PRACTICES DEPICTING THE CELEBRATION OF THE SABBATH DAY OF THE SABBATARIANS AND THE CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S DAY OF THE SUNDAY-KEEPING CHRISTIANS.
By Dr. Rey V. Entila, Ph.D
THE SABBATH AND THE LORD’S DAY OBSERVANCE
ACCORDING TO THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
While the Sabbatarians strive to strictly
observe the Old Testament precept to keep holy the Sabbath day by worshipping
the Lord and resting from manual labors, they cannot truly follow them because
even the Israelites themselves were not able to fulfill them. Whereas
Sabbatarians would like to retain the Sabbath law, they have taken many
precepts associated with them as found in the Old Law. They take away capital
punishment found for transgressing the
Sabbath law (Ex.31:15). At the same time, they also take away the various Old
Testament commands such as: not to light a fire (Ex.35:3); no work to be done
on the seventh day but eat only what was prepared (Ex.12:16); not to cook on
Sabbath but must cook all foods on Friday (Ex.16:23); not to carry anything on
Sabbath (Jer.17:21); all doors should be shut, except for the Temple doors
(Neh.13:19); open the door of the Temple (Ezek.46:1,3). These are the commands
which even the forefathers of Israel
were not able to fulfill (Neh.13:17-18) and even the children of their race
were not able to follow in order not to profane the Sabbath. These kinds of Old
Testament laws are the examples of what St. Peter said in the Council of
Jerusalem “which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts
15:10).
If the
Sabbatarians reason out that they do not anymore keep the letter of the law but
the spirit of the law, because the letter kills (2 Cor.3:6), then, they have
not truly followed the spirit of the law. It is because 2 Cor.3 says that the
code or covenant written in stone (referring to the Ten Commandments) have been
superseded by the new covenant written in the heart by the Spirit. It is in
this perspective that the spirit but not the letter of the Sabbath law is
replaced by the spirit of the observance of the Lord’s day or Sunday when
Christ resurrected from the dead to give life to every Christian believer. No
longer is a Christian not to work during the Lord’s day as in Sabbath day, but
the Christian can do works of mercy to help the sick, the hungry, naked,
imprisoned, ignorant, thirsty, lonely, etc., to sanctify the Lord’s day and to
procure physical and spiritual benefit to others.
Concerning the Lord’s day theology and observance, this researcher
deigns to present the clear and authoritative words of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church in its numbered paragraphs. This will benefit both Catholics
and non-Catholics, Sunday-keepers or Sabbatarians to learn from the 2,000-year
wisdom of the Catholic Church.
THE LORD'S DAY
2174 Jesus rose from the dead "on the first day of the week."
Because it is the "first day," the day of Christ's Resurrection
recalls the first creation. Because it is the "eighth day" following
the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by Christ's
Resurrection. For Christians it has become the first of all days, the first of
all feasts, the Lord's Day (he kuriake hemera, dies dominica) Sunday:
We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day [after
the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God, separating matter from
darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose
from the dead.
2175 Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows
chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces
that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth
of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God. For worship
under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there
prefigured some aspects of Christ:
Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a
new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord's Day, in which our life
is blessed by him and by his death.
2176 The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed
by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and
regular worship "as a sign of his universal beneficence to all."
Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its
rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his
people.
2177 The Sunday celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at
the heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal
mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed
as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church."
2178 This practice of the Christian assembly dates from the beginnings
of the apostolic age. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds the faithful
"not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but to
encourage one another."
Tradition preserves the memory of an ever-timely exhortation: Come
to Church early, approach the Lord, and confess your sins, repent in prayer.
. . . Be present at the sacred and divine liturgy, conclude its
prayer and do not leave before the dismissal. . . . We have often
said: "This day is given to you for prayer and rest. This is the day that
the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."
2179 "A parish is a definite community of the Christian
faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral
care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the
authority of the diocesan bishop." It is the place where all the faithful
can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The
parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the
liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches
Christ's saving doctrine; it practices the charity of the Lord in good works
and brotherly love:
You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great
multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and
where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the
bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.
2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more
precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are
bound to participate in the Mass."
"The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a
Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or
on the evening of the preceding day."
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all
Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in
the Eucharist on days of obligation, 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.
2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist
is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church.
The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity.
Together they testify to God's holiness and their hope of salvation. They
strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
2183 "If because of lack of a sacred minister or
for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is
impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the
Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another
sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage
in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as
occasion offers, in groups of families."
2184 Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which
he had done," human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of
the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate
their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.
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.
2186 Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their
brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work
because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian
piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the
elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to
their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week.
Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and
meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.
2187 Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a
common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on
others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day. Traditional
activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services,
etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take
care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the
faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes
associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints,
public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine
worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees.
2188 In respecting religious liberty and the common good
of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy
days as legal holidays. They have to give everyone a public example of prayer,
respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the
spiritual life of society. If a country's legislation or other reasons require
work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our
deliverance which lets us share in this "festal gathering," this
"assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven."
