A few months ago, I mentioned my friend
in Israel, Alan. He is a devout Jew and faithfully observes the Sabbath each
week. From sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday, he and his family
detach themselves from the hectic, modern world: no work, no travel, no TV.
They just rest and pray and enjoy each other’s company.
When I wrote that essay, I discussed the
fact that Catholics used to honor the Lord’s Day, Sunday, by resting and refraining
from work. Raise your hand if you can remember the “blue laws,” and the fact
all the stores were closed on Sunday? (Uh oh, if you raised your hand, you’re
showing your age!)
Nowadays, of course, for the average
Catholic, Sundays are filled with shopping, traveling, catching up on office
work, and the completely out-of-control youth sports activities. (Let me
clarify: if parents have to be in Stamford at 9 a.m. for Sally’s soccer game,
and then in Norwich at 2 p.m. for Tommy’s lacrosse game, and then in suburban
Boston by 7 p.m. to pick up Davey from his hockey tournament, that’s is the
definition of “out-of-control” youth sports. That is an insane schedule no
matter what day of the week it is.)
It’s unlikely American Catholics will
every return to the “good ol’ days” of honoring the Lord’s Day by staying close
to home, enjoying a meal with family, and then taking a long nap. But maybe we
could try something tailored for our modern age. I’m thinking of this: a
digital Sabbath rest. What I mean is, we take one day of each week and shut off
all the digital devices to which we have become so addicted.
Do you think that is possible? Can you
go a full day without using your smart phone, your iPad, or your computer? Can
you go an entire 24-hour period without the Internet, with no emails, and no
text messages? Is that humanly possible? Whoa, I can hear you screaming “No!!” right
now through my laptop computer. (And that would include no laptop computers,
too.)
What I am proposing is this: on one day
of the week, we should try living with only 1943 technology: radio, newspapers,
magazines, books, note pads, pencils. And in 1943, there was gas rationing
because of the war, so people did not drive far. They stayed close to home, and
rested and relaxed. What a concept!
Here’s a compromise: at noon, you can
turn on your smart phone and check to see if there are any urgent messages.
After all, you don’t want to be completely out of touch if there is a family
emergency. But no Internet surfing while you phone is on—and especially no
Satan’s Book, er, I mean, Facebook. Just check to make sure there are no
emergencies and then turn the phone off. You can turn the phone on briefly in
the early evening to check again for urgent messages.
If the very idea of detaching from
digital technology for one full day is making you feel anxious right now, then
that is a clear sign you really need to do it. (And just so you know, every
time I type the word “you,” I also mean “me.”)
Just think of how beneficial it will be
for your body, mind, and soul to relax with a good book while the radio is
playing soft music in the background. Then after a while, pray the Rosary. Then
go outside and take a nice walk. After that, take a long nap.
If you feel the urge to connect with
another person, try an ancient method of social media: speak to someone
face-to-face. I know, I know, that is a bizarre concept nowadays. But it really
works, and people used to do it all the time before the smart phone era.
I suspect there is no chance American
Catholics will ever be as zealous in honoring the Sabbath as my friend Alan in
Israel. But we have turned the Lord’s Day into just another hectic rat-race
day, and that’s not right.
I know a digital Sabbath rest will be
difficult. But we should give it a try anyway. It just might keep us from
losing our minds—and our souls.
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