Summer in the Church

With the celebration of Memorial Day a few days ago summer has “unofficially” begun.  Summer vacations are beginning.  Most colleges have already begun their summer vacations and the elementary and high schools will begin their vacations by the end of the month.  With the summer season people will be travelling or staying at their summer cottages.

Perhaps a reminder is needed.  The schools close for the summer but our churches remain open for the summer!

I’ve seen many parishes that attendance drops significantly during the summer.  Now there are churches near lakes and summer resorts where attendance increases for the summer with the visitors.  Yet, it seems like many people don’t go to any church during the summer.

God doesn’t take a vacation and would like to see you each week.  Our need to receive God’s grace doesn’t stop in the summer.  The Third Commandment remains in effect.

Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:8-11).

We always need to know the Lord.  Perhaps it is time for all of us to think about what Sunday means to us.  In 2007, I wrote a reflection entitled “Keeping the Lord’s Day: What Does It Mean to Me?” 

What does Sunday mean to you?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff