Do all Christians observe sundays?

[Timi_Celcer]

Paul says in Romans 14:5: One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.

So i was wondering is it a sin not to observe sundays? Is it a Christian obligation to observe sundays?

 

[Judas_Thaddeus]

Paul says in Romans 14:5: One person considers one day
more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully
convinced in their own mind.

So i was wondering is it a sin not to observe sundays?
Is it a Christian obligation to observe sundays?

I bounce back and forth between Saturday Vigil and Morning Sunday masses, depending on
when I seek confession. Both Saturday Vigil and (unsure if only morning) Sunday mass are
in keeping with Sabbath.

 

[Wiserone1]

Yes observing the sabbath is crucial ,

 

[po18guy]

Look in your catechism under “Sabbath” and see that Sunday (the Lord’s day) is the fulfillment of the Jewish Sabbath.

Saturday mass is the vigil mass, which is honoring the Lord’s day, so no worries there.

 

[DelsonJacobs]

Yes observing the sabbath is crucial ,

Because there is often confusion about this, it should be noted that Catholics do not consider Sunday to be the “sabbath.” Instead, the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes:

“Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath.”

Sunday is considered the Lord’s Day. "For Christians it has become the first of all days, the first of all feasts, the Lord’s Day…Sunday:

We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day [after the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God, separating matter from darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead."–CCC 2174-2176.

Judeo-Christians of the first century observed both the Sabbath (since they were ethnically Jews) as well as the Lord’s Day. “These customs…were kept by Jewish Christians, that is, in a spirit of homage to the divine authority and prophetic holiness of these signs–and not in order to attain salvation.” (St. Bede, Expositio Actuum Apostolorum) Today there are Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Israel of Jewish ethnicity (The Association of St. James) who in like manner might observe the “sabbath” and then on the next day observe the Lord’s Day (as do some Hebrew Catholics in other parts of the world).

But not all Christians observe the Lord’s Day. Members of the SDA observe the sabbath and not the Lord’s Day, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not observe any day of rest (of course some people have different opinions whether or not these groups are technically Christian).

And some Christians, including some of us Catholics, don’t do a very good job of honoring the Lord’s Day as we should.

 

[Cath4life]

We need to try to do our best to rest, pray and works of mercy, if possible. Personally, I started not going on the computer or shopping on this day.

The Sunday obligation from the CCC

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass."117 "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."118

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2183 "If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families."120

A day of grace and rest from work

2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"121 human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord’s Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.122

2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.123 Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.

The charity of truth seeks holy leisure- the necessity of charity accepts just work.124
2186 Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.

 

[ellzeena]

I think there are Messianic Jewish congregations that still observe Sabbath on Saturday.

 

[VanSensei]

And Seventh-Day Adventists, iirc.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

From Haydock’s Bible commentary on Romans 14:5:

The apostle here treats only of the subject in hand, viz. the Mosaic distinctions of clean and unclean meats: and in this he allows, for that present time, each one to follow his own private judgment. St. Chrysostom observes that St. Paul did not wish the weak to be left to their own judgment in this, as in a point of no consequence; but that they should wait for a time. The converts were not immediately prohibited their accustomed practices, but they were tolerated in them for a while, till fully instructed. This we see in many of the converts at Jerusalem, who were still observers of the Mosaic ordinances; this was tolerated, that the synagogue might be buried with honour. (Estius)