On keeping the Lord’s Day Holy

by: A. Wilbert S. Dianon, SDB

The Apostolic Letter of John Paul II centers on the Lord’s Day to be a day of holy rest for all Christians. And this is to be observed on every Sunday. But previous to this, the document painted the relevant background of the day of rest analogical to the Christian paradigm of the Lord’s Day.

It all started with God resting on the seventh day after creating the world for six days (Gen. 2: 1-2). The Jewish people observed this rest on the seventh day to show their fidelity to the commandment of Yahweh. They actually observed this day of rest on Sabbath (which falls on Saturday). Divine rest obliged everyone to contemplate on the greatness of Yahweh who attained fullness and accomplishment in His beautiful work after six days. Therefore, this day was set aside to praise God’s wonderful work and to experience the joy of God in creating all the good things around them.

However, for Christians, Sabbath day is not as relevant as the day when Christ resurrected from the dead, which fell on Sunday. There is a close link between the ‘order of creation’ to the ‘order of salvation’. The God who creates is the same God who liberates in Christ. And that attainment of completeness or fullness is more meaningful than the Jewish idea of rest. And therefore, this Christian reality of creation – salvation in Christ is truly more worthy of a celebration. That is why, the Christian celebration of the Lord’s Day is best expressed around the Eucharist wherein the apostles first recognized the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread. Each Sunday brings every Christian to an ongoing experience of God’s joy of saving His fallen creation in Christ. Salvation in Christ is God’s attainment of perfection in His work of creation.

Personally, the way the document is manifested is logically structured as to enable the reader to follow the arguments presented and be convinced that the Lord’s Day (Sunday) is a very special day for all Christians.

Sunday answers the need of the Human Person – both Christian and non-Christian:

Sometimes, there are some questions, which popped out from my mind. This is with regards to moral and religious issues which the Church intervenes. Moral issues like abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, ‘in vitro’ fertilization, and etcetera are always the heated issues of today. In matters of faith which touch the questions on the universality of the Church, on salvation, on ecumenism and the like, many Church’s faithful became divided among themselves.

Moreover, it is very alarming that many of these moral and religious issues are loosing their grounds to the infidels of the faith. For example, how many countries or states now are legalizing abortion, same-sex marriage, or even euthanasia? How many people who consider themselves liberal wanted to end this Church’s ‘superiority complex’ over moral matters? These people want to take these things into their own hands for their own convenience in the name of freedom and democracy. It is a sad fact that the Church is loosing her support from the people of many countries.

It seems that whenever the Church says on something important, she always encounters overwhelming oppositions, even from Her own members. Her words are always unpalatable. Nevertheless, in the final analysis, these seemingly obnoxious teachings are ways that lead to the Kingdom. Like a doctor who gave bitter medicine for the cure of the illness, these people who need spiritual doctors resist the apparently detestable teachings. By natural order, the Church could have become irrelevant and extinct by now.

But there is one Christian practice, which was very ancient and still persisted on up to this day. Yet it is also a fact that many people abide on this for a very superficial reason. Nonetheless, this Christian practice met no great resistance in many societies both Christian and non-Christian alike. I am referring to the Christian practice of Sunday or the Lord’s Day. I was wondering why on earth Sunday lull has not been questioned by this modern society where spending a day of rest or diversion from busy work is a luxury. In fact, in many non-Christian countries, societies follow this Christian practice of spending Sunday away from work.

But I guess, the reason why Sunday rest is a given reality in human society is, it answers to holistic needs of the human person. Sunday rest from work is not just Christian; it is basically human. As human persons, we are endowed with the gift of reflection. This gift enables each one to transcend oneself from what he/she experiences at that present moment and reach the Christian perspective of Sunday. “Thus, there will be forever a direct link between the ‘day of God’ and the ‘day of man’ ( art. 60).”

Secondly, man needs time for relating with the significant persons in order to be fulfilled in his life. Many people do not feel fulfilled in their life because their emotional stability is rather poor. Human life is not just a matter of work; it is a life of relationship and care for other persons. The document mentions Sunday as a day for the faithful to do works of mercy, charity and apostolate (art. 69-71). And in order for relationship to bloom, one needs both the quantity and quality time.

Thirdly, human person needs time to unwind and take a regular rest from all her activities. This physical rest is connected with the reality of celebration. Celebration is an act of the human persons who remember and share their moments of successes, fulfillments and joys in life together. In line to this, the Lord’s Day is also the lord of days (art2) as it is THE celebration of the Lord’s resurrection.

The pope even recognized this basic human need. Sunday is not just a day for the Eucharist. He emphasizes that “the relaxed gathering of parents and children can be an opportunity not only to listen to one another but also to share a few formative and more reflective moments (no.52).”

In celebrating Sunday as a special day, the Church only reaffirms the needs of the human person. The reason for continuing this beautiful practice is very obvious and practical even to the minds of the feeblest member of the human society. Many of her teachings, however, are not sympathetic to many people. Because her teaching implies denial of self, sacrifice and curtailing of self-indulgent needs which the world is desperately ensnared. On the other hand, Sunday answers to the human needs of even the most ordinary person. But do many Christians see more reasons to celebrate Sunday aside from fulfilling human need? That question is to be tackled later.

Different degrees of observance in the Lord’s Day (Sunday)

Although the Document discusses about the Day of the Lord in its theological and ecclesial context, it is undoubtedly a practice of the ancient people, which had been embellished with religious significance. As it is stated previously, rest in general is a basic need for human person. This rest has been interpreted by the Israelites as a religious reality. In the Old Testament’s story of creation, the author emphasizes the rest, which even God respected, after He had created the world in six days (cf. Gen. 2:1-3).

Previously, the observance of the Lord’s Day is presented as favorable for the fact that it is mainly a day of rest. Superficial may it be, the attitude of many people, even Christians, still holds the basic idea of Sunday. The Lord’s Day is truly and really a day of rest. It is originally a day of rest after six days of working. Whether a person is unaware of the theological meaning of rest or not, he is all the same engaged in that rich mechanism of rest. Karl Rahner’s “The Anonymous Christian” would exactly fit into this theology. That by responding to the basic need of a human being, the non-believer person who exercises rest in its meaningful and constructive character in one way or another enters into communion with the Christian attitude of divine rest.

It is a fact that many Catholics regard Sunday as merely a day of relaxation. That is unbecoming of a true Christian. However, this ‘unevangelized’ majority needs a comprehensive education to the faith and the deepening of their Christian values. And as Christians, we have the duty to teach them about the deeper significance of Sunday – the weekly Easter celebration.

Even in the Old Testament times, Yahweh commanded Israel to observe the Sabbath day as holy. How should they observe it? Its main expression was to refrain from any manual work. In fact an Israelite was stoned to death because he picked up firewood during the Sabbath (cf. Num. 15: 32-36). The Israelites, instead, spent the time praying and praising Yahweh for what He had done to them (Dt. 5:12-15).

But in the New Testament times, we learned that the Sabbath day has taken in a new and deeper meaning. The mere refraining from labor is not just to be understood as the Sabbath observance. Rest is not just a sense of fulfillment for work done. But it is the fulfillment of perfection of the created beings in Christ (art. 11). Creation is not just conceiving the world, but the introduction of the salvific grace wrought by Jesus Christ. The Day of the Lord shifts from ‘rest after creation’ to ‘joy after resurrection’.

Theologically speaking, there is a development of understanding in the religious relevance of the Lord’s Day. It’s progress starts when Christ came into the world. During his lifetime, He brought the people to the right attitude and understanding of the Sabbath observance. The Sabbath rest is perfected in Jesus and culminates in His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Existentially speaking, people who observed the Lord’s Day are still on the process of deepening their understanding on the matter. Maybe, for one, Sunday is just a day of ordinary celebration since it is a free day. Well, his notion is not completely erroneous. But he has to improve his motivation on how he would make Sunday special. Others may understand Sunday as a day when families go to church. Their motivation is nonetheless desperate. Or others might refrain from going to different places of sins during Sunday. At some level, they got a faint idea of what Sunday is. All these vague understandings about Sunday are already something, but they are still wanting.

In this matter, Christians ought to follow what the Lord had done. He taught the people of His time how to observed the Lord’s Day religiously with proper disposition and understanding. “What I want is mercy and sacrifice…for the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath (Mt. 12: 7-8)”. In fact, Jesus did not get angry with those poor people who scrupulously observed Sabbath day to the letter. He even cured many of them on the Sabbath (Lk. 6: 6-11). Instead, He got enraged at those people of higher learning, the Pharisees, for being so closed in their understanding of the matter that even His acts of charity were being frowned upon (cf Lk. 13: 15-16).

The observance of Sunday as the Lord’s Day is not static, but dynamic. When a Christian observes it consistently, he/she realizes that his/her way of honoring the Lord’s Day is meager. At this point, the person of good will promises to do his/her best to show her/his love to the Lord by honoring Sunday with better disposition. By His teachings, The Lord Jesus sets us an example how to truly honor and celebrate the Lord’s Day in its proper spirit.

The Lord’s Day TODAY:

When I was still assigned in St. Louis School-Don Bosco, Dumaguete, my community sponsored two Masses every Sunday for the people around vicinity at 6:30 AM and 8:00AM. They were both held in the school gym. The first Mass was attended by average of 50-70 people and the second Mass at the average of 200.

Considering the few churches in Dumaguete City and about two hundred thousand in population with seventy per cent Catholic faithful, I was wondering if there was really majority of people attending Sunday Masses. In the cockpit derby nearby, we always heard the shouting of men betting their roosters. Imagine how noisy a thousand people shouting in chorus. They were not just present on the whole day of Sunday; many started shouting since the evening of Saturday. From mid-morning to late afternoon, these fathers and working men entertained themselves with the fighting skills of their fowls. And this was done every Sunday, the supposedly day of the Lord.

This situation is not an isolated case. This is true to many places where many people are Catholics. They said that the situation in Rome and in different European countries is even worst. What happen to our deeply treasured Catholic tradition? It loses its deeper significance and meaning. What is left behind is the Sunday, which is non-working day for relaxation and diversion. The document recognized this present problem. Probably, one reason is “the motivation of faith is weak” (art. 5). And I feel the ravaging current that sweeps this beautiful Christian practice into oblivion.

When in the past, pagan Sunday was Christianized by the Church (cf 64), I think the Lord’s Day today is demoralized into a pagan day of the sun. When the Church was still young, Christians were not free to celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sunday. They did it secretly for fear of their life. And this is ironic: For when Christians today are free to celebrate the Lord’s Day, that is the time many cease to continue it.

Previously, I was saying that observing Sunday, as merely a rest day does not make the person alienated from what a Sunday should be. Sunday is meant for each person, either Christian or non-Christian, to rest – to refrain from work. Moreover, I believe that Sunday observance is dynamic.

However, those two points are just half of the truth. What I mean is, Christians should not just be contented on that simple fact. If a non-believer observes Sunday as rest day and no more will he do something nobler than it, Christians are not expected to remain in that level. He/She is called to transcend it placing his/her gaze to the example set by the Lord Jesus for His disciples.

Secondly, if I believe that Sunday observance is dynamic, the process must be from more profane to a more spiritual and Christian manner. But it seems that many Christians now do not reflect that principle. On the other hand, they make a relapse on true observance. The pope already saw this danger and he even stated in the document: “in order that rest may not degenerate into emptiness or boredom, it must offer spiritual enrichment, greater freedom, opportunities for contemplation and fraternal communion (art. 68)”.

Indeed, many Christians nowadays became pagans in their Sunday practices. If the Church did not find any great obstacle in making Sunday a special day, it does not mean She did not find any difficulty in inculcating its importance to her children. Unlike any moral and religious issues, which met violent dissent among her members, the issue on true observance of Sunday is very subtle. The challenge on the issue of the Lord’s Day is completely different. Here, the Church is made to believe that Christians put great importance on Sunday. But it’s a mere human importance - no more, no less. Many Christians today regard Sunday as purely rest day; not a day of fulfillment, “which reaches its culmination in Christ (art. 59)”. The subtlety of the issue puts the Church off-guard. And I am really grateful and happy that the Church, through Her magisterium, tackles this issue in this crucial time.

The Lord’s Day or Sunday is an important element of our Christian life. Because it is the day of the week when we recall the significance of our faith. “For Christians, Sunday is the fundamental feast day, established not only to mark the succession of time but to reveal time’s deeper meaning (art. 2).” It is the resurrection of the Lord on a Sunday that puts all things in place (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). Our faith in Christ could have died with the death of the Lord. But we believe that when the Lord resurrected on Sunday, our faith in Him came to life also.

The life we gain in Jesus’ resurrection is now a different kind of life. It is not sort of an ordinary and purely life of man; it is a life full of hope for the things to come. And that’s why, Sunday is truly a celebration of life. More than answering the needs of the human person, it answers the needs of the Christian person.

And so, the fading away of Christian enthusiasm on Sunday is rooted in the faithful’s lack of FAITH. I believe that the Church, as she goes farther away from her origin, needs to renew Her faith in the saving actions of Jesus Christ. In our modern world of materialism, it is hard to celebrate something, which is essentially immaterial. Observing the Lord’s Day is a Christian spiritual exercise. Nevertheless, its human element that goes with it seems to be the only concerns of the modern day Christians. I see that Christian societies today slowly lost this rich tradition, mainly, because we do not give due relevance to the saving act of Christ in our life as Christian community. We need to be reminded that what we enjoy today, both material and spiritual, happens because Christ saves us. We need faith to see the unseen power that is working in our modern world. It is not wealth, political power nor fame that make us what we are today. All these accomplishments find its fulfillment in Christ.

Many people in rich countries don’t mind going to church on Sunday anymore (this is the main feedback I got from those who had gone to Catholic Europe, especially in Rome). Probably, they feel they don’t need the Lord anymore; they have everything they need. But it is also a fact that they experience high suicide rates, cases of divorce, and even violations against human life. Although, an insensitive Christian may brush them off as baseless conviction, but the reason of all these wanton desecrations is all the same. These are signs of crisis of faith.

It is a sad fact that Christians now act like pagans, and pagans (non-Christians) seems to be doing their own stuff in the spirit of Christ’s teachings. As the document points out - all things find their fulfillment in Christ, many Christians nowadays find their life useless and boring amidst all their accomplishments in life. Modern day Christians find themselves at a loss in seeking relevance to all their activities. Even if they rest during Sundays, in reality, they do not. They have not entered into the deeper meaning of Sunday rest, which they ought to do. On the other hand, an honest pagan who rest on Sunday might come across the threshold of faith, of which he is not expected to do so. Is this the case of the first becoming the last, and the last be the first? In my opinion, I believe this is the case.

Renewal of our Christian faith is very crucial for our meaningful observance of the Lord’s Day. And faith does not come by chance. First, it is God who wills it through His Holy Spirit. Second, it is our openness to that gift which makes it happen in our life. And it is my contention that the overwhelming attractions of the world’s values today hinder every Christian to see this unseen reality in our life. That reality is that which gives meaning to all life actions and human fulfillments.

February 13, 2001