When I am at a parish for the Mass of confirmation, I sometimes ask those to be confirmed if they know why we Catholics keep Sunday as our Sabbath. Being somewhat well-versed in the Book of Genesis, they first want to say that it is because God rested on the seventh day. I usually have to work a bit to get the next and better answer, that it is the day of our Lord’s Resurrection, hence every Sunday is a celebration and reliving of the triumph of his return from the dead. 

Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM

I remember from my youth that Catholics were very much attuned to the special nature of Sundays. There were no Saturday Masses then, and the total abstinence from food and drink before holy Communion was still in place. I don’t bemoan the addition of Saturday evening Masses or the shortening of abstaining from food and drink to what is now one hour. But we have probably lost something of the spirit of—as much as possible—a Sunday free of work and devoted to practicing our faith and making room for some rest.  

Of course, women who routinely spent much of the day providing the large family gatherings for a meal that is common in some cultures might say that Sunday was never a day of particular rest for them. But this rest is meant to be a break from ordinary weekday preoccupations as much as a refraining from manual labors.  

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the point about Sundays: “The sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ. The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the ‘eighth day,’ Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day” (Catechism 2190, 2191).  

As to keeping Sunday as a day apart from unnecessary labor, the Catechism quotes the Code of Canon Law: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass. They are also 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” (Canon 1247).  

It is notable that a major reminder of the special character of a Sunday is in the closing of Chick-fil-A stores on Sundays. Perhaps the generous supply of televised sporting events might be another invitation to step away from daily cares. I remember visiting with my parents the many church festivals that occurred on Sundays, at which people were invited to be at ease and to enjoy one another’s company.   

It is good for families to reclaim the special role that Sunday has in their lives, both by attending Mass together as much as possible and by spending time together outside of church in a meal of some sort, in an outdoor activity, in playing games, or in seeing some local place of interest. If you’re as old as I am, you remember sometimes going for a Sunday drive. My father would work in his garden during the week but find a fulfilling rest watching baseball on Sundays.  

Pope Benedict XVI warned us not too long ago: “In our technical age we risk becoming victims of our own intellectual and technical achievements, ending up in spiritual barrenness and emptiness of heart.” That is the danger that we seek to avoid in ‘keeping holy the Lord’s Day.’    

We need to reflect on whether we are keeping Sunday as a day for God and a day for gratitude. If it becomes just another day, we will have lost something profound for our church, our families, and our society.