Divine Mercy Sunday
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29).
The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
“Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
If you think about it, the apostles are really a bunch of misfits. They never would have naturally become friends. Many of them come from radically different backgrounds. They argue and compete with each other. And yet Jesus chose them and brought them together to follow Him. He saw something in each of them that caused Him to extend the invitation to come and follow Him.
After dispersing and fleeing at the sign of the coming crucifixion, the disciples gathered back together fearing that a similar fate would befall them. What was that tense gathering like? Without Jesus around them, were the old squabbles renewed? Were they blaming each other for the events of that Friday? Were they even able to make eye contact, knowing that they had each abandoned their teacher, their hoped-for messiah?
It was fear that gathered them, but it was the love of Jesus and the outpouring of His peace that transformed them into the Church. It was Jesus who had first called them to Himself from all their various origins, from tax collectors’ posts, and fishing boats, from competing religious and political groups. He gathered them together, and now He gathers them anew. He gathers them in with “Peace be with you” and, breathing upon them, gives them Spirit and life. Christ makes community because he makes them something more than they could have ever hoped or imagined. Together, they become the body of Christ. Are we ready to be transformed into the body of Christ?
Practice
In our first reading, we find a community of believers who come together and actually pool all of their resources to support each other: “There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need” (Acts 4:34-35). We know from other parts of scripture that this community was a little bit like the apostles: they came from different backgrounds, disagreed on certain points, and might not be friends if it weren’t for their shared faith in Jesus Christ.
Much has changed in the more than 2000 years since Jesus was born, and yet much of what is true of community remains the same: we argue, we struggle, we celebrate.
If you do not belong to a community that challenges you, supports you, celebrates with you, struggles with you, seek it out. And if you don’t find community readily available, then make community. Begin to form a community with those you already have around you: co-workers, neighbors, family. If these budding communities are imperfect, then rejoice - you are in good company! Remember the apostles themselves were imperfect and they spent three years in Jesus’s presence.
Community is essential to the Christian life. We cannot - and should not - live life alone. We are called to love one another, serve one another, and be with one another. The best way to create community is to be community to those around you: serve them, love them, and care for them. Let God do the rest.
Discussion Questions
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below.
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
How were you a tangible sign of the resurrection last week?
Where have you experienced a community like that of the early church as described in our first reading?
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Take some time to pray a Divine Mercy chaplet and contemplate the image of Divine Mercy.
Our second reading says that the commandments “are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Our culture seems to disagree. What do you think?
When have you doubted the Lord? What was God’s response to that? What helps you have faith in Him now?