Working On Sunday

[Dave]

I need to know specifically what is not acceptable work-wise on Sunday. I know the Church forbids doing unnecessary servile work or causing others to do so. But what would be considered unnecessary servile work? At first I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, I know people who think going out to eat on Sunday is wrong in that it causes people to have to work on that day. I've also heard it said that one shouldn't do any buying or selling on Sundays. Well that could be taken to mean that even shopping for pleasure or a trip to the 7-11 would be immoral!

I'm confused! Can someone clear this up for me? I want to do the right thing, but I don't want to get scrupulous about it.

Edited August 5, 2007 by Dave

[aalpha1989]

I've had this same struggle in my own heart. I work at a restaraunt and they schedule me to work on Sundays about once a month (I told them I perferred it off). I went to a priest for guidance and he told me that I 'shouldn't worry about it'. Here on phatmass there was a thread about it a while ago in which members said that working at a restaraunt was legitimate because it provides people with food which is necessary. I have never heard someone tell me directly that I shouldn't work at a restaraunt on Sundays. Despite this within myself I have found my conscience always telling me that it is wrong and I really cannot reconcile the work I do with the command to rest on Sundays. I recently gave my restaraunt a revised availability excluding Sundays. It doesn't matter that much because I'm quitting in about a week and a half to work at a retirement home where I am certain that it is ok to work on Sundays.

I have come to the same conclusion as you also. Following hte logic that one shouldnt work at a restaraunt on Sundays, one shouldn't eat there either. This is hard to accept, but as far as I can see by myself it must be the truth. As for running to 7/11 I'm sure it's fine. Gasoline is pretty necessary in the world of today, and the convenience store kinda comes with it. They don't have seperate workers for the store and the gas pumps.

Any more thoughts?

[journeyman]

This is a question that may have overtones of scrupulosity, just by being asked.

To give a non-Catholic example - there are some Orthodox Jews who will not drive a motor vehicle to Temple on the Sabbath . . . because that is work . . . I don't have the reference, but I believe the Talmudic scholars actually spelled out how far one could walk to Temple, without it being deemed "work"

I think the answer is . . . it depends
(from 2185) 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.
The charity of truth seeks holy leisure - the necessity of charity accepts just work.

From the catechism

2051

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the
seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or
your daughter, your manservant or your maidservant or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your
gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the
seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

From the summary sections - more detailed discussion in the 2180s

2193 "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound . . . to abstain from those labors and business concerns which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord's Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body"
2194 The institution of Sunday helps all "to be allowed sufficient rest and leisure to cultivate their amilial, cultural, social, and religious lives" .
2195 Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day.

[Maggyie]

My schedule at work requires that I go in on Sundays, although I'm trying to get that changed I don't go in until 2:30, however. I work for an insurance company, helping people to file claims, and really I think it does fall under "necessary work." If one of your loved ones is killed in a car accident, or you are stranded in another state without a vehicle and no way home, you want someone at the insurance company to pick up the phone, Sunday or no Sunday...

[jiyoung]

I've been told that the point of the law is to make sure you don't neglect your Sunday obligation for the sake of work. So you should at LEAST be reserving that hour or so for Mass on Sundays. But I go to daily Mass so it makes it just like any other day..but I think that you should have some discretion about it while not freaking out about working for a few hours. I've been required to work on Sundays even though I put it as a day I'm completely unavailable (another reason why I quit), but as long as it doesn't interfere with going to Mass then I think it's okay once in a while.

[Aloysius]

Restaurants are NOT necessities. You only work on sundays in restaurants if and when it is necessary for you to do so to keep a job that you must have.

It's not about whether working on sunday makes it hard to get to mass; it's about sunday not having any unnecessary servile work: it's not supposed to and our society is being sinful by creating an economic situation in which it has become necessary. your sunday obligation consists of going to mass AND not doing servile work or causing others to do it.

it's not scrupulosity just for being asked: it's a question every faithful Christian must ask.

There's some leeway as regards actually going to places where people are doing work, in the sense that whether or not you go, the same number of people will have to work the same amount of time. But trying to limit that except when social conventions make going out to a restaurant or something the best way to keep the day restful and good for family and friends is a perfectly good thing to do.

If it is possible to keep your job and to not work any sundays, you should do so, assuming you wouldn't lose so much money as to make it a detriment to your standard of living, for the law was made for man and not man for the law. But you are obligated to do everything possible to make it so that you do not have to do servile work on sunday; and if it is necessary to do the work on that sunday to keep your job but you could do with a day's less pay than you're actually working, it'd be a good idea to donate the money (because "servile" work is that which you get paid for)

This is the teaching laid out by the Catechism; the only exception is necessary work (ie doctors, emergency workers, et cetera) or when you are unable to not work on sunday through no fault of your own (in which case the sin falls upon the company, or rather the whole society which makes it necessary for the company to force you to work)

The argument that restaurants constitute "necessary" work is patently absurd in my opinion. Name me a family that relies upon restaurants as their sole means of sustinence and I'll show you a family more than rich enough to plan ahead and buy some groceries on Saturday.

and again, "servile" work is that which you get paid for... unpaid "work" is fine, though leisure should be enjoyed as much as possible for the sake of your spiritual health.

[bonoducchi]

Church musician working on Sunday for pay....sin or not?

[Sojourner]

[quote name='VaticanIILiturgist' post='1351418' date='Aug 6 2007, 04:51 PM']Church musician working on Sunday for pay....sin or not?[/quote]
Depends on how talented ...

[Paddington]

[quote name='Terra Firma' post='1351451' date='Aug 6 2007, 09:20 PM']Depends on how talented ...
[/quote]

Then it is a good deed to inform them when they are not talented.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1351471' date='Aug 6 2007, 06:32 PM']Then it is a good deed to inform them when they are not talented.

[/quote]
Some might consider it an act of mercy.

[Carnanc]

from CCC 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 ([b]sport, restaurants, etc[/b].), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays...

I have talked to a spiritual director about working on sunday, and he told me that since I work in retail and am scheduled for every sunday, that it is ok. I work at wal-mart on the night shift, so I am home by 7 am, so it doesn't really feel like I am working on Sunday anyway though.

[Aloysius]

I see it does mention restaurants. That is not something I would have thought would be in there... though I did figure sports and I guess restaurants are about the same as sports as a traditional sunday activity... kind of. What it means by traditional activities, in my estimation based upon the examples drawn up, is that people working to offer things which are a part of other's leisure on sundays traditionally is acceptable... of course all who work to help in the worship of God at mass are acceptable, in the same way those who work to provide leisurly activities for the majority are also acceptable, sports and restaurants fall under this.

I think retail more falls under the being-forced-to-work because of economic constraints and necessity, et cetera. If not retail, then what exactly is not permitted? Retail is not a traditional activity, it's not a necessity, shopping should not be considered a sunday leisure-time activity. The Catechism seems very clearly to support the idea that stores should be closed on sundays, and that we should work there on sundays only if it's necessary for our economic situation and/or to keep our job et cetera.

I cannot see retail being justifiably listed under anything other than: only if the stores are making you work, but it's unjust that you have to. Retail/Shopping just is not a traditional activity or social service.

I'm not saying there's no justification for you personally to work on a sunday, just that in general retail does not fall under the category of things which it is just to demand work on a sunday for. I can certainly understand anyone for need of the money working at Wal-Mart on a sunday especially since it pays an extra $1 an hour to do so... but as a general principal; stores being closed on sunday is something Christians are supposed to support and working at one on a sunday is something that they're supposed to see as not preferable and only acceptable in necessity.

[bonoducchi]

[quote name='Terra Firma' post='1351451' date='Aug 6 2007, 06:50 PM']Depends on how talented ...
[/quote]

MM in organ performance....

[Noel's angel]

I don't think musicians should be paid for playing at Mass. It just doesn't sit well with me at all. Using God's gifts at Mass to glorify Him and then putting out our hand for money? No thanks.

[jiyoung]

As someone who's thinking about switching my major to sacred music...it seems to me that there's more than just sitting and playing some music. I think in some places they ask you to play for several Masses on Sunday, and it's more than just Sundays, as well--you choose music, lead rehearsals, direct a choir (or choirs), keep all of that organized--in addition to your own performance. It usually requires at least some sort of music degree, I believe. And I think it's somewhat comparable to a DRE, though on a lesser scale perhaps. I know at some parishes people even volunteer as DRE, but it's so time-consuming that I don't know how they can. Doing music seems to me to be just as complicated a position. Also, I know a lot of times you also have to sort of compose some of the music yourself, or at least arrange, I imagine most of the time because the original arrangement is out of the choir's league, or because you don't have music for a gradual for the choir to sing, or something. And that is a good bit of work, too.

And, in keeping with the discussion, I don't think it would be sinful, since that's pretty "necessary" work. I remember hearing, also, that a long time ago the choirs who would sing for Masses would be paid professionals--considering the kind of music that was being churned out and used those days, I wouldn't think it could be entrusted to either an amateur choir or director. Just from personal experience--I co-directed a choir for my school's study abroad program in Austria this past semester, and we had to stick to simpler music that was more within all of our reach, since this was a volunteer venture with me conducting for the first time with no training and several members who didn't have much of a music background.

...okay I'm gonna stop hijacking this thread now...