Why "Work Hard, Play Hard" Isn't For Us Catholic Men
Work hard, play hard. Sound manly? Not really.
Catholic men work hard. So what do we do when we're not working? The Church teaches us to rest from our work. Yes, you probably knew that. You probably knew that Sunday is the designated "day of rest." But how many of us really observe Sunday as the Church intends? Worse, how many of us buy into that "work hard, play hard" gibberish that the secular pop culture feeds us?
When Catholic men work hard then rest on the Sabbath, we're following God's plan. That's the example set for us in Genesis. He rested on the seventh day. Is that what we're doing now? Let's get specific.
We work hard all week. Saturday's can fill up quickly with chores and kids' sports, etc. Then comes Sunday, the Lord's Day. We go to Mass. Then what? The Church has suggestions.
For one, rest. Rest from your labor. Rest refreshes the mind and the body. But there's more than rest. There's charity, for instance. You know, love.
Start with love of God. OK, so we go to Mass. But loving God doesn't end there. How else can we love God? How about spending a little extra "quality time" with Him. We can meditate, do some extra spiritual reading - especially if you didn't have time during the week, or just didn't get to it.
Then there's loving God in our charity - love - for others.
Focus on the family first. The family is the center of our lives. If we're married, if we have kids, it's time to really be together. If we're single, we've still got family. Sunday's the time to block out all the cares of work, the worries of the world. It's time to be with and love your family.
In fact, Sunday used to be a day when people visited family. Before the telephone, people simply expected family to visit. You were prepared for people to just drop in - for food, conversation, etc. It was the way people lived once upon a time.
(Ironically, as soon as it became easier to arrange visits, families stopped doing it! Families don't get together on Sunday as much as they used to. Strange.)
Maybe that takes up your Sunday. Or maybe you have time for charity for others, like neighbors, people in need, etc. There's always someone who can use help, who can use a friendly word, a call, or some sort of contact.
How about Sunday sports? This is America after all. Fall means football, summer means baseball. You know the drill, right guys? Well sports on TV is OK. But don't isolate yourself - you know, just you and the TV. Be with the family. Your wife likes sports? Great. The kids enjoy watching the NFL, or Major League Baseball, or whatever. Fine. But you and the TV alone, while they're somewhere else? Not on Sunday, please.
The Church is pretty clear on all this. In fact, the Church teaches that rest on Sunday is a right. Employers should keep Sunday holy too. Do they? Not really. (Maybe some still do.)
How about shopping? For necessities maybe. But spending Sunday shopping in the Mall? What do you think? Is that keeping that keeping holy the Lord's Day?
Our late beloved Pope John Paul II spoke of the importance of keeping the Lord's Day. Our current Pope Benedict XVI has continued to emphasize the importance of Sunday as the Sabbath. In fact, the Church teaches that even Holy Days should be days off. (I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, but the Church does teach this.)
In the end, it's really us men who need to lead the way here. If we're not showing our families and friends what Sunday should be, who will?
Forget "work hard, play hard." That's not what God intended. It's not how He "worked." It's not in His plan. It's just gibberish from the secular pop culture. It's not for us Catholic men.
We're Catholic men at work all week. So let's be Catholic men on Sundays.
Catholic men work hard. So what do we do when we're not working? The Church teaches us to rest from our work. Yes, you probably knew that. You probably knew that Sunday is the designated "day of rest." But how many of us really observe Sunday as the Church intends? Worse, how many of us buy into that "work hard, play hard" gibberish that the secular pop culture feeds us?
When Catholic men work hard then rest on the Sabbath, we're following God's plan. That's the example set for us in Genesis. He rested on the seventh day. Is that what we're doing now? Let's get specific.
We work hard all week. Saturday's can fill up quickly with chores and kids' sports, etc. Then comes Sunday, the Lord's Day. We go to Mass. Then what? The Church has suggestions.
For one, rest. Rest from your labor. Rest refreshes the mind and the body. But there's more than rest. There's charity, for instance. You know, love.
Start with love of God. OK, so we go to Mass. But loving God doesn't end there. How else can we love God? How about spending a little extra "quality time" with Him. We can meditate, do some extra spiritual reading - especially if you didn't have time during the week, or just didn't get to it.
Then there's loving God in our charity - love - for others.
Focus on the family first. The family is the center of our lives. If we're married, if we have kids, it's time to really be together. If we're single, we've still got family. Sunday's the time to block out all the cares of work, the worries of the world. It's time to be with and love your family.
In fact, Sunday used to be a day when people visited family. Before the telephone, people simply expected family to visit. You were prepared for people to just drop in - for food, conversation, etc. It was the way people lived once upon a time.
(Ironically, as soon as it became easier to arrange visits, families stopped doing it! Families don't get together on Sunday as much as they used to. Strange.)
Maybe that takes up your Sunday. Or maybe you have time for charity for others, like neighbors, people in need, etc. There's always someone who can use help, who can use a friendly word, a call, or some sort of contact.
How about Sunday sports? This is America after all. Fall means football, summer means baseball. You know the drill, right guys? Well sports on TV is OK. But don't isolate yourself - you know, just you and the TV. Be with the family. Your wife likes sports? Great. The kids enjoy watching the NFL, or Major League Baseball, or whatever. Fine. But you and the TV alone, while they're somewhere else? Not on Sunday, please.
The Church is pretty clear on all this. In fact, the Church teaches that rest on Sunday is a right. Employers should keep Sunday holy too. Do they? Not really. (Maybe some still do.)
How about shopping? For necessities maybe. But spending Sunday shopping in the Mall? What do you think? Is that keeping that keeping holy the Lord's Day?
Our late beloved Pope John Paul II spoke of the importance of keeping the Lord's Day. Our current Pope Benedict XVI has continued to emphasize the importance of Sunday as the Sabbath. In fact, the Church teaches that even Holy Days should be days off. (I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, but the Church does teach this.)
In the end, it's really us men who need to lead the way here. If we're not showing our families and friends what Sunday should be, who will?
Forget "work hard, play hard." That's not what God intended. It's not how He "worked." It's not in His plan. It's just gibberish from the secular pop culture. It's not for us Catholic men.
We're Catholic men at work all week. So let's be Catholic men on Sundays.
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