I was raised in a church-going family—every Sunday, rain or shine, we attended at least two gatherings of our church. We made friends there. As a young person, I spent the greater part of my social life within its activities.

I’m aware that Sunday is no longer part of public consciousness as before, even if one was an atheist. Friday, Saturday, Sunday or whatever holy day the religious favor, all of us more often choose to use that day for other pursuits. We ignore both the larger community and thoughtful contemplation.

But we don’t just forget to rest one day a week—whether sacred or secular resting. We go full stop all seven days of the week. Our stores are open every day.

If religion sometimes led to bigotry and persecution, the secular alternatives are no better. Capitalism can be an efficient way to order our economic activities. When it becomes our god and our religion, it corrupts us. A country ruled by a capitalist cabal, divided into haves and have-nots, is just as harmful as a state ruled by religious fanatics.

The early Hebrews were enjoined not only to keep one day a week for rest and worship but also to proclaim a Year of Jubilee every 49 years. Family property, sold to strangers, now would be given back to the original family. We might call the system compassionate capitalism., capitalism with limits.

Neither Sabbath nor Jubilee was kept as intended.

When the Hebrews finally were carried off into exile, their prophets told them to consider those years of exile as the Sabbaths and the Jubilees they had neglected to keep.

Perhaps those recently passed days when we were kept by Covid from many of our communal activities were a kind of forced rest.