The 10 Commandments List, Short Form*
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make idols.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.*
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet.
Don't worship other "gods", don't steal or murder, etc. Not that hard. Some commandments are a bit harder to follow, but notice I starred #4: Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. That is the commandment this post is about because it is probably the hardest commandment to keep and the one commandment most don't keep, especially as college students, who are extremely busy. However, notice that God commands it of us and that it is not an option and not advice, for the Lord created the world in six days and rested on the Sabbath, likely the same day Jesus rose from the dead. However, the bible does not specifically say what day of the week that was, so just be sure to work six days (five days of work and one day of household chores) and take a day off. Ideally, this day would be Sunday, but some jobs and schedules just don't allow for that. However, jobs give you two days off in general, so try using one day to catch up on chores and one day to keep holy.
First, let's clear up a few things about the Sabbath. Resting. Sunday is not a day to do nothing. As St. John Paul II noted:
In order that rest may not degenerate into emptiness or boredom, it must offer spiritual enrichment, greater freedom, opportunities for contemplation and fraternal communion. Therefore, among the forms of culture and entertainment which society offers, the faithful should choose those which are most in keeping with a life lived in obedience to the precepts of the gospel (DD 68).https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/keeping-holy-the-lords-day
Also, there is debate on whether the true Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday. Since there aren't any specific scriptures that clarify this (as far as I know), I assume it's Sunday, but I would think any day would do as long as you keep it on the same day each week. I will assume Sunday is the Sabbath Day as it is likely the most commonly used day for the sabbath.
Here are some ideas to keep the Sabbath (note: this is Catholic-based, but most of these tips are protestant-friendly and even Jewish-friendly):
First, let's clear up a few things about the Sabbath. Resting. Sunday is not a day to do nothing. As St. John Paul II noted:
In order that rest may not degenerate into emptiness or boredom, it must offer spiritual enrichment, greater freedom, opportunities for contemplation and fraternal communion. Therefore, among the forms of culture and entertainment which society offers, the faithful should choose those which are most in keeping with a life lived in obedience to the precepts of the gospel (DD 68).https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/keeping-holy-the-lords-day
Also, there is debate on whether the true Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday. Since there aren't any specific scriptures that clarify this (as far as I know), I assume it's Sunday, but I would think any day would do as long as you keep it on the same day each week. I will assume Sunday is the Sabbath Day as it is likely the most commonly used day for the sabbath.
Here are some ideas to keep the Sabbath (note: this is Catholic-based, but most of these tips are protestant-friendly and even Jewish-friendly):
- Attend Mass
- Attend a protestant service
- Visit a relative
- Shop and eat out on Saturdays. If you do this Sunday, you force others to work on the Sabbath. Don't support that.
- Play a game of a sport outside with the family
- Take a family hike
- Family rosary, divine mercy, and bible study
- Make a Sabbath Vlog
- Discuss what you learned at Mass
- Donate money
- Take a family walk or bike ride
- Have a family discussion on what you’re grateful for
- Learn the Missionary Discussion
- Tell a true story about a relative or good friend
- Make a list to help you prepare for the next Sunday
- Encourage someone to go to church
- Cook with a crockpot to minimize the time you spend cooking.
- CAREFULLY invite relatives to Mass
- Make a Sabbath day blog/vlog
- Encourage others to keep the sabbath holy
- Call distant relatives
- Memorize verses/scripture
- Invite other Catholics to your house
- Play religious based games, like scriptural Scrabble or church pictionary
- Invite someone to mass/service. I have a cousin and an aunt that I would like to encourage to attend mass with us one weekend. They believe in God, but they don't do much about it, as far as I know. I hope I can encourage them to at least build a relationship with God and even encourage them to be protestant.
- Do an act of charity. Jesus healed sick people and preached on the Sabbath, so holy work is acceptable. Why not take Sunday as a day to volunteer? You could go to a soup kitchen to serve meals or read books to children in a children's hospital. Or, on a smaller scale, you could make dinner and give a plate to your elderly neighbors.
- Visit your elderly parents/grandparents/other elderly in your life. My paternal grandmother was my only grandparent to live for me to be born, and sadly she is now deceased, but for the last few years, we would visit her on a weekend (usually on Sundays). When she lived in assisted living (which was about 2 1/2 years), we would take her grocery shopping (this was before I realized the meaning of the Sabbath commandment) and just take her out. Eventually she was not able to go out anymore, but we tried to see her at least every few weeks when she moved to a nursing home. Then she developed multiple illnesses and, while we saw her as often as we could, we gave her the longest visits on Sundays. (As a side note, she passed away on a Sunday. I will write about what happened later).
- Invite others for church on Sundays for ice cream (sundaes on Sundays)! Encourage them to bring ice cream, a topping, or a drink to share. (Encourage them to buy it on a Saturday though.)
- Have your children spend one-on-one time with another sibling or parent and take turns. In a house with two parents, two girls, and two boys, there could be all-girl time and all-boy time.
- Read a book
- Draw
These are the ideas I have so far, but I am trying to come up with 100, so let me know if you have other ideas!s I have so far, but I am trying to come up with 100, so let me know if you have other ideas!

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