What is keeping 'holy' the Sabbath?

[ccmcmg]

We are working towards keeping holy the Sabbath. However, we might be purchasing a house this fall, and have been going to an open house now and then. Even though we aren’t working, we are going somewhere that requires someone else to work. Is this keeping it as a day of rest, holy?

What about eating out? Getting gas? Watching television (someone is running the stations)? How far does this go? Are we to sit in Church for 24 hours…? (Yes, it would be great if I could do that. I can’t.) Even volunteer work often requires that someone is working.

We had some important work that we had been doing around the house, and decided that even though we only had the weekend to accomplish it, we wouldn’t be doing it on Sundays. That first Sunday afternoon I got a phone call I had been praying for; I truly felt it was a grace from God, a sign, that we were doing the right thing (He knows I can be dense to things sometimes, and does something that makes it obvious even to me!).

 

[constantconvert]

I don’t have much to offer, but I’m looking forward to what others have to say because I’ve always been very curious about this.

 

[corsair]

The Sabbath is Saturday and the Lord’s Day is Sunday. Being a Catholic, I go to Mass and refrain from servile labor and don’t cause others to work. We feed the animals and do only necessary chores. Its a day with the family after Mass.

 

[ccmcmg]

The Sabbath is Saturday and the Lord’s Day is Sunday. Being a Catholic, I go to Mass and refrain from servile labor and don’t cause others to work. We feed the animals and do only necessary chores. Its a day with the family after Mass.

Splitting hairs? You knew what I meant.

Sab·bath [sab-uhth] noun
1.
the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians. Ex. 20:8–11.
2.
the first day of the week, Sunday, similarly observed by most Christians in commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ.

Per the CCC, Sunday is the fulfillment of the Sabbath.
*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2190 The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.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.*

 

[CB_Catholic]

I did not answer the poll because while I avoid unnecessary manual labor and shopping, (for the most part, unless there is an emergency) I do go out to eat at times.

I would not put shopping in the same category as eating out, because eating out on Sundays is often a tradition in families and is part of their rest. The fact that someone has to work on Sundays does not bother me because in many cases there is no choice–they have to support themselves, and most people are not afforded the luxury of naming their own hours.

I believe that we have to be careful not to become so rigid about Sundays that we cross the line and do that which Jesus condemned.

 

[smichhertz]

Hi ccmcmg,

Great question! I answered the “*I refrain from manual labor, but go out to eat or shop.” *option. I’m curious to hear what others have to say on the manner.

I don’t buy into the whole “causing others to work” thing because “work” is a relative term. An activity some might view as laborious, others enjoy doing. So I trust that others can discern for themselves what would be appropriate. If you enjoy working at a local diner and don’t mind taking a Sunday shift, I would argue that it’s not work in that instance.

In any case, I’m not married to that line of logic, but it’s just what a priest told me once and seems to make sense. Hope that helps!

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I do all my home chores on the Sabbath (Saturday) and go to Mass and relax on the Lord’s Day (Sunday). I think we all deserve a day of rest after a hard week of work and the next one coming up.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I think the key is to think about how you want to spend Sundays and then follow through with action.

I want Sunday to be a day set apart and a day of rest and relaxation. Given those goals, how can I get there?

I think people will come up with different answers. I have one friend whose standard is not to spend any money on Sunday. Something free is OK while something that requires money is not OK. Personally I don’t see a big difference in spending time at the park (free) and at the zoo (paid admission) but she would do one on a Sunday and not the other. OK, that works for her.

Two things that I have decided for myself are not to go shopping and not to do chores around the house.

I used to regularly stop at the grocery store after Mass but that was something that – as I gave it thought – seemed disruptive to my rest and relaxation. Making sure that I stock up on Saturday instead has made Sunday feel more relaxing to me and more special.

The same thing with routine chores like laundry or housekeeping. I don’t haul out the vacuum cleaner on Sunday afternoon – if I didn’t vacuum on Saturday it can wait until Monday. Same thing with laundry. I have to think about it and plan my time.

I will do things like go out to eat or go to a movie – those are relaxing to me. But it’s interesting to me how much more special Sunday feels. It’s not just another day of the week or a day off when I can get lots of things done. Before i undertake an activity on Sunday I find myself thinking about whether this will bring me closer to God or lead me to feel re-created.

 

[otjm]

I happen to do servile work on Sunday (after Mass) for several reasons; one of the prime ones is that I sit at a desk M-F poking numbers into holes all day. I am currently;working on rebuilding a deck, and it is peaceful, enjoyable, quiet, a time of contemplation (the wood rarely talks back to me!) and is a prayerful time.

If I were a carpenter, perhap I would have a different perspective on the matter, but that is not my trade.

I also occasionally go shopping as I find it to be very enjoyable as an activity.

As far as going out to eat, I don’t go out often, but when my mother was alive she and I would go out on Sunday to dinner. She sat cooped up in the foster care home 7 days a week, and Sundays were “her time” with me. As far as making anyone “work” on Sunday, they were working whether or not I came to dinner, so the issue was pointless.

1. having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
   “bowing his head in a servile manner”
   synonyms: obsequious, sycophantic, deferential, subservient, fawning, ingratiating, unctuous, groveling, toadyish, slavish, humble, self-abasing; More
   antonyms: assertive
2. of or characteristic of a slave or slaves.

I don’t see my deck work to be servile (in spite of my first sentence)… I have had work which required me to work on Sunday, and I generally was not a happy camper but the alternative at the time was not palatable either.

Recreation takes many forms. I do not object to someone else’s definition, as long as they do not seek to impose it upon me. I can thoroughly understand someone who farms, who takes Sunday off (and I know a goodly number of farmers who cannot take it off, because the crops won’t wait). Farming is not a 9 to 5 job, and never has been, and never will be. If ;you are dairying, the cows get milked twice a day 365. Period.

I chose to poke numbers into holes.