath. The observance of the Sabbath is a gift to us, a chance to replenish and rest. As the Catechism says in paragraph 2184, that it is a day that helps “everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.” The Lord invites us to take a day off. He invites us to spend some time with him in the liturgy, to enjoy a good meal with family, to watch a game or take a walk. We need this “time out.” Hopefully, we can do that.
Back in July of 2001, I went to Italy as the chaplain for the Saint Joan of Arc Choir. The best day of the trip was Sunday in Rome. Sunday morning began by concelebrating the 10am Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica. After the Mass, I went on a casual walk with some of the members of the choir through the streets of Rome. It was a beautiful sunny day. People were out enjoying the beautiful weather. During the casual walk, I thought to myself, “This is what the Sabbath is all about!” Eventually, we found a nice restaurant for lunch and ate outdoors. The rest of the day was relaxing and it concluded with the Saint Joan of Arc Choir giving a concert at a nearby Church. I remember at the end of the day feeling like I really celebrated the Sabbath, and felt tremendously blessed it was in the city of Rome! What I loved the most was it was such a leisurely Sunday. This was the first Sunday in a long time that I was away from the parish and I didn’t have a worry in the world. If you have a spare moment this day, prayerfully reflect about Sunday where you felt like you delighted in the Lord’s gift of the Sabbath. Maybe that’s every Sunday for you. If so, keep up the good work! Maybe it was on vacation or maybe it was going over to your Grandparents for dinner. Or maybe it was a Sunday when you had everyone over. When we think about these glorious Sundays, I think it helps all the more to embrace God’s gift of the Sabbath all the more and to keep it as a day of rest. In doing so, I think it can inspire us to do all we can during the week so we can prepare well to take the Sabbath day to rest, refresh, and reconnect with our God. God bless and stay safe!
In Christ,
Fr. Steve Breck
Pastor, St. Mary Magdalene
