Shopping Eating Out on Sunday

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Inman

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I read in the section regarding keeping the sabbath in catechism the other day. It said we should something to the effect, and forgive me for not have the section handy, that we should not interferre with other people keeping the sabbath.

Is eating out a restraunt or purchasing groceries on Sunday interferring with others keeping the sabbath? Is it sinful?
 
A few years ago, our priest suggested “giving up” going out to eat, movies, shopping, etc during lent. Not wanting to give up coke or chocolate, I said why not. That lenten season was the best one I’ve ever had. It was the hardest sacrifice I ever made, but the most I have ever gotten back in return. I hope to be strong enough to do that again.
 
I’m not sure what to tell ya Inman, except to say that I do everything I can to avoid shopping and eating out on Sundays. I’m not sure if it’s a sin, or how severe the sin would be, but I figure it’s the old fashioned way of keeping the Sabbath so I’d observe it. It does make Sundays stand out a little more. There are times when I don’t do “work” only because I can’t get whatever the project is done without running to the hardware store. As a result I play with the kids instead.

Eating at restaurants is probably the one toughest to avoid. But we usually go because of some reason - like we’re on the go. And of course if you’re traveling you’ll need to gas up on a Sunday too.

I think it’s one of those things that we shouldn’t get too uptight about, yet on the other hand, most of us could do a lot more to give the service workers a day off.
 
I also wonder as a practical matter am I helping them in not shopping on Sunday am I contributing in a small way to helping them get the day off or depriving them of wages.

The reason I ask, is that I am being confirmed on Sunday 🙂 and we are making plans for lunch. Growing up our family always went out for a big lunch after church, but after reading that section of the cathecism have been uncertain.
 
Inman said:
I also wonder as a practical matter am I helping them in not shopping on Sunday am I contributing in a small way to helping them get the day off or depriving them of wages.

The reason I ask, is that I am being confirmed on Sunday 🙂 and we are making plans for lunch. Growing up our family always went out for a big lunch after church, but after reading that section of the cathecism have been uncertain.
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Inman,

I do not see anything wrong (again my opinion, not sure if it is Church teachings) with going out for lunch/dinner on Sundays. Sundays were declared a “day of rest” by God, but does that mean that we lay on the couch and do nothing all day? My view is that we are not to do “hard” work on that day. Sunday is a day for family. We go to Mass with our family and we enjoy the time with our family. If that means that we go to a resturaunt and eat, or have a BBQ, or something like that, I do not see that as sinful.

Just my :twocents:
 
Sunday is a holy day of obligation…

So, by going out to eat would you be disrupting the workers’ ability to go to Mass? Not necessarily! They may have gone to Mass on Saturday night… or Sunday morning before going to work!

We should also respect the Lord’s day as a “day of rest”. For some working families this is not possible beyond the requirement to attend Mass. These families have the opportunity to take their “day of rest” on another day, if necessary.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Most jobs like that give an opportunity for workers to take off for religious services every week… they have to be the ones willing to take the responsibility to GO…
 
Well if you can afford to that’s great. I have to work to work 2 jobs to make ends meat and the requirement for my second job is that I have to work every other Sunday evening. It’s not my preference but I looked for another job for over a year, prayed about it and this was the only one that fit my schedule. I leave it up to God to help me find a job without this requirement…I’m alway still looking for another position and have my ears and eyes are open but nothing has materialized :mad: 😦 :o
 
Rest means rest. It also means not facilitating the un-rest of others.

That said, I would be a hypocrite to say that I don’t violate this every single Sunday.

It’s an EXTREMELY difficult discipline in this day and age. But if I (and anyone else) really chooses to observe it, it’s certainly possible to get all the housework/shopping done before Sunday. Problem is, none of us choose to come home from work and clean the bathrooms. We leave it for the weekend.

But I suppose it can be taken to an extreme. Is watching TV on Sunday sinful? I mean, someone’s working at the station, monitoring the programing, loading up commercials, etc. Even EWTN. Is that violating the day of rest?

My advice is to confess it as often as it happens. I don’t think anyone is going to be consigned to hellfire over it, considering the realities we are faced with, but with frequent confession, you will find yourself observing with greater devotion, and in different ways.
 
I think this is a difficult question.

I stay away from work for myself. For example, I have to work an occasional weekend day and I always choose Saturday. But the only reason I can do that is because some of my co-workers choose to work on Sunday.

I try to keep Sunday as a day set apart. For the most part that means having it be somewhat relaxing and that may include a movie or a meal out. But as people have pointed out, that means that other people have to work on Sunday.

I feel like I’m being inconsistent – I don’t want to work myself but I allow other people to work. But I don’t know how to avoid it.
 
All Sundays are also solemnities, the highest liturgical feast day. They shouldn’t be days of penance, but of celebration! 🙂

Anyway, the injunction is against unnecessary labor. Some people need to work Sundays (for various reasons, to make ends meet, for example)-- Don’t feel guilty if you allow them to work for those necessary reasons 🙂 . Since we shouldn’t make rash judgments, we should assume that thosewho are working are doing so for a necessary reason and not for sinful reasons 👍
 
I think it’s a shame that we live in a 24/7 society. In secular Europe, it isn’t so, many places are closed on Sunday. I admire the sects that strictly keep the Sabbath for rest for themselves and others. Yes, I think most Christians are hypocrites to go shopping on Sunday, and eating out after Church. I do it myself, so I’m a hypocrite too. It’s a byproduct of the sickness of hurried modern life that strips us of our humanity, and of the simplicity of prior times.
 
drifting_away said:
I think it’s a shame that we live in a 24/7 society. In secular Europe, it isn’t so, many places are closed on Sunday. I admire the sects that strictly keep the Sabbath for rest for themselves and others. Yes, I think most Christians are hypocrites to go shopping on Sunday, and eating out after Church. I do it myself, so I’m a hypocrite too. It’s a byproduct of the sickness of hurried modern life that strips us of our humanity, and of the simplicity of prior times.
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But not eating out means that Mom cooks. I call that work.
 
Good points everyone. Thanks to all of you!

Just so its clear, I was focusing only on whether going out to eat/shopping unreasonably interfers with observation of the sabbath by others, not on whether going out to eat is a problem seperate and apart from its effect on others enjoyment of the sabbath.
 
mary_bobo said:
But not eating out means that Mom cooks. I call that work.
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Prepare the food ahead of time then. I don’t think religious people should contribute to the horrors of the 24/7 society. It totally violates the spirit of the Sabbath, as outlined in the Old Testament. Orthodox Jewish women get everything ready ahead of time for their day of rest.
 
drifting_away said:
Prepare the food ahead of time then. I don’t think religious people should contribute to the horrors of the 24/7 society. It totally violates the spirit of the Sabbath, as outlined in the Old Testament. Orthodox Jewish women get everything ready ahead of time for their day of rest.
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You must be a man 😉
 
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