About FAITHteen    Sign up for FAITHteen    FAITH Magazine    In the Know with Fr. Joe    The Real Word    Reality Check    Spiritual Fitness    What's Up with That?    Bethany House    Saint of the Month    From Bishop Mengeling    Contact Us    Links and Resources

4 Ways to Make Sunday Special
by Brandon Jubar

You wake up to the sound of your alarm clock and stagger out of bed. The bathroom light is blinding and you just want to lie back down. It's too early and you didn't get enough sleep. You just want to hang out and do nothing, but instead you have to rise and (not quite) shine, just like any other day.

So what's special about Sunday? Nothing, if you live your life like that. A day is made special by how we think and what we do. We make plans for special events, we celebrate with others on our birthdays, we go someplace nice on our anniversaries, and we send cards or gifts to family and friends on holidays. Those things work -- so why not use them to help keep the Sabbath special?

Read ahead of time.

We plan for special events, so lets try planning ahead for Mass. In just a few minutes time, we can read all three Scripture passages for the coming Sunday. The United States Council of Catholic Bishops has them all available on their Web site, so they're very easy to find.

We don't even need to study the readings. If we simply read them through and try to understand them, our subconscious minds will start to work. By the time we hear them at Mass on Sunday, they will sound familiar -- and they will feel familiar. And when things feel familiar, we are more at ease. That, in turn, makes it easier to listen at Mass, and the whole thing becomes much more like the celebration it is supposed to be.

All it takes is a few minutes to read the Scriptures ahead of time.

Attend Mass with someone.

We celebrate special times, like birthdays, with other people. So it just makes sense that we should celebrate Mass with others, too. Sure, there are plenty of other people at Mass, but there is something much more comforting about sitting side-by-side with a friend.

Following Mass, why not continue for a bit afterwards? Try going out with your friend to have a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and talk about the readings and homily. I know it sounds kind of shocking, but once we've done it a couple times it gets pretty easy.

All it takes is some time together and a semi-serious discussion afterwards.

Go someplace nice.

We commemorate certain occasions by going someplace out of the ordinary; usually someplace nice that we wouldn't normally go. What would happen if we did that on Sundays, too? What would happen if we took the time to go somewhere with our family or friends?

We wouldn't have to go anywhere expensive, either. If the weather was good, we could go hang out in a local park or simply walk around the town. On colder days, we could go visit friends or grandparents, or simply drive around an area we don't usually go. It's amazing how many interesting places there are right under our noses that we never really see.

All it takes is the motivation to get up and go somewhere.

Do something kind.

We send cards and gifts to family and friends on holidays, so why not do something similar to make the Sabbath special? What better time to write a note to a friend we haven't seen in a while than on a Sunday afternoon? And wouldn't Grandma and Grandpa freak if they got a homemade card from you for no apparent reason?!

We wouldn't have to spend lots of money on stationery or Hallmark cards. Blank computer paper or cards made from construction paper are perfectly acceptable options. Or if we decide a more immediate approach is better, we could simply pick up the phone and give someone a ring. It doesn't matter who you are, it's always a pleasant surprise to hear from someone unexpectedly. In fact, a card, letter or phone call for no apparent reason makes it much more special.

All it takes is picking up the phone or putting pen to paper in order to make someone's day.

Sunday -- the Sabbath -- will be truly special if we make it that way. And all we need to do is try some of these four simple things. For when we treat Sunday like a special day, that's exactly what it will be.

Life Applications:
What special things do you do on Sunday?
What special things did your parents do on Sundays when they were young?
What else could we do to make Sundays more special?

FAITHteen Home | About FAITHteen | FAITH Magazine | Sign-up for FAITHteen

[ Premiere Issue | Issue #2 | Issue #3 | Issue #4 | Issue #5 | Issue #6 ]
[ Issue #7 | Issue #8 | Issue #9 | Issue #10 | Issue #11 | Issue #12 | Issue#13 | Issue#14 ]