Here we go!
"Speak to the children of Israel and thou shalt say to them: 'see that thou keep my Sabbath: because it is a sign between me and thee in thy generations: that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctify you.'" Exodus 30:13
I was very young when I read the Little House on the Prairie series, and, being something of a tomboy, the activity and outdoor play depicted in Farmer Boy appealed to me a bit more than the sewing and baking (and churning!) described in the books featuring Laura and Mary. One aspect of the life of a Farmer Boy that did NOT at ALL appeal to me, though, was the description of the family observance of the Sabbath. Looooong church sessions, wherein the children had to keep absolutely still (child psychologists the world over cringe in horror), loooong silent meals eating cold food, as cooking, being considered "work", is not allowed. Loooooong hours sitting listening to Father read from the Bible (and I'm guessing not even the exciting parts with battles and Almighty smiting...), or a book of sermons, also staying silent and still...if not for the entertaining incident involving a sneaky sled run and a stray pig, I would probably have skipped that chapter altogether on my re-readings! Reflecting on the above passage in conjunction with the Farmer Boy Sabbath, I started to feel a bit guilty, that maybe we aren't being God-centric enough in our Sabbath. So I took myself to Google to review a few different takes on Sabbath observance. There is a certain blog I read regularly, written by a stay at home Orthodox Jewish wife, living in Israel. Her Sabbath also does not allow cooking or baking, but she spends her entire week preparing delicious treats and dishes for her family to enjoy while they take the Sabbath day to pray, worship, rest, disconnect from the world (literally: no phones or internet) and reconnect with each other. We ourselves don't really have a set "routine" for our Sunday. There is always Mass in the mornings, and the afternoons are spent playing with Teddy, either at home, the park or the beach, reading the (weeks worth of!) newspapers that have piled up, watching the occasional TV show or movie via the internet (we are always taking suggestions!) while Teddy naps, and often taking the time to cook a rather elaborate meal together.
What I read here heartened me. We are on the right track, it seems, although there is always more room for Jesus, no matter what.
"Our first priority is to worship God publicly by participating at holy Mass. Since the days of the Apostles, the Church community has gathered together on Sunday to attend Mass. The <Code of Canon Law> logically mandates, "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass" (No. 1247). This obligation makes perfect sense. Following St. Thomas Aquinas' thought, we have a moral obligation to give visible, public and regular worship to the God who created all things, including ourselves; who has blessed us in many ways; and who saved us from sin. Just as we attend to our material and physical concerns—such as getting proper sleep, food, exercise and hygiene—we must attend to the well-being of our souls through prayer and public worship...
...The second priority of the Sabbath is to take time for personal rest and for those that we love. In our fast-paced world, sometimes Sunday becomes "catch-up" day—of running to the store, doing laundry and the like. Granted, sometimes we have no choice in the matter. However, we should restructure our lives and strive to accomplish those tasks during the rest of the week. Then we can take good leisurely time for ourselves. All of us need time to read, think, meditate and talk with God in the quiet of our hearts."
I was very young when I read the Little House on the Prairie series, and, being something of a tomboy, the activity and outdoor play depicted in Farmer Boy appealed to me a bit more than the sewing and baking (and churning!) described in the books featuring Laura and Mary. One aspect of the life of a Farmer Boy that did NOT at ALL appeal to me, though, was the description of the family observance of the Sabbath. Looooong church sessions, wherein the children had to keep absolutely still (child psychologists the world over cringe in horror), loooong silent meals eating cold food, as cooking, being considered "work", is not allowed. Loooooong hours sitting listening to Father read from the Bible (and I'm guessing not even the exciting parts with battles and Almighty smiting...), or a book of sermons, also staying silent and still...if not for the entertaining incident involving a sneaky sled run and a stray pig, I would probably have skipped that chapter altogether on my re-readings! Reflecting on the above passage in conjunction with the Farmer Boy Sabbath, I started to feel a bit guilty, that maybe we aren't being God-centric enough in our Sabbath. So I took myself to Google to review a few different takes on Sabbath observance. There is a certain blog I read regularly, written by a stay at home Orthodox Jewish wife, living in Israel. Her Sabbath also does not allow cooking or baking, but she spends her entire week preparing delicious treats and dishes for her family to enjoy while they take the Sabbath day to pray, worship, rest, disconnect from the world (literally: no phones or internet) and reconnect with each other. We ourselves don't really have a set "routine" for our Sunday. There is always Mass in the mornings, and the afternoons are spent playing with Teddy, either at home, the park or the beach, reading the (weeks worth of!) newspapers that have piled up, watching the occasional TV show or movie via the internet (we are always taking suggestions!) while Teddy naps, and often taking the time to cook a rather elaborate meal together.
What I read here heartened me. We are on the right track, it seems, although there is always more room for Jesus, no matter what.
"Our first priority is to worship God publicly by participating at holy Mass. Since the days of the Apostles, the Church community has gathered together on Sunday to attend Mass. The <Code of Canon Law> logically mandates, "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass" (No. 1247). This obligation makes perfect sense. Following St. Thomas Aquinas' thought, we have a moral obligation to give visible, public and regular worship to the God who created all things, including ourselves; who has blessed us in many ways; and who saved us from sin. Just as we attend to our material and physical concerns—such as getting proper sleep, food, exercise and hygiene—we must attend to the well-being of our souls through prayer and public worship...
...The second priority of the Sabbath is to take time for personal rest and for those that we love. In our fast-paced world, sometimes Sunday becomes "catch-up" day—of running to the store, doing laundry and the like. Granted, sometimes we have no choice in the matter. However, we should restructure our lives and strive to accomplish those tasks during the rest of the week. Then we can take good leisurely time for ourselves. All of us need time to read, think, meditate and talk with God in the quiet of our hearts."
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