Saturday after Ash Wednesday

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice. Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

The Sabbath, our Sunday, is meant to be kept holy. It is meant to be a time for giving glory to God and resting ourselves by spending time with Him at Mass and in other spiritual pursuits. It is a day when we are asked to hold back from our own pursuits, from unnecessary work. It is supposed to be a delight for us to honor the Lord’s Day. We can’t do this if we let worldly things take over the day. If all we do is waste it on selfish pursuits, then we lose out on the spiritual profit that can be gained by being in the presence of God and allowing Him to speak to us through the sacraments, reading the Scriptures, doing charitable works, and personal prayer time. It is not enough to go through the motions of going to Mass, we are asked to go forth and spread the Good News with delight. If we do so, then our spirits will be nourished and we shall be worthy of the heritage that comes from being a child of God.

Do we keep the Sabbath holy? What can we do to make the day even more delightful for ourselves and others? How can we nourish our spirits on the Sabbath so we can be stronger throughout the week?

O Lord, you have given us your Sabbath as a gift. Help us to use it to become better children.

Amen.