Keeping the Lord’s Day holy isn’t just a ‘suggestion’

You’ve spoken a lot about “reclaiming” Sunday as a day for families to worship together and spend time with each other. Why is this so important to you?
First of all, we have to go back to the Ten Commandments, which are not exactly the Ten “Suggestions.” God said, “Keep holy the Lord’s day.” Also, the law of the church says that we are to keep Sunday holy by going to Mass and abstaining from unnecessary work on that day. In our present culture, Sunday has become just like any other day. It’s another work day, another day when the grocery stores and shopping centers are open. God knows, you can certainly buy online. It’s become just another day of business. I think we’ve lost the sense of families coming together and going to Mass together and then spending quality time with each other. The pace of our life is just so fast and so out of step with what humanity should be. Some surveys would show that a family never really gets together for more than a meal or two a week. That’s not what God intended. It’s certainly not what is emotionally or spiritually healthy for a family. Kids can be raised without any sense of belonging or intimacy. I’m not naive enough to think that by our taking this stance it’s going to change the culture in a month or a year or six years. It takes a generation to do something to change the culture and to do something countercultural. But we can start now.

You’ve encouraged families to worship together, but you’ve also asked Catholic entities to do specific things to safeguard Sunday for families. Can you explain that?
I’ve asked the parishes to sponsor family activities on Sunday and to promote the joy of attending Mass together and offering religious education and youth ministry on Sunday. That’s what’s supposed to happen on Sunday. Parishes can host family events on Sunday, whether it’s a fair or a family picnic or intergenerational catechesis. What I’ve asked schools not to do is to hold athletic practices on Sunday. I’ve asked them not to offer preparation for standardized testing on Sunday. I’ve asked them not to hold events that would divide the family and take the family away from the parish. The parish is the center of the family, not an individual school. We’re really talking about the high schools. What has happened in some cases – and, I want to be clear, not in all cases – is that some schools were having so many events that the center or the focus was on the school and not on the parish. Lay ministers doing religious education and youth ministry in the parish, as well as clergy, were expressing concern that people were being diverted from the parish into the school. As I studied this, there really were a large number of activities throughout a given year that people in school life felt they had to go to.

What kind of reaction have you received?
I’ve had three reactions. One reaction has been that I should mind my own business and let families do what they want to do – that I shouldn’t interfere and that nothing should be done. In conscience, I don’t believe that’s the case. I think we as the people of God have to reclaim Sunday according to the Ten Commandments and according to what God expects us to do, to slow down our lives, to show attention to our children and to marriage, and to have room in our lives for God and for Mass together.

Another reaction has been more positive. One staff member of a school said to me, “I’m glad I have my Sundays back.” Just recently, a mother at a confirmation I celebrated said to me, “Thank you for the stance you took. Now I know my sons can be home with us on Sunday.”

The third reaction I’ve gotten is that some people say I’m hypocritical because sometimes I’m seen at either a parish event or an NFL game. But that’s what Sundays are for – people to get together with the community. I’m saying to do things with family and friends.

We as church could stand by and say the culture is what it is and there’s nothing we can do. Or we can be courageous and prophetic and ask these big questions. Is the culture really helpful to family life, is it really helpful to our spiritual life? Then we can make some suggestions for change and try to reinforce that change. I’ve chosen to do that. For those who don’t agree, I respect their opinion, but I really do believe this is what the Lord is calling us to do.

Hasn’t Pope Francis talked about enhancing family life?
He’s been talking a lot about family and family values, about families worshipping together. He’s also talking about the pastoral care of family and family not being given enough time to strengthen itself. He’s also telling us we have to be evangelizers and we have to remind one another that we have to grow in a deeper relationship with Christ. He’s asking, how best could we do it? Could we do it any better than spending time together at Mass on Sunday?

Questions for Archbishop Aymond can be sent to clarionherald@clarionherald.org.