(Genesis 1-2)
Although their customs are changing, Italians have a lovely saying reserved for Fridays. They wish one another a “Buona Domenica!” The words mean simply, “Have a Good Sunday!” Since Sunday in Italy is preeminently the day on which families come together at mama’s table, the words express their hopes that colleagues enjoy their meal with parents, sisters, brother, nephews, nieces as well as children, aunts and uncles. Of course, traditionally Italians go to church on Sunday and this custom has not been completely lost. So “Buona Domenica” also gives hope that the people will find the meeting with God and neighbor at Sunday Mass satisfying.
The reading from Genesis lays the foundation for our Sunday observances. On this day, it says, the Lord rested from all the work He had done in creation. Of course, Genesis refers to the Sabbath, which is the seventh day or Saturday. Christianity changed the day of rest and worship to Sunday out of deference to Christ’s resurrection. But it meant to retain the same kind of release from daily activity that the Jews have observed on the Sabbath since antiquity. Perhaps Americans, who have made work less back-breaking although just as absorbing as planting fields, are the leading culprits in both stretching Sunday’s rest into the two-day weekend and then cheating by working on both days.
In his pastoral letter entitled “The Lord’s Day” Pope John Paul II lamented how the joys of the Sunday – rest, family, worship – were being turned into frenetic weekend activity around the world. The beloved Pope urged Catholics to resist this temptaion. He believed that we can please God more faithfully and enjoy life more fully by praying, relaxing, and reuniting with the family on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.
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