Working on Sunday evening

[ela2]

Please put this in the appropriate place if it does not belong here.

Does the Sunday observation apply to the whole of Sunday? I mean can I do housework on Sunday evening?

I have a newborn and I just can’t finish things which needs to be done throughout the week. Evenings are a time when the little one sleeps the longest so I am wondering if I can work on Sunday evening.

 

[Cat]

Please put this in the appropriate place if it does not belong here.

Does the Sunday observation apply to the whole of Sunday? I mean can I do housework on Sunday evening?

I have a newborn and I just can’t finish things which needs to be done throughout the week. Evenings are a time when the little one sleeps the longest so I am wondering if I can work on Sunday evening.

You take care of your newborn, don’t you? That’s work. So do you think you should stop taking care of your newborn?

Taking care of your home is part of taking care of your newborn.

 

[blujazz25]

When they say abstain from work it means from unnecessary work. You taking care of a newborn is necessary work for the baby to survive, same rule applies for healthcare workers who work weekends or for other people who have or need to work weekends. As long as you have fulfilled your Sunday obligation of going to mass, then you are good.

 

[GLam8833]

I tend to look at a day as sundown to sundown, the
way the Jews of Israel do. Therefore, Sunday after
sundown is MONDAY!

 

[UbiCaritas]

You take care of your newborn, don’t you? That’s work. So do you think you should stop taking care of your newborn?

Taking care of your home is part of taking care of your newborn.

Exactly!

If you can, I’d suggest putting off the heavier tasks (scrubbing the kitchen floor, for instance) for a day other than Sunday–not because it would be sinful to scrub the floor on Sunday, but because you need a day of rest, too! While I know that a “real” day of rest ain’t gonna happen anytime soon for those of us with babies , I try to make Sunday as much a day of rest as possible. Of course the dishes still get done, the diapers still get washed, and dinner still gets made; I just don’t scrub or dust or do laundry (excepting diapers) or ironing on Sunday.

Something that really helped me was making out a weekly schedule for what major task gets done on what day. Every day has cooking and emptying the dishwasher, that sort of thing, but in addition I try to do just one more thing that doesn’t have to be done more than once or twice a week. On Mondays, for example, I’ll clean out the fridge and generally clean/mop the kitchen. Tuesday, I vacuum the upstairs. Wednesday I deal with the bathrooms. Etc. I’m far from perfect at this schedule, but I find when I stick to it that once I hit Sunday, my house is reasonably (key word reasonably) tidy, and I don’t have a major undone chore staring me in the face.

 

[suezette]

I see nothing wrong with taking care of a new born at any time, instead failing to do so because it is a Sunday to me would mean being an “extremist”, something I am also yet to undrestand fully.
Our priest discourages us from abscorning from hospital work on Sundays in the name going to church, he says it is our calling to be with the most needy of God’s people at that time. I do not know if you agree with him, but I do: because thats where Christ is, in the sick, prisoners, new borns… “What soever you do, to the least of my brothers…”
Please read Lk 6:1-11(emphasis on verse 9).

 

[Kal2012]

Honestly, Saturday tends to be my day of rest, not Sunday. Sundays tend to be busy with getting everyone ready for the school and work week. (especially during the school year).

I tend to say whatever works for you and your family. It’s important to have a day of rest, but I also tend to think that all bets are off when you have a newborn because you are getting used to their schedule - and very sleep deprived. Rest when you can. Clean when you can. Your house will never be truly clean again until the kiddos move out. I have a 6 year old and I dream of the day when I’m not telling him to pick things up and clean up that mess and on and on and on…

Give yourself time to adjust to have a newborn in the house. I believe that Catechism teaches that parents with newborns aren’t obligated (in terms of the Sunday obligation) in the same ways that parents of older children are because of duties that the parent has to the newborn child. I forget where exactly it talks about this in the CCC, but I remember being surprised that it was in there. But, really every aspect of life is discussed in the CCC. I really shouldn’t have been surprised.

 

[speters33w]

Nice…

I’m stuck performing work Sunday morning midnight, and Monday morning midnight except for one weekend a month (my guaranteed weekend off call) most months.

Am I in violation?

And it’s not health/safety. It’s so Banks (Sunday night) and Telecoms (Internet and Cable Monday night) can have maintenance performed at “low impact time.”

In a way I’d love to refuse but I will lose my job.

I make Sunday Mass almost all of the time, though I frequently have to attend Saturday Evening / Sunday Afternoon to make it.

I’d love to have baby problems again…

I mean, really. Would the Church recommend I quit? Please source.

 

[Sarcelle]

Nice…

I’m stuck performing work Sunday morning midnight, and Monday morning midnight except for one weekend a month (my guaranteed weekend off call) most months.

Am I in violation?

And it’s not health/safety. It’s so Banks (Sunday night) and Telecoms (Internet and Cable Monday night) can have maintenance performed at “low impact time.”

In a way I’d love to refuse but I will lose my job.

I make Sunday Mass almost all of the time, though I frequently have to attend Saturday Evening / Sunday Afternoon to make it.

I’d love to have baby problems again…

I mean, really. Would the Church recommend I quit? Please source.

No, I don’t think the Church recommend that you quit.

However to be absolutely sure…
I suggest you talk to your priest.

 

[ela2]

Gosh! Cat and Suezette I don’t mean I don’t want to take care of the baby! Please don’t misunderstand and I don’t think reading from the question I asked in any way implies that I want to abandon the little one on Sundays as part of the observation.

 

[ela2]

Exactly!

If you can, I’d suggest putting off the heavier tasks (scrubbing the kitchen floor, for instance) for a day other than Sunday–not because it would be sinful to scrub the floor on Sunday, but because you need a day of rest, too! While I know that a “real” day of rest ain’t gonna happen anytime soon for those of us with babies , I try to make Sunday as much a day of rest as possible. Of course the dishes still get done, the diapers still get washed, and dinner still gets made; I just don’t scrub or dust or do laundry (excepting diapers) or ironing on Sunday.

Something that really helped me was making out a weekly schedule for what major task gets done on what day. Every day has cooking and emptying the dishwasher, that sort of thing, but in addition I try to do just one more thing that doesn’t have to be done more than once or twice a week. On Mondays, for example, I’ll clean out the fridge and generally clean/mop the kitchen. Tuesday, I vacuum the upstairs. Wednesday I deal with the bathrooms. Etc. I’m far from perfect at this schedule, but I find when I stick to it that once I hit Sunday, my house is reasonably (key word reasonably) tidy, and I don’t have a major undone chore staring me in the face.

Thanks ubi! These are very helpful!