He who desires anything thinks a number of strategies
to get something, but he who eludes anything schemes a lot of excuses to evade
something. This is normally applicable
to some of us who are shirking a church activity/invitation or our covenant as a
Christian.
God designs a generous and perfect perspective of
time management by giving us the 24-hour concept of the clock so everybody
could organize a routine without any depriving some areas to make one’s
lifestyle complete, enjoyable, unroutinary, balanced and healthy, so no one
could buy one’s alibi that he/she has no time for a Sunday covenant. We don’t call it as an obligation because an
obligation may be alterable but a covenant is something holy that is
irrevocable
From
Monday to Friday (up to Sunday to some industries) the labor force spends so
much time on their livelihood.
Ironically, the quality time that is spent for the family is limited
compared to the hours dedicated on employment.
Muslims could be seen differently
on working hours because of their prayer time. Each adult Muslim man and woman is required to pray
five times a day, in a state of ritual purity which is attained by washing
one's hands, rinsing out one's mouth and nose, washing one's face and arms up
to the elbows, wiping over one's hair and the nape of one's neck and finally,
washing one's feet up until the ankle. This process is called Wudu in Arabic which is performed
on instances that the state of ritual purity is broken. So if coincidentally
you encounter Muslims with their foot on the sink, it's a sign that they're
preparing for a prayer. But take note
this is five times but they don't complain why this is too much when compared
to a clamoring Christian who has a lot of excuses for a Sunday devotion
appointment.
Generally, it’s an eight-hour daily work plus travel
time back and forth (for rural area based employees) which are preferred by
others as austerity measures than renting a house in the most accessible area
because that would mean a doubled expenditure.
For people whose day-off falls on a regular day than
Sunday could schedule their Lord’s Day on their specific day off so still there’s
no excuse that they’re deprived of quality communion with the Divine Mercy.
For high-ranking officials of the country like
Presidents, CEOs, businessmen, because of work pressures, it’s seldom perhaps
that they could complete an eight-hour rest.
Brought by insufficient number of clerics both in urban and rural locations, the Priest’s night rest is also less than what is expected. In fact, the Priest who presides the Liturgy in Holy Trinity Parish (which is our parish at Molino, Bacoor, Cavite) is based in San Bartolome Parish in Malabon City which is approximately a six-hour travel back and forth. You could just imagine how they manage their rest time just to catch their commitment no matter how far it may be.
On the other hand, Lay preachers who juggle
corporate and spiritual commitment could reach their individual homes late at
night already after the engagement which is basically finished at 9:30PM.
Movie crew and night shift workers need to develop a
creative day’s sleep pattern because whether they like it or not, a lot of
distractive noise could be expected in this routine.
Whatever our commitment may be, everyone needs a
quality rest. Conversely, one’s health would be at risk to different ailment
like heart disease ,heart attack, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes,
to name a few in the presence of sleep
deficiency . Hard-earned money would
just end up as a personal allowance for medical budget than an enjoyed life if
otherwise.
For Catholics, we are taught to remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all
your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you
shall not do any work. (Exodus
20:8-10; Deuteronomy 5:12-15)
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so
the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath. (Mark
2:27-28)
The third commandment of the Decalogu recalls the
holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest,
holy to the LORD." (Exodus
31:15)
In speaking of the Sabbath Scripture recalls creation:
"For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day
and hallowed it." (Ex
20:11)
Scripture also reveals in the Lord's day a memorial of
Israel's liberation from bondage in Egypt: "You shall remember that you
were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out
thence with mighty hand and outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God
commanded you to keep the sabbath day." (Deuteronomy
5:15)
God entrusted the sabbath to Israel to keep as a sign of
the irrevocable covenant.
The sabbath is for the Lord, holy and set apart for the praise of God, his work
of creation, and his saving actions on behalf of Israel. (Exodus
31:16)
God's action is the model for human action. If God
"rested and was refreshed" on the seventh day, man too ought to
"rest" and should let others, especially the poor, "be
refreshed." The sabbath brings everyday work to a halt and provides a
respite. It is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship
of money. (Exodus
31:17; 23:12; Nehemiah 13:15-22; 2
Chronicles 36:21)
The Gospel reports many incidents when Jesus was accused
of violating the sabbath law irrevocable covenant.
But Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of this day. He gives this law
its authentic and authoritative interpretation: "The sabbath was made for
man, not man for the sabbath." With compassion, Christ declares the
sabbath for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.
The sabbath is the day of the Lord of mercies and a day to honor God. "The
Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." (Mark
1:21; John 9:16; Mark 2:27; Mark 3:4; Matthew 12:5; John 7:23; Mark 2:28)
This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice
and be glad in it.103 (Psam
118:24)
Jesus rose from the dead "on the first day of the
week." Because it is the "first day," the day of
Christ's Resurrection recalls the first creation.
Because it is the "eighth day" following the sabbath, it symbolizes
the new creation ushered in by Christ's Resurrection. For Christians it has
become the first of all days, the first of all feasts, the Lord's Day Sunday:
"We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day (after the
Jewish sabbath, but also the first day) when God, separating matter from
darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose
from the dead." (Mattew
28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1; Mark 16:1; Matthew 28:1)
Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which
it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance
replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the
spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God.
For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done
there prefigured some aspects of Christ: "Those who lived according to the
old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but
the Lord's Day, in which our life is blessed by him and by his death" (1 Cor 10:11)
The celebration of Sunday observes
the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God
an outward, visible, public, and regular worship "as a sign of his
universal beneficence to all." Sunday worship fulfills the moral command
of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration
of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.
"Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension of Christ, the feast of the
Body and Blood of Christi, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate
Conception, her Assumption, the feast of Saint Joseph, the feast of the
Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and the feast of All Saints."
This practice of the Christian assembly dates
from the beginnings of the apostolic age. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds the
faithful "not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but to
encourage one another." (Hebrew
10:25; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthian 11:17)
Tradition preserves the memory of an ever-timely
exhortation: Come to Church early, approach the Lord, and confess your sins,
repent in prayer. Be present at the sacred and divine liturgy, conclude
its prayer and do not leave before the dismissal. We have often said:
"This day is given to you for prayer and rest. This is the day that the
Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."
"A parish is a definite community of the Christian
faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral
care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the
authority of the diocesan bishop." It is the place where all the faithful
can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The parish initiates the Christian people into the
ordinary expression of the liturgical life: it gathers them together in this
celebration; it teaches Christ's saving doctrine; it practices the charity of the Lord in good works and
brotherly love: "You cannot pray at home as at church, where there
is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great
heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of
souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests."
The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord
more precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the
faithful are bound to participate in the Mass." The
precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which
is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the
evening of the preceding day."
The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation
of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate
in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason
(for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a
grave sin
Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday
Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ
and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in
faith and charity. Together they testify to God's holiness and their hope of
salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other
grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible,
it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the
Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place
according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for
an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers,
in groups of families."
Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his
work which he had done, "human life has a rhythm of work and rest.
The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and
leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives (Genesis
2:2).
On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or
activities that hinder the worship owed to God,
the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and
the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social
service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The
faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits
prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.The charity of truth seeks holy leisure- the necessity of
charity accepts just work.
Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of
their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest
from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good
works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly.
Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their
families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of
the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior
life.
Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common
effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands
on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day.
Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities
(public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient
time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it
that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular
leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should
ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a
similar obligation toward their employees.
In respecting religious liberty and the common good of
all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the
Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have to give everyone a public example of prayer,
respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the
spiritual life of society. If a country's legislation or other reasons require
work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our
deliverance which lets us share in this "festal gathering," this
"assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven." (Hebrew
12:22-23).
On
unavoidable circumstances, we could find people who utilize sleep deprivation
as an excuse for non-meeting of a Sunday obligation. To address deprivation of
an eight-hour sleep which can’t be prevented sometimes brought by different
nature of commitment in different areas of one’s lives, there is other
alternative that could be helpful as a means to complete an eight-hour sleep
deficit by taking a siesta which is basically a
break-time on all industries.
An
hour-long power nap can be as beneficial as a whole night’s sleep. A 30-minute siesta (beyond is already a deep
sleep which bring us to feel groggy as if we’re tired now than before taking
the nap) can be perceived as a brain’s quick reboot which is similar to a
computer that performs slowly which speed is gained back after shutting down
and rebooting. Based
on studies, taking a 10 to 20 minute power nap
(which can be done throughout the day depending on a cycle that gives
you a core sleep) recharges an alert and mental clarity, which can be used
throughout the day where extra pace is needed.
According
to psychologists at Harvard University of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
a quality nap can be considered with quality if it’s a sleep where most
dreaming occurs which is associated with a person’s rapid flicking of the eyes
while sleeping.
Prominent
figure who was known for this siesta habit are President Churchill whose siesta
is followed by a bath which gives him work stamina through the night until 4am
during the second war.
Depending
on the need, nap for 5 to 20 minutes is enough if you’re
looking a quick recharge and 60 to 90 minutes for deeper sleep rejuvenation. Sit up slightly to avoid falling into a deeper
sleep. Dreaming while on power naps is a
sign of sleep deprivation.
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