Friday, September 12, 2025
Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
Welcome to week thirty-seven of BMW, Be My Witnesses. Well, we begin a new cycle in our process of becoming better witnesses to the Lord Jesus. This is the sixth time we begin our work of prayer, learning, belonging, and then going on mission. This is a good time to invite someone new to join us. This week our prayer will focus on honoring the Lord’s Day.
Prayer: Honor the Lord’s Day
Once, I told my father that I was going on retreat and he replied, “You are always going on retreat, don’t you ever advance?” Well, how do you respond to that? And yet, pulling away from the distractions of the world for even a brief time gives one the strength to move ahead. That is one of the purposes of fully embracing the Lord’s Day.
Now, clearly worshipping the Father at Sunday Mass is not a retreat but rather an energizing of who we are as Catholics, as a Church. But, let us speak of the rest of the day. We Christians believe that Sunday, the day of Christ’s Resurrection, has replaced the Sabbath of the Old Testament. Thus, there should be a good amount of “rest.” This may actually mean “sleep” for very busy people; but it should mean that we engage in more interaction with our family in, of course, in a restful or regenerative way.
I am often on the road on Sundays, but I really do try to buy my gas on Saturday or Monday so as not to support the consumerism that remains rampant on Sundays. Many of our Catholic schools have tried to eliminate sports contests on Sunday but this has been a tough battle. We cannot expect our government or our broader society to support us in this effort. It must remain a challenge for each person and family to seek a bit of “retreat” on Sundays.
The Catechism (#2186) comments: “Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Chrisian interior life.”
So, each Sunday is like a mini-retreat so that we can actually advance the Gospel good news of the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death. Family prayer and faith sharing needs to be a part of this day, in addition to Sunday Mass.
My Challenge
So, for our challenge of this week, pray each day for wisdom as to how you will spend next Sunday; seek the Lord’s guidance and grace to make even some small change in your normal routine, but let this be the result of your prayer.
Until next week, may God Bless you.
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
P.S. Here is a video version of this week's Be My Witnesses. Please do share with friends and family. Thank you.