I am slowly reading through The Rule of Benedict, a modern commentary on the 1,600 year old rules that govern life in a Benedictine monastery. Much of what constitutes the "walk of faith" - or living out one's religious beliefs from day to day - is timeless.
But today, what jumped out at me (as I was reading the rules for Sunday prayers) was a comment made by Joan Chittister, the book's author and a Benedictine nun:
"The idea of Sabbaths that are fixed and solemn is for the most part gone in North American culture. Our Sundays are spent in hectic activity designed to make us relax by drowning out the pressures of the rest of the week with the inane uselessness of the weekends." (p. 109, italics mine)
Inane uselessness?! What flashes to mind are weekends spent doing laundry for a family of five, cooking, cleaning - in short, doing the things that two working parents and children involved in school and after-school activities never have time to do during the week. Far from being useless, the weekend is essential - if we maintain the busy lifestyle that is normal for so many. During those busy years, weekends were essential for my sanity! And they were an important bonding time, as our family shared work - and activities - around the house.
I do agree that we don't know how to "rest" on the Sabbath... And as for following the injunction of the 4th commandment: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy - I try to keep it, but I still struggle to understand what it really means.
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