What if your Sundays looked different than any other day of the week? 
And not just because you go to Mass as a family on Sunday, but because the entire pace, rhythm, and aim was different in your home. 

I, like you perhaps, have fallen into seasons where my answer to the above question would have been… “My Sundays don’t look any different.”

What the world values

We live in a world that tells us to go, go, go, do ALL. THE. THINGS. Sign up for that class! Be on that board! Three sports seasons for each kid? YES! Our world often associates busyness with happiness. A full schedule with a meaningful life.

However, I have noticed that when my life is packed, when I say “yes” to too many commitments (even as an extrovert) I start to lose myself. I’m rushing from one good thing to the next, and never have time to slow down and actually enjoy what’s in front of me. It’s exhausting and eventually, out of my own desperation for a break, or something out of my control (sickness, inclement weather, etc.) I am forced to stop. And wow…when I stop. And breathe. It changes everything!

And I think this is what the Sabbath is all about…

A call to stop

In his book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer writes: “The word Sabbath comes to us from the Hebrew ‘Shabbat’. The word literally means ‘to stop.’ Sabbath is simply a day to stop. Stop working. Stop wanting. Stop worrying. Just… stop.”

God Himself gives us this model, of course, in the Creation story. Genesis 2:3 says, “So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”

Comer continues, “The Hebrew word Shabbat means ‘to stop.’ But it can also be translated ‘to delight.’ It has this dual idea of stopping and also of joying in God and our lives in his world. The Sabbath is an entire day set aside to follow God’s example, to stop and delight.”

If my children have taught me anything, it’s that in order to really delight in this life we are living, we have to slow down. So many adults rush and hurry through their lives. But kids… they force you to slow down. Here’s just one example: My toddlers are getting their shoes on to head out the door when suddenly they hear the squeak of a garbage truck outside. You better believe my kids are NOT putting their shoes on and are instead running to look out our front window in wonder and awe of the garbage truck! They stopped and delighted.

There is so much around us to be delighted in. As our founder, Olivia, often says, “God has left His fingerprints all over the natural world!” But so often, we’re in such a rush that we miss out on opportunities to encounter Him and see the ways He’s pouring out His love all around us! 

Our need for rest  

I cannot think about the Sabbath without thinking of Saint Augustine’s famous quote: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you".

Have you had moments of rest in your life where time stands still, where you come out refreshed and rejuvenated? For me, it's delighting in my children through active play, it’s pulling out my watercolor set to paint, it’s reading a good book, it’s a post-Mass brunch with friends where time stands still, it’s dedicating time to lectio divina and journaling.

A lot of living a true Sabbath is not about what you do on Sunday, it’s about what you do on the other days of the week so you can actually “Sabbath” on Sunday, so you can stop and delight. 

It takes a serious effort to reorient the other days of our week so that our Sundays can be different. It takes thought, intentionality, and commitment. Check out our blog post for thoughtful ways we can prep on Saturday in order to clear our Sunday.

Comer asks this question in his book and it’s a bit silly, but also extremely worthy of reflection: 

“What could I do for 24 hours that would fill my soul with a deep throbbing joy that would make me spontaneously combust with wonder, awe, gratitude, and praise?”

A story 

 
When I was fundraising my salary as a FOCUS missionary, I distinctly remember the culture at summer training. We did NOT work on Sundays. At first, this felt like a burden. I thought, “I have to fundraise my salary in two months and I have an endless list of things to do, how can I not work on Sundays?” and “Everyone is actually home and available to answer my fundraising calls on Sundays because they aren’t working!” and “I don’t have missionary classes on Sundays, I actually have time to work on fundraising!” Despite these urges to work through my endless task list and to accomplish what felt like the greatest feat of my life (fundraising my salary) I was obedient to the culture at training and the command of God!

It. was. Life changing! It’s hard to really explain the feeling. There was a freedom in knowing that I could, I most definitely could, be working. But the choice NOT to, gave me this excuse to do things that were deeply good for me! For my body, my mind, my soul! I exercised, built friendships, and was creative in ways I never would have been, had I been working on fundraising. (And, of course, I did indeed fundraise my salary in 2 months without working on Sundays!)

An invitation

In an article published on EWTN, Father William Saunders makes this point: “Voltaire (d. 1791), the great critic and attacker of the Church, said, ‘If you want to kill Christianity, you must abolish Sunday.’ Sadly, many have abolished Sunday on their own by how they live their lives, and in so doing, have abolished the presence of God in their lives.”

Does that strike you? I read this and feel like I see it happening before my eyes in our culture! 

So, my invitation to you this Lent is to consider this question again, “What if your Sundays looked different than any other day of the week?” Just try it for Lent! It’s only 7 Sundays (including Easter which will probably already look different). Commit to it. Reallocate your time to make it possible. I think once you see the beauty and freedom of it, you’ll never want to go back!

Closing Prayer 

Lord, thank You for giving us an example of rest. Please help us to keep Sundays sacred by spending time together, praying and having fun. Lord, this is what I like to do for fun: (you and child respond). I know You are with me while I am resting and playing and having fun. Please bless all that I do so that even my rest brings You glory. Amen.

From our Level 1 Full-Year Resource, pg. 27

Do you have a personal story about the difference living the Sabbath made for you or your family? I’d love to hear it below in the comments!

Ready to dive deeper? 

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