Sunday: A Day Of Rest

[villagelane5]

I wanted to ask if in the very Beginning, God meant Sunday work to be only the exception, and not the rule. When He made the Earth and all in it, on the Seventh Day, He rested. Fast forward thousands of years, and Moses is on Mt Sinai and receives the Ten Commandments in which Our God calls for no work on the Seventh Day. The Sabbath is unto the Lord. Are in the present age just dancing around this issue, by our constantly making exceptions for all that we do on this Day. For all intensive purposes, it has just become another day for commerece. Should there be firmness on our part what Society ought to do to render reverence to God? And should apologist begin to say, that from the very beginning, God did not mean for Sunday’s to be what they are today?

Richard Roberson

 

[puzzleannie]

just because society has revoked the custom of closing businesses on Sunday does not mean the individual may not choose to avoid stores, restaurants and other business transactions on Sunday. Don’t blame the apologist or the Church for societal trends, many of which are supported in action by supposedly devout Catholics. Keep Sunday reserved for the Lord in whatever way is best for you. Don’t judge what others do. Do your best to encourage your parish in supporting families who wish to preserve this day by not scheduling parish events not proper to Sunday rest.

 

[wacky_wonderful]

I’m glad someone brought this up. Now that I am alone and living in this very tiny little RV, what to do on Sundays has become a dilemma for me. Sitting here staring at the wall is not good. I have no one to be with and nothing to do, so volunteering at the local hospital after church is what I have been doing. Helps them and helps me. If my employer asked me to do work on Sunday, I would agree to it simply because I have no reason not to.

 

[Liberian]

Richard,

Actually, there’s more to this Sabbath day of rest than most Catholics talk about. First of all, Sunday is not the Sabbath and is not necessarily a day of rest; it is the Lord’s Day and is a day to worship God. There’s quite a bit in the Catechism about the Sabbath, which is still Saturday, and which the Catechism calls “a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.”

On the other hand, the Catechism also mentions a “Sunday rest” in paragraph 2185, but this appears to be in the context of “work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God … .” It also says that “Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly,” so volunteering in the local hospital is entirely appropriate.

• Liberian

 

[puzzleannie]

works of charity are always appropriate for Sunday (or any other time). You might see if your parish needs help with coffee and donuts, hospitality or other help for RCIA on Sunday, help with youth group or other Sunday events. Evening vespers is a beautiful way to end Sunday, maybe you can get a likeminded group to pray it together.

Another possibility, especially as you volunteer at the hospital, is taking communion to the sick, or visiting the sick, both ministries that your parish probably can prepare you for. DD and her kids for years have visited the nursing home which was built in their neighborhood, making it a practice to visit residents who have no other visitors. they do this on Sunday afternoons when there is no family thing going on. What a beautiful thing to teach your kids.

 

[volzcpa]

Liberian:

Richard,

Actually, there’s more to this Sabbath day of rest than most Catholics talk about. First of all, Sunday is not the Sabbath and is not necessarily a day of rest; it is the Lord’s Day and is a day to worship God. There’s quite a bit in the Catechism about the Sabbath, which is still Saturday, and which the Catechism calls “a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money.”

On the other hand, the Catechism a “Sunday rest” in paragraph 2185, but this appears to be in the context of “work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God … .” It also says that “Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly,” so volunteering in the local hospital is entirely appropriate.

• Liberian

But the CCC in two places indicates that the celebration of the Lord’s Day has replaced the Sabbath.

2175 Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ’s Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man’s eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ:
Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord’s Day, in which our life is blessed by him and by his death.

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.

 

[Katie1723]

I always have to laugh at this one. My BF is Seventh Day Adventist and doesn’t work Saturdays. I am Catholic and like to "rest " Sundays. It is really hard to get any “work” done on a weekend in our relationship.
Kathy

 

[puzzleannie]

while growing up our neighbors were a Jewish man and a Catholic woman with 8 kids, whom they raised Catholic, except for his Jewish children by his first wife (who had died). the Jewish contingent went to synagogue on Saturday and observed the Sabbath rest as the Catholics in the family did all the yardwork, meals etc. On Sunday they in turned did the household chores while the Catholics went to Mass, and they spent the afternoon as a family day. they always had both a Christmas tree and Hannuka candles, but Hannuka was their gift exchange day, on Christmas they all helped serve a meal to the poor at a shelter in Detroit. All the children attended our parochial school, but the Jewish ones of course were exempt from Mass and religion class, and spent that time in the library. One of their sons became a priest.

they always celebrated Sabbath dinner on Friday evening (meatless of course, except for a chicken available for the Jewish children and guests–they always had guests). they also had a Seder meal at Passover, to which we were invited a couple of times.