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. // Isaiah 58:13
I will not soon forget the day I realized my husband and I see the structure of the week entirely differently in our minds. My husband is from Europe, so in his mind, the week begins on Monday—this is derived from the calendar he has followed from his youth. I am from the United States, so based on the calendar I have always followed, the week begins on Sunday. Interestingly, the Church thinks of it both ways, as both the first day of the week when God first created the world in the book of Genesis, but also the eighth day when Christ ushered in the new creation through His Resurrection (Catechism of the Catholic Church § 2174). Do you see Sunday as the first day of your week or the final day of your week?
Whether you see it as the first or the last day of the week, God commands us to keep it holy. In transparency, this is one of the commandments I break most often. With my husband not working, and available to care for our sons by himself, I can often treat Sunday as a time when I can finally accomplish some tasks because I want to be productive.
In doing this, I act directly against the commandment and many other points in Scripture where we are instructed to intentionally keep a holy day of rest. Today’s First Reading brings it into an entirely new light: much of the work I do on Sundays is “following my own pursuits” of productivity. For far too long, I saw the accomplishments of tasks as necessary, but when convicted by the Lord, I had to reevaluate.
I need to rearrange my heart and improve in this area. Sunday should be a time of spiritual refreshment and renewal for the week ahead. We find instruction to keep a holy day of rest throughout the entirety of Scripture, but are we actually, intentionally implementing this into our lives? How are you refreshing your spirit, revitalizing your soul, and “holding back your foot” to honor the day of the Lord?
Sunday should not just be another day of the week—we are to call it a "delight." How are you delighting in the sabbath?
Honor the day of the Lord. // Emily Wilson HussemClick to tweet
Emily Wilson Hussem planned her whole life to become a sports reporter but turned out to be a Catholic writer at the hand of God. The heart of her ministry is offering encouragement to women in living a counter-cultural life of joy. She is the author of two children's books, God’s Glorious Girl and God’s Brave Boy and Awaken My Heart, a devotional for women of all ages. Find out more about her here.
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