Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Lent. Have you decided on your Lenten resolution? If not, or looking for more, I would like to suggest something very biblical. And it is not for every day. Only seven times for the whole Lent. Let us listen to the prophet Isaiah:

If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honourable; if you honour it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Now you can probably guess what my suggestion is. During this Lent, let us spend the Lord’s Day in the Lord. There are seven Sundays from the first Sunday of Lent to Easter Sunday inclusive.

Please do not do any work, even cooking and cleaning. Let us not go shopping or visit a park. Do not visit friends or other families. Let us not watch TV or use the internet except watching the Mass and other Catholic devotions. If you want to avoid all these on Sundays, you should take care of these things during the week. To spend the Lord’s Day holy, we need to prepare for it.

Then, what do we do on these Sundays? If we cannot still gather at the parish, watch the Mass. And spend time on prayers, devotions such as the Rosary, and spiritual reading. But most of all, spare time for the readings of the Mass. Read them several times and reflect on them. We should give some time to the word of the Lord to settle down in our minds and heart. It is not so much for understanding. But it is instead for the word of the Lord to dwell in your mind and heart. We should go over several times what our Lord is telling us. Now, these might sound demanding. But another critical task for Lord’s Day is to rest well. Reading and praying should not take more than an hour or two. We should be able to spend the rest of the day taking rest in the Lord. You may slowly meditate and reflect on the readings of the Mass. Reflect on Jesus and his life. Meditate on death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Examine your life.

Christians are people of Sundays – the Lord’s Day. It is the most fundamental Christian character. During this Lent, let us renew our identity as the people of the Lord’s Day – the Day of Resurrection.