Working On Sunday: Absolute Confusion

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I’ve searched all over and I could only find info about people who need to work on Sunday. My situation is different: I don’t need to work, but I would like to work. The weekends would be when I would be able to work.

Obviously I have no intentions of missing Mass due to work. If I were to work on Sunday, it would be in the afternoon.
 
Melodeonist said:
I’ve searched all over and I could only find info about people who need to work on Sunday. My situation is different: I don’t need to work, but I would like to work. The weekends would be when I would be able to work.

Obviously I have no intentions of missing Mass due to work. If I were to work on Sunday, it would be in the afternoon.
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The Church does not teach it is forbidden to work on Sundays. If you are looking at a part time job working around your high school/college schedule (can’t remember whether you are in high school or college), many of them do require work on weekends in various rotating shifts and such.

Yes, you can take a job on a weekend.

This is something you should discuss with your priest locally if you have questions, because you are bound to get a plethora of responses on here, some of which may give you erroneous information.
 
1ke said:
The Church does not teach it is forbidden to work on Sundays. If you are looking at a part time job working around your high school/college schedule (can’t remember whether you are in high school or college), many of them do require work on weekends in various rotating shifts and such.

Yes, you can take a job on a weekend.

This is something you should discuss with your priest locally if you have questions, because you are bound to get a plethora of responses on here, some of which may give you erroneous information.
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Thanks for the reply! 😃

I’m currently in College. It’ll just be a part time job. I’ll bring it up with Father before confession tomorrow. 🙂
 
Andres88 said:
Did you guys have a read of the Dies Domini?
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👍👍👍

And also the section in the Catechism

Catechism:

A day of grace and rest from work

2185 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.123 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.
Code: 
The charity of truth seeks holy leisure- the necessity of charity accepts just work.124
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).

scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c1a3.htm#II Read the whole there

and also Pope Benedict XVI document:

"The meaning of rest and of work
  1. Finally, it is particularly urgent nowadays to remember that the day of the Lord is also a day of rest from work. It is greatly to be hoped that this fact will also be recognized by civil society, so that individuals can be permitted to refrain from work without being penalized. Christians, not without reference to the meaning of the Sabbath in the Jewish tradition, have seen in the Lord’s Day a day of rest from their daily exertions. This is highly significant, for it relativizes work and directs it to the person: work is for man and not man for work. It is easy to see how this actually protects men and women, emancipating them from a possible form of enslavement. As I have had occasion to say, “work is of fundamental importance to the fulfilment of the human being and to the development of society. Thus, it must always be organized and carried out with full respect for human dignity and must always serve the common good. At the same time, it is indispensable that people not allow themselves to be enslaved by work or to idolize it, claiming to find in it the ultimate and definitive meaning of life.” (209) It is on the day consecrated to God that men and women come to understand the meaning of their lives and also of their work."
–Pope Benedict XVI

Read the whole: w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html#The_eucharistic_form_of_the_christian_life
 
I’m not sure the responses you are getting are accurate, as I know that bosses are asked by the Church to give the faithful time to worship, so I would imagine, unless it’s something like emergency work that it would be sinful. Anyway, if you are American, I recommend that you talk to your boss about it. Please see title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if your employer has any issue.
 
adamhovey1988 said:
I’m not sure the responses you are getting are accurate, as I know that bosses are asked by the Church to give the faithful time to worship, so I would imagine, unless it’s something like emergency work that it would be sinful. Anyway, if you are American, I recommend that you talk to your boss about it. Please see title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if your employer has any issue.
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I would be working in the afternoon. It wouldn’t conflict with going to Mass (I go to the early 7:30 Mass.) 🤷
 
Melodeonist said:
I would be working in the afternoon. It wouldn’t conflict with going to Mass (I go to the early 7:30 Mass.) 🤷
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Then don’t worry about it.

THose excepts above each have the qualifier–if the choice is between Mass and work, go to Mass. Otherwise, you’re o.k. to work.
 
I would like to interject a little food for thought here. 😊

Understand, I do not have a legalistic view about “no work on Sundays.”

However, I have a dear friend who is 7th Day Adventist and she was a wonderful witness to the blessings one receives when you make an effort to joyfully observe a day of rest. Again, I don’t say you “must” nor that it must be a certain day. But God commanded it in the Old Testament intending it as a gift to His people, a blessing. He Himself rested after His work of creation.

Following my friend’s example, I intentionally try to plan a day each week to rest and I can tell you it’s been a wonderful blessing. It doesn’t happen every week, and it doesn’t always last an entire day. But when you view it joyfully, as a gift, it really is pretty wonderful. 🙂

Just something to think about!
 
Unfortunately a Saturday only job would be hard to find. People need to work for reasons other than financial–perhaps to become more independent or to have some work experience on a resume for when they graduate college. Unless you participate in many extra curricular activities or volunteer, it may be hard to explain this to future employers after college. Stating you did not need to work because your parents supported you does not sound good.

You do need a day of rest though.Pope Benedict warns about becoming a workaholic.

I agree to discuss this with your priest, and include that you need the experience.
 
LPS said:
Understand, I do not have a legalistic view about “no work on Sundays.”

However, I have a dear friend who is 7th Day Adventist and she was a wonderful witness to the blessings one receives when you make an effort to joyfully observe a day of rest. Again, I don’t say you “must” nor that it must be a certain day. But God commanded it in the Old Testament intending it as a gift to His people, a blessing. He Himself rested after His work of creation.

Following my friend’s example, I intentionally try to plan a day each week to rest and I can tell you it’s been a wonderful blessing. It doesn’t happen every week, and it doesn’t always last an entire day. But when you view it joyfully, as a gift, it really is pretty wonderful. 🙂

Just something to think about!
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My family has a policy of planning and preparing to have Sunday as a day of rest. We’ve done this for several years. It is not that hard and has been a great blessing. As Jesus says the Sabbath was created for man. I just don’t understand why we seem so reluctant to accept this gift.
 
on_the_hill said:
Then don’t worry about it.

THose excepts above each have the qualifier–if the choice is between Mass and work, go to Mass. Otherwise, you’re o.k. to work.
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It is not as simple as that.

Please read the texts I gave above. The Lords Day is very important and is not for Christians a normal day of work.

There is more to the Lords Day than going to Mass (though that is central).

So I would not simply say that “otherwise it is ok to work”.

The OP though should bring is particular circumstances to his confessor and discuss them.
 
I talked to Father before confession today and told him the circumstances. I also told him that work wouldn’t prevent me from going to Mass. I also told him how it’s my first job, and I need experience.

He told me that I should really not have much of an issue because I can still attend Mass, and if I stay there then I can probably change the Sunday day to something else. 🙂

Unfortunately, I forgot to tell him that I can’t change the Sunday day even if I could because college schedule prevents me from working weekdays, but it probably doesn’t matter.
 
Melodeonist said:
I talked to Father before confession today and told him the circumstances. I also told him that work wouldn’t prevent me from going to Mass. I also told him how it’s my first job, and I need experience.

He told me that I should really not have much of an issue because I can still attend Mass, and if I stay there then I can probably change the Sunday day to something else. 🙂

Unfortunately, I forgot to tell him that I can’t change the Sunday day even if I could because college schedule prevents me from working weekdays, but it probably doesn’t matter.
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You have your answer, be at peace.
 
Melodeonist said:
I talked to Father before confession today and told him the circumstances. I also told him that work wouldn’t prevent me from going to Mass. I also told him how it’s my first job, and I need experience.

He told me that I should really not have much of an issue because I can still attend Mass, and if I stay there then I can probably change the Sunday day to something else. 🙂

Unfortunately, I forgot to tell him that I can’t change the Sunday day even if I could because college schedule prevents me from working weekdays, but it probably doesn’t matter.
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Excellent! You can now be at complete peace. As a priest, I can assure you that what you forgot to mention would only strengthen your confessor’s advice.

How grateful we need to be for our countless brothers and sisters who are at work every Sunday and whose contributions to societal welfare are critical and irreplaceable: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and all their support staff…hospitals and other emergency care facilities and those who drive ambulances…funeral homes and those others who have care for the deceased…police, fireman and other first responders and rescuers…the military…scientists always working with regard to weather, earthquake, volcanoes, hurricanes…those who provide the vast network of public transport…those in help centers.

The list would be enormous of everyone whose Sunday work is vital and whose selflessness is to be praised and to be thanked.
 
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