If there’s one strange benefit to the coronavirus pandemic, it has caused us all to slow down a bit. Many parishioners are still out of work, spending more time at home, or just rethinking their weekly schedule in light of a highly contagious disease. There is an opportunity here – the chance to reclaim Sunday as a sacred day of rest. Sunday reclaimed is Sunday restored.
If you need resources to help your parishioners joyfully celebrate Sunday as a day of prayer, rest, and fraternity, here are three:
- Read Michael Naughton’s book, Getting Work Right: Labor and Leisure in a Fragmented World
- Review St. Pope John Paul’s letter about Sunday, Dies Domini
- Visit the website Sunday Reclaimed for practical advice on how to bring these lessons into each family
The idea here is simple – to reorient the entire day around the joyful celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection. Does it mean attending Mass, either in person or digitally? Absolutely. But it also means examining how the other 23 hours of Sunday are spent and then reclaiming them for the sake of God and our own souls.
So, check out those three resources, and then ask yourself how you as a parish employee can help families put these lessons into practice in their own lives.
