Exercising on Sunday ? Sinful?

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vin_dedvukaj

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Is this a sin. Since we’re suppose to rest on Sundays I am always so confused of what we are allowed to do
On Sunday’s
 
As far as I know, it is allowed. After all exercise is good for the body. When God says not to work on Sunday he only means the work that is servile. Other than that, it is best to take this matter to a priest.

God Bless You!
 
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It’s rest from servile work, not laying about the house eating Doritos and watching Netflix.
 
It is good to avoid it if you can. Why can’t you use the six other days? There are various opinions - I’m sure you’ll get a bunch - but anything very strenuous to the body is moving away from the goal. Some of the older authors (including Alphonsus) took a pretty hard line on this, but today there seems to be less of an emphasis. Take that for what it’s worth.
 
It is not good to avoid exercise. The precept is to refrain from servile work. That is what’s in the Catechism. I kind of disbelieve “older authors” forbade exercise, but thankfully that has no bearing on Church teaching and doctrine on Sabbath rest.
 
It’s not good never to exercise, but if possible it should not be done on Sunday. It is certainly “servile,” given its classical understanding. One can quibble about it - and maybe it’s important to quibble - but the tradition remains what it is.

If you think Alphonsus - the patron saint of moral theologians - is irrelevant to moral theology and how we should understand the Ten Commandments, I don’t know what to say.

I’ve done a bit of study on the issue - what I can offer for now is the foregoing.
 
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Yeah because slaves dropped in to Planet Fitness all the time for their servile hour on the elliptical.
 
kapp19 said:
It is good to avoid it if you can. Why can’t you use the six other days? There are various opinions - I’m sure you’ll get a bunch - but anything very strenuous to the body is moving away from the goal. Some of the older authors (including Alphonsus) took a pretty hard line on this, but today there seems to be less of an emphasis. Take that for what it’s worth
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I think the reason the emphasis has changed is because the definition of work has changed. Up till about fifty years ago, most work was very physically demanding. It made sense then to discourage more physical exertion on Sundays. But now, in America at least, most peoples work involves lots of stationary sitting. If I were to spend Sunday sitting all day, it wouldn’t be much different from my normal work week. I think the new Catechism reflects this when it merely discourages whatever might get in the way of us honoring God.
 
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kapp19 said:
It’s not good never to exercise, but if possible it should not be done on Sunday. It is certainly “servile,” given its classical understanding. One can quibble about it - and maybe it’s important to quibble - but the tradition remains what it is.

If you think Alphonsus - the patron saint of moral theologians - is irrelevant to moral theology and how we should understand the Ten Commandments, I don’t know what to say.

I’ve done a bit of study on the issue - what I can offer for now is the foregoing.
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Catholic moral theology is not based on the writings of dead saints, but on the consensus of a Living Magisterium. If you can find me one priest who has confessor authority over me who agrees that taking a walk in the cool fresh air is servile labor, then I will stop exercising on Sundays.
 
Right, as mentioned, servile work.

Exercise is great! No sin in that any day.
I pray my rosary while running.
 
vin_dedvukaj said:
Is this a sin. Since we’re suppose to rest on Sundays I am always so confused of what we are allowed to do
On Sunday’s
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My own personal opinion is that a) you have not defined what you mean by “Exercising”; and b) if you are really serious about the question, instead of asking unidentified people on the internet who may have no training in moral theology, you should be asking your confessor, since you seem to thing that whatever you mean by “exercising” might be immoral.
 
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Anesti33 said:
Catholic moral theology is not based on the writings of dead saints, but on the consensus of a Living Magisterium. If you can find me one priest who has confessor authority over me who agrees that taking a walk in the cool fresh air is servile labor, then I will stop exercising on Sundays.
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Who said it was? However, arguments from the weight of extrinsic authority, while not conclusive, are important. No Cartesian moral experiments are a good idea… We don’t just reinvent moral theology every so often, trying to start from scratch. Don’t downplay the role of “the writings of dead saints” - which, frankly, smacks of impiety. Our friends are alive in God, and we should listen to their words quite carefully.

I will leave the precise definitions of “exercise” to your conscience (though “a walk” does not sound like what I have in mind) - and, by the way, I am not even insisting on my own opinion, just pointing out that it is a probable opinion with some good “street cred” in the tradition of the question.
 
Apologist at Catholic Answers, Michelle Arnold notes that Catholics are permitted to exercise on Sundays here:
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What can I do on Sundays? Ask an Apologist
I usually do more weight training or lifting than I do cardio/aerobic excercises. I have found that that is what works best for me to stay in shape. I am not a bodybuilder by any means but I am someone who is not novice either (meaning I am somewhat muscular but not over the top) and try to take care of myself. Is weight training a sin if done on Sundays? On the same note, if I am asked by a co-worker to fill in for him/her on a Sunday (which I am in a health-related field/business) is this a s…
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Fr McIlmail also answers this question here:

 
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