New year reflection: the Sabbath approach

A new year is always a time for reflection - on the year that has passed and the hopes and expectations of the year ahead.

2015 was the year that Pope Francis published his Encyclical Laudato Si', On Care for Our Common Home. We are encouraged to read this as believers, as inhabitants of the earth and as citizens.

As part of this process of self-examination, Francis calls us to respect the "rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator" one of these being the law of the Sabbath - a time of rest for people and the land.

How could we benefit from a Sabbath approach to the New Year?

The Sabbath is about resting, reflecting and refocusing on what is important - on what gives life to us and to others.

Pope Francis suggests three areas where we can have a Sabbath rest from what prevents real relationships and to focus instead on "the three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself" (#66).

Firstly, a Sabbath from social media.

We could take a day off a week in 2016 from all social media and instead spend time engaging with our neighbours. These neighbours may be those who live next door, other people in our churches, family members, but also extends to refugees, homeless people or many other strangers or those in need.
Engaging with others in this way through "honest dialogue" and "generous encounter" will inevitably lead us to a greater generosity as well as an indignation in the face of the enormous inequalities and injustices that we see, in a world where we act as if some were born with greater rights (#90) as opposed to all being born with equal dignity in the image and likeness of god (Genesis 1:27).

Secondly, a Sabbath from consumption.

Christmas is a contradictory time of celebrating Christ's birth, who was born in poverty in a manger, whilst at the same time over-indulging in eating, drinking and spending money.

It is the pinnacle of annual consumption in the UK, with corresponding impacts on the planet's resources.

To break the hold that consumerism has on us and to reduce the impacts on others, Pope Francis invites us to consider the impacts of our actions (#22) and to "contemplate creation as a revelation of God" (#85), recognising that God is the owner (#89) and that we have responsibility for how we treat our common home (#78).

We need to learn to approach creation - and all relationships - with awe and wonder (#11) - with an idea of transcendence, taking time to "see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness" (#12). Only then will we be able to draw on the wisdom of God to change our priorities and our lifestyles, to free ourselves from the lure of consumerism and to live in a way that respects others.

Finally, a Sabbath from busyness.

One challenge of modernity is that we feel as though we don't have the time to focus on the relationships that are most important. This includes our relationship with God. In the Encyclical's opening line, Francis invites our contemplation of creation to lead to praising God "Laudato si', mi' Signore - Praise be to you, my Lord".

The self-examination that Pope Francis encourages us to is coupled with the contemplation of the beauty of nature and its creator - of the all-powerful God who created the universe (#73) and whose love is the "fundamental moving force in all things" (#77). A Sabbath from busyness and our daily concerns is a Sabbath with the creator and sustainer of the universe.

The Encyclical has a great deal to say to decision-makers and politicians, as most non-religious commentators have pointed out. However, before we approach others, we will be wise to take up the Sabbath challenges of the Encyclical for ourselves, to help us deepen our relationships with neighbours, the earth and God. We can then share this wisdom of experience with others.

Graham Gordon is Head of the Policy team at CAFOD.