Is eating out on Sunday acceptable?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SeriousQuestion
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I dont know.
They have to work, chiefs, waiters, delivery men. But I dont know.
 
For a number of years I needed the restaurant job that had me working on Sundays. If no one had come, I’d have been out of work. But I sympathize with your conundrum and often feel for people who have to work Sundays. I still do myself on occasion, depending on when the last day of the month is for inventory. But most of the folks I know who work weekends don’t care that they are doing so. Any two days off are fine with them, including one very serious Catholic fellow. He can get to Mass Saturday evening.
 
Last edited:
Because you are making people work on Sunday?
 
Last edited:
If they are not Catholic or maybe Orthodox they don’t care anyway.
 
Catholics do not have a blanket prohibition on doing any sort of work whatsoever on Sundays. We don’t prepare all the food and everything in advance so on Sunday all we do is go to Church, sit around with our families, pray and eat cold leftovers without even lifting a finger to light the stove.

As long as those people working set some time aside to honor/ worship God and spend with their families - which nowadays, can be satisfied even by attending the Saturday evening vigil Mass and spending time with your family then - their working is neither our concern nor an issue. Furthermore, they may not even believe the same as we do. Their Sabbath may be on another day or not at all.
 
Last edited:
But what if owner sells at local geocery? Then it is ok?
Employees have free day but an owner sells.
 
Last edited:
I try not to do it, and I have no problem with that.

Sunday is for rest; not for standing up all day and tending to others.
 
So there are layers to this.

It is sinful if we are keeping someone from their Sunday obligation.

However, these days there are so many non-Catholics how can we know who is being kept away and who isn’t? Furthermore, as someone who worked a Sunday job… if people hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have had a job and how would I have paid my bills?

I think the spirit of the day of rest thing can be observed even by those who work Sunday if they give another day to God and rest. The Sunday obligation, however, can be met by Saturday evening Mass or Sunday morning Mass prior to work/after work, etc.

We can’t know who is being kept from their obligation and who is being helped by our patronage.

So… it’s not an easy yes or no situation.
 
My understanding of this rule is not to get to Phareseutical about it and see the underlying message which is to reserve time for God and in a Christian world which it isn’t yet ;). Having a set day for all would be amazing. At the moment we just need to be mindful of being at peace and not keeping busy to avoid listening to our hearts and spirits at one with God.
 
It was what the priests in my local parish taught me (not US priests, Indian priests).

I often caught them shopping on Sundays and going to restaurants on Sundays which is why I asked them about it.
 
Sorry im scrupulous dont judge me for my opinion. But I dont know how to have healthy balance
 
Last edited:
somecanadian said:
It is sinful if we are keeping someone from their Sunday obligation.

However, these days there are so many non-Catholics how can we know who is being kept away and who isn’t?
Click to expand...
We can’t. And, unless we are the person’s employer and saying, “You need to work all through all the available Mass times for Saturday evening and Sunday, and no you can’t have any time off for Mass or you’re fired” then it’s not our issue.
 
I choose not to buy anything on Sundays… But I do work in a store on Sundays too. Keeping balance I guess.
 
Yup. That’s the way I see it to.

We can’t force someone to work, but employers and businesses can and that’s on them.

BUT I will say, as someone who used to work retail my number one pet peeve is when clients would come in on Easter then say: “You’re working on Easter!!! That’s horrible!”

And I was just thinking: If you weren’t shopping on Easter, we wouldn’t be working on Easter.

My old employer actually shuts the store down on Boxing Day and Christmas now because nobody was coming. And would do the same if people stopped coming on Easter.

So in a way we do have some kind of power.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top