Need advice! Working Sunday

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HNA444

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So, I started a new job this week, and I like it so far. Today, the girl who has been training me this week asked if I could work this weekend, and I said yes. But, I told her I could only do Saturday, due to church/religious obligation for Sunday. She said that is was fine, but told me the Saturday schedule would be 8am-6pm. The main reason she needs or wants me to work this weekend, is because of other reviewers/attorneys (who I am in charge of managing) will be working and I basically need to be there to open the office and babysit them. It is helpful for me to do it, because she doesn’t live in my state, and her home office is in a different state. Anyway, my issue is that I did have plans with my friend to go to Casey Solanus’s Beatification this Saturday at 4pm. But, she got tickets for free, so I figured when my work asked that it would be fine not to go anymore, and that my friend would understand. But, then when I called her after work to let her know, she got upset and told me that she drove 45 minutes to get the tickets (which I didn’t know that she did). And she told me to let my work know I can’t or to just work half day. What should I do? I got myself in a bad situation.

My next question is, I am thinking I could ask to just work half day Saturday and also Sunday. Or, I could just do Sunday instead of Saturday, which I know would be fine with my boss. But, is it a sin if I work on Sunday even though it isn’t required? I don’t want to, but I’m trying to make a good impression.
 
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HNA444 said:
But, she got tickets for free, so I figured when my work asked that it would be fine not to go anymore, and that my friend would understand. But, then when I called her after work to let her know, she got upset and told me that she drove 45 minutes to get the tickets (which I didn’t know that she did). And she told me to let her know I can’t or to just work half day. What should I do? I got myself in a bad situation.

My next question is, I am thinking I could ask to just work half day Saturday and also Sunday. I think that would make up for me missing the full day Saturday. But, is it a sin if I work on Sunday even though it isn’t required? I don’t want to, but I’m trying to make a good impression.
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Well, I think your friend is being totally immature and ridiculous.

You have a new job. This sounds like your first professional job post college. You were just hired. Would your friend be angry if you got the flu?

I mean really, this is a bit ridiculous to be angry at you over.

Going to your boss could be very confusing. The only way I could see it going well is saying something like the following.

“Hi, New Boss. I wanted to call and talk about my weekend request. I want to let you know that if I can get off at noon on Saturday, then I can work Sunday as Saturday meets my obligation for services. I would prefer not to work on Sundays overall, but I want to show you that I am flexible if needed.”

Although, in all honesty, you put a line in the sand. Don’t ask you to work Sundays. If you violate this now, you will be asked to in the future.

I don’t know where your work falls in the line of “needed” occupations. Law is a rough place and people’s lives and livelihoods depend on the outcome of cases. With this 24/7 economy and last minute deliverables allowing an attorney to get things together on a Sunday could have a significant impact on the rest of a person’s life.

I guess I would put it in the same category as my friend who is a biologist. Several times she had to run 10-day trials due to the type of bacteria cultured. It was impossible not to work (or have a lab assistant) work on a Sunday because of the tests. She was not a doctor saving lives but she was working to protect life. More than one good and holy priest told her this work was acceptable because it had to be done and someone had to do it.
 
Thank you! I thought my friend was being immature as well, and even rude almost. I know that I would never get upset or angry, even if I did something out of my convenience. But, I am a lot more understanding to situations than my friends are. I hate the drama, and I really don’t want to deal with it. I was just going to tell my boss the truth and work Sunday, but I don’t think the job is that crucial. Basically, where I work they staff temporary attorneys as reviewers, and my job is managing all of them, helping with logins, etc. it’s not a law firm.
 
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HNA444 said:
Thank you! I thought my friend was being immature as well, and even rude almost. I know that I would never get upset or angry, even if I did something out of my convenience. But, I am a lot more understanding to situations than my friends are. I hate the drama, and I really don’t want to deal with it. I was just going to tell my boss the truth and work Sunday, but I don’t think the job is that crucial. Basically, where I work they staff temporary attorneys as reviewers, and my job is managing all of them, helping with logins, etc. it’s not a law firm.
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It doesn’t need to be a law firm for work to be important. Unfortunately, the way our legal system is some of the most novice people handle the biggest cases. You are basically acting as tech support to people doing the legwork.

Your friend is out of line. It’s Thursday. You were just hired. Your boss wants you to work. I would suggest really thinking about “telling your boss the truth”.

At best, you’re going to look wishy-washy, at worse you’re going to set a bad precidence. The best thing you can do is leve well enough alone. If you really want to push the issue then mention that you had plans this saturday and would prefer to work a shortened day, but would be happy to others.
 
If you need the job, keep the job. As the Lord said, “the Sabbath was made for men, not men for the Sabbath”. The Catechism is very clear on this matter.

See if you can go to the Vigil Mass on Saturday. 🙂
 
I can go to mass Saturday of course. But, I thought it was a sin to work on Sunday’s if you don’t have to?
 
If you don’t have to.

But if you need to pay your bills or raise a family or be charitable to some of your co-workers, then it is not a sin.

I’d just weight it in my mind and make the best decision. The tough question is: am I putting work before God?

If you are just trying to be helpful to your co-workers and you have a solid sacramental life, I wouldn’t see an issue 🙂 You don’t describe yourself as a workaholic. I know several who may go to mass on Sunday and that’s all Catholicism is for them. 😦
 
That’s a good way to look at it. I would only be going in to work in order to be helpful to the person who is training me and other workers.
 
Working IT help in an office is hardly considered “servile labor”.
 
Sunday is a day of obligation .working on Sundays for money and neglecting to go for Mas is surely a grievous Moral sin .

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c1a3.htm
TWO
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND”
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
  • I. THE SABBATH DAY
    2168 The third commandment of the Decalogue recalls the holiness of the sabbath: "The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD."92
    2169 In speaking of the sabbath Scripture recalls creation: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it."93
    The Sunday obligation
    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
IN BRIEF
2189 “Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Deut 5:12). “The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord” (Ex 31:15).
2190 The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.
2191 The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the “eighth day,” Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day (cf. SC 106).
2192 “Sunday . . . is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church” (CIC, can. 1246 § 1). “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass” (CIC, can. 1247).
2193 “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound . . . to abstain from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord’s Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body” (CIC, can. 1247).
2194 The institution of Sunday helps all “to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their amilial, cultural, social, and religious lives” (GS 67 § 3).
2195 Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day.

what did padre pio say about on working on Sundays

 
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If you told your supervisor that you could work that Saturday then I think you are wrong for going to the beatification ceremony. Part of holding down a job is keeping the commitments that you make. While attending the beatification ceremony might be rewarding for you it would not be rewarding for that girl who was training you if you renege on your promise to work for her.
 
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