Can we make others work for us on Sundays?

Hello Mason & Teo,
I know that the church teaches us not do work of servitude on Sundays. However, what does the church say about being a customer. People often go to eateries after Mass for fellowship. Can this also be scandalous because it is expecting other people (waiters, cooks, etc.) to be in a place of servitude to us? God be with you. (HungryForTruth)

Dear Hungry,

The third commandment is “remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God. No work may be done” (Exodus 20:8-10).

God instituted the Jewish Sabbath so that one day of the week would be set aside to honor him, as creator, as well as serve as a memorial of Israel’s freedom from slavery in Egypt.

Christians celebrate the Lord’s Day as the first day of the week, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.”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 Christian Sunday fulfills the meaning of the Jewish Sabbath in the paschal mystery of Christ.

The Sabbath is a day of rest and renewal. It is a day to praise and thank God for the gifts of creation and salvation. We keep the third commandment by worshipping God in a special way and refraining from unnecessary work.

The commandment does not specify the amount of worship required. However, Catholics are bound to participate in the Mass on Sundays, or the Saturday vigil, the Catechism says, “unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.”

Communal celebration of the Eucharist is a witness to Christ’s fidelity to his church. By going to Sunday Mass, we joyfully witness the holiness of God and hope for salvation. We also imitate God’s action of resting on the seventh day after creation. Thus, Sunday should ideally be a day of rest, relaxation and family renewal.

Jesus himself was accused by Jewish priests of violating the Sabbath law. But Jesus never failed to respect the holiness of the Sabbath and gave the law its authentic and authoritative interpretation. “The Sabbath was made for man,” he said, “not man for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28).

Jesus declared the Sabbath as a day for doing good rather than harm. Keeping holy the Lord’s Day is an invitation to be re-created. Again, the Catechism says, the Sabbath “helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social and religious lives.”

The Catechism also tells us 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.”

While family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse us from the obligation of Sunday rest, they should not undermine our health, family and religion. And since sanctifying Sundays requires a common effort, Christians should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder their observance of the Lord’s Day.

“Unnecessary” work is the kind forbidden on Sunday. Shifting social and economic factors have changed the concept of work, thus it is difficult to give clear-cut rules that would cover all situations. Some Sunday labor is necessary, including, for example, traditional occupations related to sports and restaurants, home chores, and work required for the common good, such as that done by police officers, medical workers and emergency personnel.

But doing business that is not necessary does not honor the Lord’s Day. The Code of Canon Law offers this guidance: “Abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body.”

Sunday is a divinely appointed day to renew ourselves through the Eucharist, worship, exercise, relaxation and reflection. It’s a day for personal growth and conversion. Keeping the Sabbath is a commitment to human and divine wholeness.

In the words of Psalm 118: “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Mason and Teo Matsuda are parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Ewa Beach and have served in youth and young adult ministries for years. Write to them at yaadvice@yahoo.com.