Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

The other night in RCIA Catechism class, we spoke about the Church's Precept to assist at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. It is the application of the third commandment to "keep the Sabbath Day holy". The Catholic Church, of course, has the authority to make this determination and tell us the right way to obey the commandments of God. Imagine what it would be like if we each decided for ourselves how to obey God's commandments (oh, that's right, most people already do that; so you don't have to imagine it!).

Protestantism is filled with the atheistic idea that each man is an authority unto himself. I have seen numerous ways that Protestants seek to obey the third commandment, and none of them fits exactly with the Church's interpretation. Sadly, most are self-serving in what they do. As Catholics, we have the obligation to follow the Church's rules in every area of the faith.

So, then, what does the Church require of us in this precept? It points out that Sundays are the Christian Sabbath (not Saturday any longer). Yes, there are a few sectarian groups who decide for themselves and they choose Saturday as their day, but that proves that they are following their own inclincations and not the Word of God (which makes it clear multiple times that in the Church the Sabbath is moved to Sunday).

It also points out that Sunday is not the only day we are to separate out from the rest. Even the Jews in the Old Testament had other days in addition to their Saturday Sabbath that they had to observe. Interestingly, the feast of Hanukkah was not instituted by the Law of Moses, but by the Jewish leaders in later years. Knowing this, we need to ask: how did Jesus respond to an "addition" to the calendar? He observed Hanukkah; He was obedient to the rules of the Jewish temple, because they had authority to make that determination. The Catholic Church now has that authority (and, just in case you are wondering--no, we are not supposed to observe Hanukkah or any other Jewish feast day).

Therefore, when she tells us that there is a "Holy Day of Obligation" that means that it is not a holy day of suggestion, or holy day of good idea, or holy day of free choice, or a holy day of it would be nice if you could stop by, but a holy day of -- get this -- obligation. Since it is a "Sabbath" for the Church, then the requirement of rest applies to these days as much as it does to Sunday (in case you doubt it, it is right there in Canon Law).

Another twist in this is the term "holiday" which came from the term "holy day". Now I want you to consider something, and be humble about this. Ask yourself: are you more obedient to the world's determination of taking off work on a federal holiday (like Labor Day, or President's Day) than you are about obeying God's command to take off work on All Saints Day, or the Immaculate Conception? Disobeying the world's ideas will not make you end up in Hell, but disobeying God can.

Thus, we need to ask ourselves, which is more important for us, God's commandment or our personal choices? If we choose our leisure or our work over the third commandment, then who are we worshiping first?