By Kate Noonan
At the risk of sounding old, n.b. I am well on my way, everything seems to move very quickly these days. The news cycle moves as fast as the internet can carry it. If I need to purchase something I can order it on my smart speaker and it’s often at my doorstep the next day. I could go on but you know the drill. The internet, artificial intelligence and the colossal marketing machine on those platforms aren’t concerned with regulating our nervous systems or our thought patterns. Luckily many of our faith practices have built in patterning: rituals which regulate our minds and our nervous system.
I’m a practicing Roman Catholic and my faith is immersed in ritual which I find both comforting and grounding. If I miss mass on a Sunday I need to keep checking the day of the week on my calendar. I’m a bit lost. Attending mass on Sunday is my weekly guidepost: the place where I am inspired by the word of God, receiving communion and dwelling in community.
For millennia we’ve learned the Ten Commandments and Commandment Four distinctly tells us: Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day. The Biblical scripture is quite clear in its directive:
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11
This day was MADE HOLY. According to scripture the Sabbath was made holy for all of us: we are the recipients of this day. One day a week: holy for us and set aside to worship our Creator. I want you to imagine what it would be like if you truly set aside a day, really set aside an entire day, with the intention and practice of worship, holiness and rest. Ritualizing our week in this way would truly be a gift. The Sabbath could be a day to reset, reinvigorate and ground ourselves.
There are seasons in life when rituals are a saving grace. In June 2020 I began working as a chaplain at Nathaniel Witherall. It was a tough time in general and that difficulty was magnified for nursing home residents. As the Catholic chaplain I assisted with plenty of religious rituals including church services, rosary and prayer. The residents were beyond grateful to have their familiar rituals back. The feeling was palpable. They were comforted, uplifted and felt closer to God at a time where so much felt uncertain.
Each Lenten season has plenty of rituals built into Christian practice. It is our holiest season, a time which asks us to participate in worship and sacrifice. Make this the season to connect to your faith by choosing to participate in the rituals already in place where you find your church community. It is simple enough to start with a Sunday service plugging into the day made holy. From this practice you’ll find the rituals that ground your life.
Kate Noonan is a Pastoral Associate and Retreat Master. She graduated from Yale Divinity School in 2018.
