Begin with the Prayer of Abandonment
The other day I came across this article, written by a Jewish convert to Christianity who explained how her observance of the Sabbath had changed since her conversion . . . and not in a good way.
When I practiced Judaism, I would begin my Sabbath with a relaxed Friday night dinner, followed by a day of worship, rest, and celebration. During the Sabbath day, I didn’t think about my schoolwork, spend any money, ride in a car, or watch television.
Then I became a Christian. Although I went to church on Sunday mornings, the day never seemed quite as holy. As often as not, I wound up at the shopping mall on Sunday afternoon.
How do you observe the Sabbath in your house? Do you have any customs that you practice, either as a couple or as a family, that sets the day apart from the rest of the week?
Life on the Road Less Traveled 
I didn’t realize that you had been Jewish prior to becoming Catholic! You have lead such an interesting life.
For most of my son’s childhood, Sunday has stood out because it was the only day of the week that both Mommy and Daddy had off from work. So we would have extra family time on Sunday, including our weekly tradition (during fall and winter) of a fire in the fireplace after dinner, roasting marshmallows, etc. Lately things have changed and now my husband sometimes has Saturday off instead of Sunday, so we shift our fire to Saturday night (after going to the vigil Mass and coming home for dinner). So it’s still linked to the Sabbath.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was an Evangelical Christian prior to becoming Catholic… But I could relate to the experience of this woman in some ways, especially in her experience of community. Sometimes I really miss it.
LikeLike
I hear ya, Heidi. Promoting a sense of community is definitely something we could learn from our Protestant brothers and sisters. Today Devin Rose in his blog shares an extreme example of a Catholic parish that is particularly unwelcoming:
http://www.devinrose.heroicvirtuecreations.com/blog/2015/03/23/father-is-too-busy-to-give-you-a-blessing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+StJosephsVanguardAndOurLadysTrain+%28St.+Joseph%27s+Vanguard%29
Thankfully my parish is much better than what he describes, but there is still room for improvement.
LikeLiked by 1 person