Some Help to Keep Sunday Holy
Let's continue with our weekly shots of solid spiritual works to help us keep Sunday holy. This week we might also keep in mind that Lent will be here soon. In the traditional calendar, the three Sundays before Ash Wednesday explicitly urge us to prepare. They do this not only in the liturgy, but also with the appearance of purple vestments on each Sunday. Indeed, many weekday Masses also find the priest wearing purple.
Contrast this with the newfangled calendar. The priest continues with Green vestments. Sunday remains in "Ordinary" time. And, based on personal experience, you likely won't hear a peep about Lent until - maybe - the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, if that.
While we could grouse about the lack of preparation offered us in the typical Novus Ordo setting, the fact is, it's still Sunday today no matter what rite you follow. And being Sunday, we've got time to spend in nourishing our souls, both to prepare for Lent, and simply to assure that we're keeping Sunday - the Lord's Day - holy.
This week's spiritual shot will be short and sweet. It describes what it means to be devout. As such, it's perfect for our Sunday meditation.
Father John Grou, S.J. (1731-1803)
“The truly devout man has a horror of evil, but he has a still greater love of good. He thinks more about practicing virtue than about avoiding vice. He is generous, large-hearted, and courageous; and when there is a question of exposing himself to danger for God’s sake, he does not fear wounds. In one word, he loves better to do what is good, even at the risk of falling into some imperfection, than to omit it, through fear of the danger of sinning. … The truly devout man does not burden himself with a great quantity of vocal prayers and practices which do not leave him time to breathe. He always preserves his liberty of spirit; he is neither scrupulous nor uneasy about himself; he goes on with simplicity and confidence.”
I must admit that grading myself against this checklist of the truly devout man produced a lot of "D's" and even some "F's". That's a heavy load to contemplate. And having contemplated, it yields a whole lot that needs serious work.
But the conclusion of Fr. Grou's thoughts did lighten the load a bit. Again,
"The truly devout man does not burden himself with a great quantity of
vocal prayers and practices which do not leave him time to breathe. He
always preserves his liberty of spirit; he is neither scrupulous nor
uneasy about himself; he goes on with simplicity and confidence.”
All the great spiritual writers I've read never lay heavy burdens on our shoulders. If we feel a heavy weight, it's likely due to our honestly assessing our current state. But once recognized, we can chip away confidently, knowing that God will give us the grace we need to get out from under the burden of our sins and imperfections.
And that means the effort to be truly devout will not leave us breathless and exhausted. Rather, we should find a spring in our step despite the struggle for holiness.
Encouraging, isn't it?
We need to keep Sunday holy. But there's no reason that has to be difficult or daunting work.
Happy Sunday!
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