Sixth Sunday of Easter
“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 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 find 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 life-giving things; 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
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
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” (John 15:16)
This Gospel is part of Jesus’ Last Supper discourse. This is part of His final words to His disciples, the very last words that He chose to say before handing Himself over to be crucified. What He says to those disciples, He says to us: “You may think that you have chosen me, but I have chosen you. I who existed before time began, I who was the song that sang the universe into existence, I the Lord of lords and King of kings, I chose you. I desire you. I want you to live out the joy of my love, and to bring others from death into life.”
Perhaps Jesus’ desire for you is difficult to believe, difficult to accept. If you participated in last week’s practice, you saw that we examined what in our lives needs to be pruned away to make more room for God. Maybe you felt overwhelmed because you discovered you had a lot that needs pruning. Maybe you are making progress in your journey with the Lord, but you know there is still some distance to go. Well, in every situation, wherever you are, you have cause for rejoicing! Jesus chose Peter who denied Him even after sharing in the Last Supper, and Jesus chose Thomas who doubted the testimony of the other disciples. He made these men saints, and He wants to make you a saint, too.
This is now the third and final week of our mini-series on Christian leadership, our journey to sainthood. Two weeks ago, we emphasized that leaders are teachable. Last week, we said that leaders are available. This week, we say that leaders are contagious. Christian leaders rejoice in the knowledge of the truth that God has chosen them and radiate that joy to everyone they meet. When Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius, Cornelius fell down in worship. Cornelius saw in Peter something powerful, something beautiful, something contagious. Peter himself identifies that something earlier in the book of Acts. A crippled beggar asks him and John for some money. Peter gives him what he has, not money, but rather the name of Jesus – his only possession – and the man is healed. That thing that was so powerful, beautiful, contagious in Peter is the same thing that attracted so many to follow St. Francis or St. Teresa of Calcutta, and it is the same that will draw others to you: the knowledge that Jesus has chosen you and continues to choose you. He has healed you and redeemed you. Now, live out that joy so that others might see you and come to know Christ through you.
Practice
True Christian joy is different from happiness, as it does not depend on circumstances but upon Jesus who wants to give us His joy, and for that joy to be complete. But we can cultivate a joyous disposition by enjoying simple things, finding delight in everyday moments, and making a decision to not allow ourselves to be unduly burdened by the heaviness of life.
And so our practice this week is to take time to do something that is life-giving, that brings you joy. More than just “escaping” or doing something entertaining, but to really think about something that would “fill your cup.” Maybe taking a hike out in nature. Enjoying a great meal with good friends. Going to serve someone who is in need.
Then consider surrounding that time with prayer. Beforehand, ask the Lord to fill you with His joy. During the experience, offer a few prayers of praise to the Lord for His great goodness. After you have finished, take a few minutes to reflect upon the experience and thank the Lord for how He filled you during that time. Ask the Holy Spirit to make His fruit of joy abundant in your life so as to better be able to give witness to the great joy that comes from friendship with Jesus.
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?
Did you get a chance to do the “time audit” in the practice last week? What stood out to you from how you spend your time? Is there anything you tried to “prune”? Was there anything you tried to be more available for?
In the first reading we hear of the conversion of Cornelius. Cornelius and his household were Gentiles, not Jews, and so Peter and those with him are amazed at their response to the Gospel. Have you ever been amazed or surprised by someone wanting to know more about Jesus even though it seemed unlikely they would be interested?
In the Gospel this week Jesus tells us He wants to fill us with His joy, and for our joy to be complete. How would you explain what it means to be filled with joy? How is it similar or different from happiness?
Have you experienced much joy recently?
Can you think of someone in your life who is a “contagious” person, as in someone that others love to be around? How would you describe what they are like?
Do you feel that in your walk with Jesus you are modeling something that is attractive to others? Why or why not?
What is one thing you could do this week to really experience joy?
Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” What does that mean to you?