Be champions of Sunday

Bishop Robert Morlino gives some practical and insightful tips to enliven your faith. . .

Bishop Robert Morlino

In June we celebrated the great feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit rushed upon the apostles, enflaming their hearts with love and zeal for God. Each year Pentecost provides us with the opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to reawaken in us that same zeal for God and to consider the Spirit’s presence in our lives and how we’re living our faith.

I have no doubt that you’re wonderfully active in your faith; however, each of us must be vigilant against complacency. As a business leader, you’re likely familiar with the entrepreneurial maxim, “You’re either growing or you’re dying.” The same can be said of our spiritual lives! Our Lord foresaw this temptation and encouraged us to continue growing, not allowing ourselves to become lukewarm.

When we wish to spur business growth, it’s often necessary to return to basics. Our faith lives are no different. One of the first things I’ve focused on in my diocese is to encourage Catholics to become “champions of Sunday.” More and more, we as a society and as a Church have been losing our sense that Sunday is for God.

Now, you’re probably far beyond the temptation to skip Mass on a Sunday. In fact, I would presume that many Legates attend Mass daily. But, wherever you are in your faith life, please consider these five uses of Sunday — for those things which we can and should be doing — as a blueprint for your whole faith life.

1. Mass exodus. Clearly the first and most important thing that Sunday is for is making our thanksgiving (our “Eucharist”) to the Lord. Get to Mass and encourage your families, friends and Catholic co-workers to do the same. If you make it to Mass every Sunday (or even every day), reapply yourself to really praying the Mass.

2. Renewing lives of prayer. If you’re married, can you truly say you’ve learned everything about your spouse? Certainly you know your spouse well — especially if you’ve been married for several years. Yet I’ve never met a couple (no matter their age) who can say with sincerity that they know all there is to know about their spouse. This is one of the great secrets of a happy marriage: You must continue growing in knowledge of one another and then loving the other more fully.

The same is true for our God. How can we say that we’ve learned all there is to know of our infinite God?

We must renew our efforts each day to know and love him. The first step in this regard is pushing oneself to spend more time with him in prayer. If you do not spend any time in daily prayer, start! Carve out 15 minutes to quiet yourself and be in the Lord’s presence. If possible, stop at a local parish and be with Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

If you already have time for prayer each day, try pushing yourself a little more. Sign up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, offer small daily sufferings and inconveniences as prayer, then take a look at how you spend your prayer time.

3. Study. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard people say that their years of Catholic school taught them everything about the Catholic faith or about God. I was blessed to attend and teach at Catholic schools for nearly 30 years. I’ve attended or said Mass nearly every day of my 62 years, and I’ve barely scratched the surface!

Take a bit of time, especially on Sundays, to study the faith. Refamiliarize yourself with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Make the commitment to read two pages this Sunday and work forward from there. Take a look at the lives of the saints, the documents of the Second Vatican Council, or recent papal encyclicals.

4. Faith without works is dead. Sunday can also be a good day for performing acts of Christian charity. Though many people are generous in giving to charities, it’s also good to give of your time and to reach out personally. Give your time to help an elderly neighbor who you know is lonely or simply volunteer at a local soup kitchen. It doesn’t always have to be some grand action. The smallest efforts can go a long way. Each of us, regardless our state in life, can make at least a small effort. Most of us can do more!

5. Relax. Getting all those things done on a given Sunday (or any given day) would be quite a task. You don’t have to do all of them (except for Mass on Sunday, of course). But try to do one or two … and then rest. Sunday should be a time of peaceful leisure. That means something different to each person. For some, golf is an incredibly relaxing activity. For me, it’s an activity of frustration and occasional swearing. So golf is off my Sunday list! The point is that healthy, wholesome leisure refreshes the mind and the body, allowing us to consider the big picture and contemplate bigger realities. It helps us to be better workers and better Christians.

Bishop Robert Morlino is Legatus’ international chaplain and the bishop of Madison, Wisc.