Citizen Columns

Citizen Columns >> Answer (November 9th, 2007)

Question

Does your faith have a sabbath or day of rest and, if so, is it falling into disuse?

Answer

Please note: The Ottawa Citizen question this week is similar to last week's about the Sabbath. "Does your faith have a sabbath or day of rest and, if so, is it falling into disuse?" Some of us writers thought this might be repetitive, but there was a technical glitch and most of the writers (including me) didn't receive the new question. So we have another opportunity to reflect on the Sabbath, but this time with more attention to the realities of parish life. Must be one of God's ways of getting our attention on this point!

Now onto my reply:

The Orthodox Christian Sabbath begins with the service of vespers on Saturday evening. The psalms, prayers and hymns are conducted in a quiet atmosphere of darkness and candles that evokes contemplation of creation, our brokenness and then our restoration in Christ. Many use the time after vespers to go to confession, to let go of the frustrations, anger, resentments and other sins that separate us from God and each other. "When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you...first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift "(Matt 5:23-24). The rest of the evening is then meant for recollection and prayer in preparation for the Sunday celebration of the Divine Liturgy. It's also a good time for fellowship with family and friends.

Life is overwhelmingly busy, but for that very reason we need this decompression the evening before to enter into the spirit of the Sunday Liturgy. Sunday can then be the day of creative physical, emotional and spiritual rest it is meant to be, with a good balance of time alone with God and in communion with others.

Starting and then keeping this way of life requires relentless vigilance and effort. Sunday worship and rest - forget about Saturday evening - gets easily squeezed into an ever expanding list of perceived personal, work, social, family and educational demands. We're too tired. It's too hard. We need to rest at home after a long week of work pressures. We need to do things for others. We need to spend time with family. When these excuses take over, are we any more happy, peaceful or joyful? If not, then maybe we will come back to that wisdom which first brought us together for a Sabbath rest that started on the evening before. "And there was evening and there was morning, one day" (Gen 1:6).

Father John Jillions