Working on Sunday

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I’m a nurse and work doubles every saturday and sunday, missing all 5 weekend masses at my parish. One of the innumerable things I love about the Catholic Church is I can go to mass every other day of the week, and also Addoration on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I homeschool 3 of my kids, we can sit in the chapel any day during the week praying the Rosary. If i’m sinning i’m enjoying it tremendously. With love.
 
I am hired help with the parish, which means I am at 3-5 of the weekend Masses, RCIA on Sunday morning for adults & kids, plus Youth Mass and Youth group once a month, have to be there for any parish events, at least once a month - All Saints dinner, followed by 4 hrs adoration on vigil of All saints, youth will be part of the Eucharistic procession so I need to be there the entire time (it will be a 16 hour day for me). Oblate Sunday is every other month at the monastery all day, which is my most important spiritual commitment outside Mass, so I don’t want to miss it.

I deliberately try not to plan any CCD events for Sunday because I believe it is family day, and it is also the ONLY day my husband and I have any time together. I resent having to give up Sunday afternoons. and I do not like having anything about my job cause resentment, so I will pray about it.

Today is my day off and I am here researching for a new Q&A feature the pastor wants in the buleltin. Naturally I am too lazy to do any research myself so I will rely on you guys. Be on the lookout for my questions, and thanks for the web links about the DaVinci code.
 
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asquared:
What is work? What is the intent of the prohibition of work on the Sabbath? Family A does not work on Sunday, whoever is up by 10 goes to Mass, but nobody forces recalcitrant or sleepy teenagers to comply. A fast food run after Mass, with stops at Walmart and the grocery store get them set for a restful sabbath at home. Dad is watching football on the couch, sister is at the Mall with her friends, brother is in his room playing computer games, mom is making a creative memories scrapbook on the kitchen table. Supper will be pizza or leftovers, everybody snacking when they feel like it. The whole day passes and family members never say more than 10 words to each other. Monday morning mom and dad rush off to work in their offices, and kids to school, sports, clubs and after school activities to fill up another week until the next sabbath.

Family B also works hard all week, mom taking care of house, food, shopping, cleaning, new baby, chauffering, brownie meetings etc.etc. Dad works in a factory, or the post office, or some job that keeps him on his feet all day. Kids are at school etc. On Sunday they get up early to get ready for Mass. Over cereal and toast, they listen to Dad read the gospel. They get there a little early to find seats where the little kids can see. They discuss the readings and sermon in the car. They don’t stop to eat or shop, because they don’t want to force other people to work on Sunday. At home everybody helps with dinner, Dad barbeques, girls set the table, boys pick up the family room and bathrooms, mom feeds the baby. After dinner baby naps in the playpen while everybody else spends an hour outside together weeding, cutting grass, raking leaves. Working together the yard is clean and cars washed in less than an hour. TV is forbidden on Sunday so either they go for a drive, nature walk in a park, riding bikes, or just play ball out back. In bad weather, they play board games, with special rules for the little kids. Supper is sandwiches, everybody helps get clothes, books etc ready for Monday. Rosary together, Dad reads aloud from a story book or poetry, then to bed.

Who worked? who kept the sabbath?
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I think it is clear that Family B kept the Sabbath. Family A isn’t much of a family at all. I know this post is really obvious but I wanted to say it anyway. Have a good night everyone!
 
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Carolyn:
I am not sure how to answer this question. I am a retail employee. The busiest day of the wk is Saturday followed by Sunday. People who work in my company must have availabilty to work any day of the wk. I like everything about my job except working Sundays and holidays. … I wish stores were not open on Sundays… 😦 :mad:
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I recall this thread started with a references to “sins” that don’t hurt anybody else, and are they really sins, with Sunday work given as an example. This poster demonstrates why someone’s else choosing to break the sabbath harms another person. Everytime we walk into a store or restaurant on Sunday we have forced another person to work. When I was a kid there were very few stores open, even the shopping centers (pre-mall days) were closed, because the entire culture respected the need for a break from business as usual.
 
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AnAtheist:
A discussion in another thread about findings sins that do not hurt anybody…
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There’s no such thing as a sin that doesn’t hurt someone. If something truly doesn’t hurt anyone, it isn’t sinful.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
Baltimore Catechism No. 4 questions 358, 359 and 360 say that unnecessary servile work is forbidden on the Lord’s Day. Servile work is the work that was formerly done by slaves. Reading, writing, studying, etc. is not servile work, because they were not the works of slaves.

Servile work on Sundays is lawful when the honor of God, the good of our neighbor, or necessity requires it.

For example building an altar on Sunday so that people can worship God, repairing a bridge that people need to use every day, clearing off a railroad track after a train accident, fighting fires, sailors working on a ship, etc.
 
Hmmm… I like to go out to eat on Sunday, or to go to the library, which is open on Sunday here.

That said, I really hated working every Sunday when I was a waitress. I could always manage to catch a Mass, but it did get a little touch-n-go there for a while when we became short-handed and we were all given six days a week, with several double shifts. I had to explain, over and over, “I either need to be out of here by 6pm on Saturday night, or not come in 'till later on Sunday, or out by 6pm on Sunday. I CANNOT work doubles all weekend.” Every time I had a double Saturday, followed by a Sunday morning shift, the manager would come and say “I need you to stay late tonight, we’re short handed.” I’d tell him that I COULDN’T do it and he’d say “Well, we’ll see what we can do…” and it was touch and go there a couple of times.

There’s some chain of crafts stores that closes on Sundays and I know of someone (who is very anti-religion) who just COMPLAINS about it all. the. time. She thinks they’re impossing their religion on her and she finds it very inconvenient because her comfy, white-collar, high-paying job doesn’t make it convenient to shop on weekdays!
 
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katybird:
I really hated working every Sunday when I was a waitress. I could always manage to catch a Mass, but it did get a little touch-n-go there for a while when we became short-handed and we were all given six days a week, with several double shifts. I had to explain, over and over, “I either need to be out of here by 6pm on Saturday night, or not come in 'till later on Sunday, or out by 6pm on Sunday. I CANNOT work doubles all weekend.” Every time I had a double Saturday, followed by a Sunday morning shift, the manager would come and say “I need you to stay late tonight, we’re short handed.” I’d tell him that I COULDN’T do it and he’d say “Well, we’ll see what we can do…” and it was touch and go there a couple of times.

There’s some chain of crafts stores that closes on Sundays and I know of someone (who is very anti-religion) who just COMPLAINS about it all. the. time. She thinks they’re impossing their religion on her and she finds it very inconvenient because her comfy, white-collar, high-paying job doesn’t make it convenient to shop on weekdays!
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Kathybird, I think you make a good point.

The issue in our modern society is not so much the individual but employers. The sin is by employers who make their employees work on Sunday.

In Europe, they have much stricter laws against forced Sunday work. I think in America we do have a more appropriate and balanced approach in companies were the workers have a union – namely double time for Sunday work. This way if Sunday work is really essential to the boss, at least he takes a financial penalty and the employee gets some extra pay to make up for it.

It all goes back to Catholic social principles and the right of workers to have a union.
 
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katherine2:
Kathybird, I think you make a good point.

The issue in our modern society is not so much the individual but employers. The sin is by employers who make their employees work on Sunday.

It all goes back to Catholic social principles and the right of workers to have a union.
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I agree with you!
 
We used to have a family tradition of going out to lunch at a restaurant after mass. We no longer do that. Now lunch is on me. As I see it the work has just shifted & now it’s on me.😦
 
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AlanFromWichita:
Jesus told us that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

I think as soon as you become a slave to rules on what you can/cannot do on the sabbath you give up your freedom. I’m convinced that God instituted the sabbath to allow people to have a day of rest, not to force them to refrain from specific activities on a particular day. Therefore I voted for option #3.
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Although I am not Christian and therefore do not hold the same beliefs in Jesus or Sundays always being holy days, I think that your post takes a different perspective from what I’ve seen and what I was taught growing up Catholic.

Personally, I really don’t have much of a choice regarding working on Sundays, regardless of which religion I followed. I do not work in the medical, law enforcement, etc. fields, but if I want to pay my rent and buy food for myself, in addition to other bills, I have no choice other than to work 7 days a week while going to school full time.
 
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BlessedBe13:
…if I want to pay my rent and buy food for myself, in addition to other bills, I have no choice other than to work 7 days a week while going to school full time.
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which brings us back to the question of economic justice and the rights of workers.
 
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katherine2:
which brings us back to the question of economic justice and the rights of workers.
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That is true.

At my former job at a supermarket, I at least got paid time and a half if they needed me to work on Sundays. Where I work now on weekends (emergency road service call center) I get nothing extra for working Sundays.
 
**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. 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. CCC
 
I didn’t vote in the poll because I feel that most public service workers (firefighters, police, nurses, doctors, EMS crews, etc.) often have to work on Sunday, and thier work is noble and necessary. Is it OK so long as you managed to attend Mass on Saturday night, or at some point on Sunday? Can it really be a sin if you have to work a shift on a Sunday, but went to Mass Saturday night?
 
I work nights at a 24/7 call center. My shift goes from 9 pm to 5:30 am so my Saturday night shift ends on Sunday morning. Our workplace requires us to work at least one weekend day. Though I do not have a shift that starts on Sunday itself, my Saturday shift does have me working on Sunday.

Single and living alone, this job pays my bills. I do have Sunday night off so I have most of Sunday off from work. When I voted, I picked the second choice and think I am not sinning since I have little choice short of finding a different job (easier said than done).

Ricky C.
 
I have a friend at work who is Protestant. She has to work every Sunday. She wants to start going to Church again so she begged me to work every other Sunday so she could attend Church more often. I would only have to work 10am to 5pm every other Sunday so I still have time to make it to Mass. I was just wondering if I was still sinning at all.
 
Hi Guys,

Posts no. 2 and 3 were pretty much fair explanation. As a foreigner in a country that is dominantly muslim and opposes to any other worship than Islam, I think this explains why it is not sinful “per se” when one misses his Sunday obligation to participate in the Holy Mass. In my simple remembrance of this day as holy, I use to read the readings from the internet and read anything that is spiritual to make my self more knowledgable of our rich faith in the Lord through the mother Church.

As a Catholic who grew in an island that is almost exclusively Catholic (batanes.gov.phI))I know exactly what it feels when one misses his/her Sunday obligation. In my birth town, Sunday is literrally non-working holy day. Everyone who was seen going to his/her fields on these days usually receives harsh judgment but this practice formed my respect for this Day of the Lord. I am missing everything that is done by free Catholics… I ask you to please pray for me and I wish you all Merry Christmas.

-losav
 
This thread is of interest to me. Right now, I currently work 2 jobs. The first job supports me just fine, and my husband works too. However, I took on a second part-time job last summer (as an educator, I get summers off), and currently, I am still working the 2nd job in addition to my primary, full-time job.

The second job requires me to work every Sunday, for a 4 hour shift. The job is not essential to paying my bills, but is really helping me out in terms of having that extra cash for things like Christmas, birthday gifts, weddings, etc., and I do not have to take the money from the salary that goes toward paying the bills and our general savings.

Do I have to quit this job because I am not keeping the Sabbath, and the second job is “extra”, not essential, money. I wasn’t planning on quitting, but this thread is making me feel guilty all of a sudden! Thanks.
 
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