Should Sunday rest be a requirement from the Church?

[Bezant]

I’m undecided about this question. As it stands, CCC 2185 sounds more like a recommendation:

"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. 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"

Thoughts?

 

[Vico]

“obligation of Sunday rest”

 

[chevalier]

"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. 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.

Sunday rest is an obligation. What’s worded as a recommendation (but could still be an obligation, in fact) is that legitimate excuses shouldn’t become habits. After all, what if you had a legitimate excuse every Sunday in your life?

 

[MSSheBear]

Sorry, for asking this, but this actually confuses me : Is this Sunday rest an actual Catholic thing? When I was a Protestant I knew any number of Catholics who went to Mass then went to work. One was actually working at a Protestant church. Occasionally I am expected to work on Sundays. What am I suppose to tell my employers? What about going shopping on Sunday? I try not to do any business Sunday morning because otherwise it means someone will be pressured to go to work instead of some worship service. I assumed only [edited] Calvinists insisted on “resting” on Sunday. And, I suspect I wouldn’t get a good answer at a RCIA session, so I am asking on CAF.

 

[Filii_Dei]

The [edited] Calvinists insisted on resting on Sunday because that is the legacy of the Church which made Sunday the Christian day of rest, long before John Calvin was born.

Amongst Protestants, it’s not a universal practice, but there are some who do teach it. As with all things Protestant, there are varying degrees of adherence to tradition. On the other hand, I can say with certainty that this is a Catholic teaching, and there’s even the citation from the CCC to prove it. Whether all Catholics abide by it to the letter is, of course, another issue…

Do note, however, our definition of “rest” is not the same as that which Orthodox Jews define as “abstaining from any work whatsoever, even if that means never touching a light switch in case it might produce a spark and produce ‘work’”. What is important that, as the CCC explains, it must not “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”.

In my case, I interpret it as a time spent with family and friends, devoted to prayer and charity, and most importantly assisting at Mass. If I am called upon to work upon a Sunday, in the interests of my family whom my salary supports, and the employer and/or customers whom my work supports, I go for mass on Saturday evening in advance, and turn up for work the next day. I always try to keep up with my prayer though.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

The [edited] Calvinists insisted on resting on Sunday because that is the legacy of the Church which made Sunday the Christian day of rest, long before John Calvin was born.

Amongst Protestants, it’s not a universal practice, but there are some who do teach it. As with all things Protestant, there are varying degrees of adherence to tradition. On the other hand, I can say with certainty that this is a Catholic teaching, and there’s even the citation from the CCC to prove it. Whether all Catholics abide by it to the letter is, of course, another issue…

Do note, however, our definition of “rest” is not the same as that which Orthodox Jews define as “abstaining from any work whatsoever, even if that means never touching a light switch in case it might produce a spark and produce ‘work’”. What is important that, as the CCC explains, it must not “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”.

In my case, I interpret it as a time spent with family and friends, devoted to prayer and charity, and most importantly assisting at Mass. If I am called upon to work upon a Sunday, in the interests of my family whom my salary supports, and the employer and/or customers whom my work supports, I go for mass on Saturday evening in advance, and turn up for work the next day. I always try to keep up with my prayer though.

Excellent response. Rest doesn’t mean not doing anything but sitting in a straight chair reading the Bible. That is not a Catholic understanding.

If spending time with family includes watching football, that’s OK if it helps build a close family. It might also mean running a few errands for an elderly relative, or doing yard work because you enjoy it, and other similar things I’ve heard people condemn.

What we do need to be sure of is that we assist at a Sunday Mass every Sunday. So from 4pm Staurday until midnight Sunday, we need to get to Mass. In a perfect world, we would arrange our schedule around Mass, but we do not live in a perfect world - so sometimes we fit in Mass beside other things. As long as we are there, and focused on Christ.

We help develop this attitude by not neglecting our daily prayer on all the other days of the week, and by anticipating our needs and trying to schedule things like grocery shoppingor house cleaning on other days.

 

[MSSheBear]

Thank you for your responses. So I see I haven’t acquired an extra work day. Sometimes I need to run an errand for my elderly mother on a Sunday but otherwise I just visit her.

I also assumed that Calvinists invented the whole thing and strung it out to the point where they never held a party on a Sunday or attended one. At the second to last Presbyterian church I attended one individual convinced me that I was to never work or do anything on a Sunday, such as attend a study group. An elder of the same church was often leaving the worship service early to take his son to a game.

By the way, I used to be a die hard Calvinist a couple years ago, and I was “lurking” off and on on CAF.

 

[puzzleannie]

it already is, as your citation shows. What is your question? as the citation shows rest does not mean taking a nap or sitting in a chair all day, it means a break from the regular work of the week, foremost to worship God, and for time with family and friends, and acts of charity. What is there about this you object to?

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

It is a requirement, however those who either work jobs that are required civil services, are excused from this as well as those who are unable to because they don’t make their work schedule and their livelihood would be greatly impacted if they didn’t work on Sundays.

Also, if there is something that needs to be done on Sunday, one is permitted to do so. We’re allowed to do work up until 3 hours on Sunday before it becomes mortally sinful according to my FSSP priest.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

It is a requirement, however those who either work jobs that are required civil services, are excused from this as well as those who are unable to because they don’t make their work schedule and their livelihood would be greatly impacted if they didn’t work on Sundays.

Also, if there is something that needs to be done on Sunday, one is permitted to do so. We’re allowed to do work up until 3 hours on Sunday before it becomes mortally sinful according to my FSSP priest.

Not sure where your priest got this time limit. That is not what the catechism says. The catechism is clear enough, but we each need to apply it to our lives.

Especially since the OP is coming from such a rule-bound Calvinist background, we don’t need to heap more burdens on him then the church gives us.

 

[Vico]

FSSP established by the Pope and operates through the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

fssp.org/en/presentation.htm

Celebrating the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

 

[Catholic90]

Not sure where your priest got this time limit. That is not what the catechism says. The catechism is clear enough, but we each need to apply it to our lives.

Especially since the OP is coming from such a rule-bound Calvinist background, we don’t need to heap more burdens on him then the church gives us.

 

[Windmill]

The FSSP priest is going by a traditional Catholic moral theology book that used to be very respected by priests worldwide (Jone). With the vagueness of the modern Catechism quotation above, a person is justified in seeking clarification.

As to another part that most people skip over: we are obliged to refrain from servile work on Holy Days of Obligation, too.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

The FSSP priest is going by a traditional Catholic moral theology book that used to be very respected by priests worldwide (Jone). With the vagueness of the modern Catechism quotation above, a person is justified in seeking clarification.

As to another part that most people skip over: we are obliged to refrain from servile work on Holy Days of Obligation, too.

Which was never, in the much stricter 1940’s and 1950’s Church of my youth, clearly pre-Vatican II, ever so taught, as the men (as it was then) attended early morning Mass on Holy Days of Obligation, then headed off to work in the mills and factories and stores in our area.

 

[thistle]

I’m undecided about this question. As it stands, CCC 2185 sounds more like a recommendation:

"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. 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"

Thoughts?

That IS a requirement.

 

[TimothyH]

Legitimate work is allowed.

Who want’s to call 911 and get an answering machine or leave all the patients alone in the hospital on Sunday because the nurses, doctors and pharmacists are required to refrain from physical labor? We would have to leave the nation undefended and would be forced to let houses burn down.

***Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” *(Luke 14:5)

Our Holy Church, as communicted to us in the Catechism, has rightly interpreted Jesus’ teaching that the strict interpretation of the Mosaic law as disallowing any physical or mental exertion is not only unworkable, but lacks charity.

We must not become Pharisees. They thought it was a sin to help someone on the Sabbath because it might cause physical or mental exertion. We know that it is a sin not to help a fellow human being when we are able and they are in need if we have the means to do so, Sabath or not.

-Tim-

 

[Ubenedictus]

The [edited] Calvinists insisted on resting on Sunday because that is the legacy of the Church which made Sunday the Christian day of rest, long before John Calvin was born.

Amongst Protestants, it’s not a universal practice, but there are some who do teach it. As with all things Protestant, there are varying degrees of adherence to tradition. On the other hand, I can say with certainty that this is a Catholic teaching, and there’s even the citation from the CCC to prove it. Whether all Catholics abide by it to the letter is, of course, another issue…

Do note, however, our definition of “rest” is not the same as that which Orthodox Jews define as “abstaining from any work whatsoever, even if that means never touching a light switch in case it might produce a spark and produce ‘work’”. What is important that, as the CCC explains, it must not “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”.

In my case, I interpret it as a time spent with family and friends, devoted to prayer and charity, and most importantly assisting at Mass. If I am called upon to work upon a Sunday, in the interests of my family whom my salary supports, and the employer and/or customers whom my work supports, I go for mass on Saturday evening in advance, and turn up for work the next day. I always try to keep up with my prayer though.

if u are not a medical professional and not an artist i think your work on sunday is still a sin despite the fact that it supports your family because most work i can think about does not lead to the ‘relaxation of mind and body’, it is not a sin if your family will starve on monday if u donot work on sunday, if there is no immediate danger of starvation or maybe loss of job then you are not permitted to throw sunday rest thru the window.
Ubenedictus

 

[Luna_Lovecraft]

if u are not a medical professional and not an artist i think your work on sunday is still a sin despite the fact that it supports your family because most work i can think about does not lead to the ‘relaxation of mind and body’, it is not a sin if your family will starve on monday if u donot work on sunday, if there is no immediate danger of starvation or maybe loss of job then you are not permitted to throw sunday rest thru the window.
Ubenedictus

So my husband is hauling 2,000 gallons of raw yogurt that needs to get to the processing plant 500 miles away by 5:00 a.m. Monday, or else it has to by law be dumped.

Does he spend Sunday sitting in his cab at a truck stop while thousands of dollars of food spoils in his tanker? Is wasting all that food the the morally right thing to do? And he’s 500 miles from his family, spending the day cooped up in an 8x6 foot sleeper, knowing that as soon as he’s got this load dropped he can come home to his wife and his daughters. Is that’s relaxing his mind and body?

Luna

 

[Filii_Dei]

if u are not a medical professional and not an artist i think your work on sunday is still a sin despite the fact that it supports your family because most work i can think about does not lead to the ‘relaxation of mind and body’, it is not a sin if your family will starve on monday if u donot work on sunday, if there is no immediate danger of starvation or maybe loss of job then you are not permitted to throw sunday rest thru the window.
Ubenedictus

My friend, my line of work will not give me any room to dictate the days and hours I work. I will also disagree on your insistence on an “immediate danger of starvation or loss of job” as a litmus test for whether one is permitted to work. It is simply not sufficient and comes dangerously close to the Pharisees’ obsession with literal interpretations of Mosaic Law. Shall I wait before my boss threatens to drop me from the payroll? Shall I wait before my family tells me that the refrigerator is empty? What of the upkeep of my house? My children’s college education? My retirement fund? The maintenance of my aging parents? These are not matters we can easily pass judgement from behind a keyboard, and that is why God has given us the Holy Church, that we can seek clarity from the enlightened education of the Magisterium.

I thank you for your perspective, but until the Church produces a more definitive guideline in this regard, I would prefer to follow the advice of my spiritual director and continue in prayer and meditation.

 

[Filii_Dei]

if u are not a medical professional and not an artist i think your work on sunday is still a sin despite the fact that it supports your family because most work i can think about does not lead to the ‘relaxation of mind and body’, it is not a sin if your family will starve on monday if u donot work on sunday, if there is no immediate danger of starvation or maybe loss of job then you are not permitted to throw sunday rest thru the window.
Ubenedictus

My friend, my line of work will not give me any room to dictate the days and hours I work. I will also disagree on your insistence on an “immediate danger of starvation or loss of job” as a litmus test for whether one is permitted to work. It is simply not sufficient and comes dangerously close to the Pharisees’ obsession with literal interpretations of Mosaic Law. Shall I wait before my boss threatens to drop me from the payroll? Shall I wait before my family tells me that the refrigerator is empty? What of the upkeep of my house? My children’s college education? My retirement fund? The maintenance of my aging parents? These are not matters we can easily pass judgement from behind a keyboard, and that is why God has given us the Holy Church, that we can seek clarity from the enlightened reason and faith of the Magisterium.

I thank you for your perspective, but until the Church produces a more definitive guideline in this regard, I would prefer to follow the advice of my spiritual director and continue in prayer and meditation.