Happy Sunday!

My homework for seminary this month has me reflecting deeper on how we think about Sabbath, or a day for rest. Each month we read and reflect on a chapter of the textbook,  The Ten Challenges, by Leonard Felder. This text provides modern thoughts about the ‘Ten Commandments’.

For this month we worked with Chapter 4: The Struggle to Unhook From Your Everyday Pressures and Connect With Something Profoundly Joyful. This chapter relates to the fourth commandment, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” It was timely to work on this assignment this week as this past Saturday I saw ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at the Paper Mill Playhouse. This is my favorite musical, so I was happy to accept a spare ticket from my sister. I will relate the play to this topic later in this reflection.

The text described the sabbath as a time during each week to ‘unhook’ from the stresses of everyday life. The author said, “Most Jews and Christians today have grown up believing that the Sabbath is an anachronism.” It may be an old tradition but is there a need for it?

As we are now in December, the holiday season, I had the thought that we modern western people can,  at least once a year, seek some rest and separation from the busy-ness of our modern lives. We appreciate the time off work, to forget deadlines, and put our attention on family, friends, rest, and maybe some fun. In this life, where we think we are special because we are busy, stressed, and/or overwhelmed, the thought of taking time to reset each week many people would say is impossible. Although, I expect if asked, any person who does practice sabbath, or a similar weekly contemplative practice, would only be able to describe it as a blessing. (People ridiculed meditators 20 years ago; perhaps sabbath will expand in the future to help with our society’s mental health issues).

The text described the sabbath as a day to be free. This is a change of perception for me. Being raised Catholic, Sunday was the ‘have to go to church’ day when I lived with my parents. It then became, when I left home, the day of guilt for not going to church. For years Sunday carried a burden.

Once I became a spiritual seeker, Sunday became a sacred day, a special day, in which I tried to find time for contemplation, journaling, and growing my soul. For me, it was a day on which I hoped for freedom to do these things that I wanted. Freedom meant time on my own, which was difficult when my kids were young, I was still working, and my mom was still alive (for decades I visited her every Sunday).

Now, all those things have changed so my days are my own. Can I see the sacredness of Sunday once again?

In the play of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, Sabbath was a family time. As the mom of a family, I can imagine it was a lot of work to prepare the household to be organized with no cooking or work for 24 hours per week. In my life, being responsible for preparing a gathering always gets me stressed, so I work far too hard and end up not actually spending time with any of the family.

I imagine that for those who practice the sabbath, the traditions and routine of a regular family gathering, could make it so others have their parts to play in the process so that it gets easier. This way, even the ‘Mama’ can get some sabbath freedom to do the things that she enjoys doing. I hope that this is the case.

I love all the music in ‘Fiddler’ but the one that always makes me cry is the ‘Sabbath Prayer’. Having just experienced an emotional response this past Saturday and then reading this chapter of the text, it has brought to me an understanding of why this song is so moving to me. It would have been transformative for me, and probably for my children, if every week I witnessed my parents put their blessings on me. I can see how this can make a person feel like they are never alone. First, they have witnessed their parents’ love for them by the show of their importance in their parents’ lives through the strength of the prayers. And, with weekly reinforcement, one must recognize that God must be present with you all the time as your parents have called that onto you every Sabbath.

Blessed … what each person should experience each Sabbath, to hold and carry for the rest of the week.