I am very worried about this. I have heard conflicting things from traditional catholic clergy regarding what is appropriate on a Sunday and what is not. A very holy SSPX priest told me that its ok to go to a restaraunt or a movie theatre because people are working there and they have to be there to make money and support their families. Yet I have talked to a sedevacantist in the clergy and he said that those things may not be forbidden by the letter of the law, but they are absolutely forbidden by the spirit of the law. Any help?

- Going to a restaraunt?

-Going to a movie theatre?

-Going grocery shopping?

-Going to the mall?

-Going on a date?

-Going to the gym?

I am curious about this because I have heard that Sunday's for Catholics should be a celebration, and not a funeral, like it is for some mormons/pentecostals/amish.

Stay at home and relax, read a book, do nothing physically intensive (like build a house or repair your car's engine).

Working out? Not sure, I have done this but I generally avoid because I want to just relax by non-strenuous leisure activities.

Going out to eat? I would say no, because if that person is a Catholic they SHOULD be apprehensive to work on Sunday and thus most people who work on Sunday are usually not Catholics. Only critical positions like police and medical-related jobs should be excused, yet not still be scheduled year-round as to have to work every single Sunday and/or miss Mass.

You could probably buy some grocery store items if it was critical and an emergency, but not your normal weekly buy-the-store run. That should have been taken care of another day.

Going on a date? IDK!

I am very worried about this. I have heard conflicting things from traditional catholic clergy regarding what is appropriate on a Sunday and what is not. A very holy SSPX priest told me that its ok to go to a restaraunt or a movie theatre because people are working there and they have to be there to make money and support their families. Yet I have talked to a sedevacantist in the clergy and he said that those things may not be forbidden by the letter of the law, but they are absolutely forbidden by the spirit of the law. Any help?

- Going to a restaraunt?

-Going to a movie theatre?

-Going grocery shopping?

-Going to the mall?

-Going on a date?

-Going to the gym?

I am curious about this because I have heard that Sunday's for Catholics should be a celebration, and not a funeral, like it is for some mormons/pentecostals/amish.

Movie theatre and mall are a bit too secular any day of the week -- the tendency toward dissipation is high, and the need is usually low. Movie theatre? What are you watching there? With almost no exceptions, everything in the theatres today is anti-Catholic trash. There may be some exceptions for your DVD player (Catholic movies, docuмentaries, older movies, etc.) but the movie theatre? I doubt it.

Restraurants on Sunday? I think it's fine, because it's usually a necessity. People have to eat. And with the Crisis in the Church, how many of us walk to Church on Sunday? On the contrary, going to Mass usually involves a decent drive (sometimes an hour or more). When you have kids, that's very inconvenient. They have to eat, and so do you. So after Mass you need a place to eat. If all the people who lived near the Mass center/chapel invited the out-of-towners over for dinner, I guess we wouldn't need restaurants open on Sunday  :wink:

Grocery shopping -- that depends. Here is my advice (which I follow personally). DO YOUR BEST to do your shopping Monday-Saturday. But if, say, you are home all week long (24/7, because your wife is a stay-at-home mom and the dad works from home), never going out, and you live in the country and only "go to town" for Mass on Sunday, there's nothing wrong with picking up your groceries after Mass on Sunday. You're saving gas both ways -- frugality/spirit of poverty is a virtue. You're also saving time.  But even a country-dweller should TRY to do his shopping beforehand if he finds himself/herself in town during the week.

Generally, you're supposed to A) take care of your soul on Sunday, B) indulge in non-lucrative activities -- acts of culture and leisure. (pursuits for your mind that you don't normally get to indulge in.) We should do things we don't normally have time for -- reading, singing, playing instruments, enjoying music. Creative "work" -- programming, drawing, writing, whittling, knitting, scrapbooking, etc. As long as you're not doing it for a client, those things are not servile and hence aren't forbidden on Sunday. Many activities that seem to use the body (sewing, knitting, etc.) free up the mind so that we can socialize while doing them. We should look for activities that are TRULY recreating. Recreate means to re-create or rejuvenate (make young again) your mind and body. Going for walks, socializing, visiting churches, going for a scenic drive, visiting relatives, etc.

You want to be well-rested for Monday or your Sunday was an "epic fail". If you work too hard on Sunday, you'll end up taking Monday "off" even if you didn't intend to, and then you've inverted God's order.

As a corollary, you want to work HARD on Saturday to get chores/errands/housework done, so you don't have any leftover for Sunday. You WILL do it on Sunday if it's left for then, so don't go easy on yourself on Saturday. I'd say don't take ANY rest on Saturday if there's even a 5% chance you won't get time for good Sunday activities on Sunday.

We Catholics should never take recreation on Saturday -- Sunday is the day of rest. We're not Jєωs. Saturday is NOT a day off. No Saturday morning cartoons, no goofing off. Saturday is often a day off of work, but it should be used for household work, so SUNDAY can be free.

Of course if you're single and you don't have many responsibilities/much to do, it would be advisable to
A) take more time off on Saturday as well, and
B) be much more strict about what you do on Sunday.

It depends on your situation.

As far as physical exertion goes, it depends on what you do for a living. If you work construction, I'd advise more "restful" activities. If you're a desk jockey, I'd advise getting out for some sun, fresh air, and exercise.

Matthew

Stay at home and relax, read a book, do nothing physically intensive (like build a house or repair your car's engine).

The commandment is against unnecessary servile labour, not doing things that require any exertion of physical force whatsoever. Working on your car's engine on Sunday isn't necessarily an affront to the commandment if you're not doing it unnecessarily. If you have to drive to Mass and your car won't start, I can't imagine it would be sinful to work on your car.

Working out? Not sure, I have done this but I generally avoid because I want to just relax by non-strenuous leisure activities.

How is working out unnecessary servile labour? There is nothing servile about working out, given that it is basically never done as a service to anyone but yourself. Also, if you work out with any degree of consistency, I don't see how you would ever end up working out on Sunday as most people only do 5 day splits. 2 of those days are Saturday and Sunday.

Going out to eat? I would say no, because if that person is a Catholic they SHOULD be apprehensive to work on Sunday and thus most people who work on Sunday are usually not Catholics. Only critical positions like police and medical-related jobs should be excused, yet not still be scheduled year-round as to have to work every single Sunday and/or miss Mass.

Working at a restaurant isn't necessarily a very labour intensive job, so I'm not sure if this would be against the commandment. I could be wrong. People DO need food as Matthew said, and I don't see why offering it to feed families is a sin. I could be wrong though, as I said.

Going on a date? IDK!

With the way women are these days, I can't imagine how you could consider going on a date to be anything BUT unnecessary servile labour!  :roll-laugh2: :roll-laugh2:

Just joking.  :pop:

Going to a restaurant, movie theatre, and mall on Sunday are definitely out of the question. There are no good movies playing these days really, and like Matthew said, malls are too secular.

Going to the grocery store on Sunday is ok as long as you have to. Like if you suddenly run out of something important and it can't wait, sure. But if it's something that can wait, then it's not a good idea to get it on Sunday.

I haven't given much thought to going on a date on Sunday. Traditional Catholics do courting, where the parents are involved rather than the couple going out by themselves. Generally I'd imagine Trads avoid courting on Sunday, but I've never courted so I don't know.

Going to a gym on Sunday isn't a good idea in my opinion. That can be done any other day of the week.

I haven't given much thought to going on a date on Sunday. Traditional Catholics do courting, where the parents are involved rather than the couple going out by themselves. Generally I'd imagine Trads avoid courting on Sunday, but I've never courted so I don't know.

Going to a gym on Sunday isn't a good idea in my opinion. That can be done any other day of the week.

As far as dating, I think it would be perfectly OK. As long as it doesn't cause you to miss Mass. It's rest and social interaction, and like you pointed out, it should involve the respective families a bit -- when else are they going to want you over? Sunday is when most people are off and resting. In fact, you should start your Sunday by going to Mass with your beau.

Daegus made a good point about working out -- you *have to* take some days off anyhow, so your body can regenerate, etc. so why not pick Sunday?

For that matter, college students and those with entry-level jobs should request Sundays off when possible. Just volunteer to work Saturdays, secular holidays, etc. and you might be pleasantly surprised how many Sundays you can take off.

Quote from: PartyIsOver221

Stay at home and relax, read a book, do nothing physically intensive (like build a house or repair your car's engine).

The commandment is against unnecessary servile labour, not doing things that require any exertion of physical force whatsoever. Working on your car's engine on Sunday isn't necessarily an affront to the commandment if you're not doing it unnecessarily. If you have to drive to Mass and your car won't start, I can't imagine it would be sinful to work on your car.

Quote

Working out? Not sure, I have done this but I generally avoid because I want to just relax by non-strenuous leisure activities.

How is working out unnecessary servile labour? There is nothing servile about working out, given that it is basically never done as a service to anyone but yourself. Also, if you work out with any degree of consistency, I don't see how you would ever end up working out on Sunday as most people only do 5 day splits. 2 of those days are Saturday and Sunday.

Quote

Going out to eat? I would say no, because if that person is a Catholic they SHOULD be apprehensive to work on Sunday and thus most people who work on Sunday are usually not Catholics. Only critical positions like police and medical-related jobs should be excused, yet not still be scheduled year-round as to have to work every single Sunday and/or miss Mass.

Working at a restaurant isn't necessarily a very labour intensive job, so I'm not sure if this would be against the commandment. I could be wrong. People DO need food as Matthew said, and I don't see why offering it to feed families is a sin. I could be wrong though, as I said.

Quote

Going on a date? IDK!

With the way women are these days, I can't imagine how you could consider going on a date to be anything BUT unnecessary servile labour!  :roll-laugh2: :roll-laugh2:

Just joking.  :pop:

I meant to say that 2 of the resting days are Saturday and Sunday in the 5 day split.

Im still confused about this issue, especially going to a gym like a 24 hour fitness. Is that wrong because my attendance there is encouraging the corporation to employ people on a Sunday which is wrong? What about working out by myself, like running in a park? I consider this work and recreation. Recreation because I enjoy it, work because it is necessry to be in top physical condition for my job.

If you want to go to a gym that much, you really could just set up your own home gym. It'll actually be cheaper in the long run (IF you're dedicated, that is), you get to avoid the occasion of sin that many inappropriately dressed women present and you make up the rules.

Even if you work out 5 or 6 days of the week, you could always end up leaving Sunday off. Really. If you don't have time during the week, get up earlier and go to the gym and then go about your business. If the gym really is open 24 hours a day I don't see how that wouldn't work out for you. But again I suggest building a home gym due to the immorality of mainstream gyms.