Athletes and the Sabbath

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Is it a sin for professional athletes (or any athletes I suppose) to compete on Sundays? Would this be considered working on the Lord’s Holy day? I would love to hear what you all think about this.
God Bless you all!
 
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Good question. I don’t know, but I suppose you can see the fruits of when it dominates Sunday: obsessive focus on something that should be a pastime taking a few hours a week plus a bit of conversation on Monday morning. And you can see the fruit of when the Sabbath is kept: a life ordered around the Creator. I admire someone like Eric Liddell.
 
i’ve moved this to moral theology, as it’s anything but casual.
 
I don’t think playing the game on Sunday is a problem.

However, there are a LOT of people who are working to put the event on.

This is why I don’t watch any sports on Sunday, or more broadly, I don’t think it’s a good idea to patronize any business on Sunday’s without grave cause.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2187, mentions sports on Sundays, saying, in part:
Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. … (source)
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Kyle2253 said:
I would love to hear what you all think about this.
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What individuals think doesn’t matter. What the Catechism says is what matters here.

Todd has posted the relevant Catechism section; therefore, sports on Sunday are okay and not work, as long as one makes sure to meet their mass obligation (Which could be done at a Saturday vigil Mass) and spend some time with family/ in prayer.
 
A couple years ago (1 June 2018), the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life issued a lengthy document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, called “Giving the best of yourself.” Sports on Sundays is mentioned in sections 1.2 and 5.3.
 
Well in Old Testament times, the Sabbath was Saturday. What we celebrate is the Lords Day, which is Sunday.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is still true.
 
Catholics use the term “Sabbath” to mean Sunday. They do not distinguish between “Sabbath” and “Lord’s Day”.

Catechism:
ARTICLE 3
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work.90

The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.91
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Now it’s true that this section of the Catechism draws a distinction between the Jewish sabbath and the Lord’s Day for Catholicism, but the commandment, which we are taught to follow, still uses the word “Sabbath”.
Therefore, your average Catholic thinks of sabbath today as meaning same thing as the Lord’s Day, which is Sunday.

https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a3.htm

I suspect the drawing of distinctions in the Catechism is to get around some of the erroneous theology propounded by other groups, but when someone says “the Sabbath is Saturday” here I would presume them to be Jewish or SDA.
 
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Since they’re professional athletes, and they have to work on that day, I don’t see any problem with it, any more than anyone else who’s required to work that day.
 
“Your average Catholic thinks”

Thats what I mean, they think of it as the Sabbath, even though it technically isn’t. The Church simply has us obey the commandment on Sunday.

Either way, not a huge deal lol
 
dochawk said:
Only the ones that haven’t been taught any better . . .
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Such as EWTN’s priests on staff…

For Christians the “Sabbath” rest was transferred to the first day of the week—Sunday, the day Our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. …Therefore, Sunday is the fulfillment of the Sabbath of the Old Testament. St. Justin Martyr (d. 165) wrote, "Sunday, indeed, is the day on which we hold our common assembly because it is the first day on which God, transforming the darkness and matter, created the world; and our Savior, Jesus Christ, arose from the dead on the same day.

Despite our very complex and busy modern times, we must strive to keep the “Sabbath Day”—Sunday—holy.
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And Jimmy Akin…

A Catholic can be confident he should worship on Sunday because that is what the apostles did since Christ, by his authority as the Son of Man, both had and used the power to change the sabbath.
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And Bishop Barron, or whoever writes his supplementary Word on Fire materials…quote is from page 6 where they call Sunday both “the Sabbath” and “The Lord’s Day”.

The Church encourages us to keep the Sabbath by attending Mass and avoiding unnecessary activity.
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The obligation to rest on the Sabbath was transferred to Sunday; the day when Christ rose from the dead. The transfer was done by the Apostles, whom received authority to do so from Jesus Himself.

So, in short-hand it’s fine to refer to Sunday as “the Sabbath” or, if you want to be a bit more precise, the “Lord’s day,” or the “day of rest.”

But, technically, the Sabbath still marks the seventh day, as observed by our Elder Brothers in Faith, the Jewish People.
Soooooo, both @dochawk and @Tis_Bearself are correct. 🙂 The only ones who are wrong in this area are Seventh Day Adventists, who reject apostolic authority to modify the commandment.
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Christ, our True God, is risen from the dead,
Deacon Christopher
 
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Yes, the seventh day, counting from Sunday.

Six if from Monday.
 
We have Ecclesiastical Latin to guide us.

Dies dominica, “the Lord’s day,” Sunday
Feria secunda, “second day,” Monday
Feria tertia, “third day,” Tuesday
Feria quarta, “fourth day,” Wednesday
Feria quinta, “fifth day,” Thursday
Feria sexta, “sixth day,” Friday
Sabbatum, “Sabbath,” Saturday.

Why they have two words, dies and feria, both meaning “day,” I don’t know. Any Latin specialists here?
 
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I thought “Feria” referred to a weekday with no feast.

Edited to add, I see the New Advent link indicates it is a word for weekday.
 
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