Sunday Best

Our Catholic ancestors of not too long ago kept Sundays differently than we do today. Their Sundays began with early morning Mass, on an empty stomach and wearing their “Sunday best”. A sumptuous breakfast followed, then Sunday comics, maybe a Sunday drive, and dinner with extended family. Most people had the day off. Stores, schools, banks, and business offices were closed.  

Fast forward two generations. Sunday may begin in a similar fashion, although the faithful at Mass have eaten breakfast, and some are wearing decidedly causal clothes. Families may be juggling Mass attendance around their children’s soccer practice. Later in the day, the grocery store parking lot bustles, as shoppers make purchases and run errands. Banks are open, and USPS trucks are on the road delivering express orders. At home, the washing machine is running, the neighbor’s lawn mower hums, and someone is working on the computer. Family members who are not at part-time jobs sit down to dinner, but the relatives live too distant for a Sunday afternoon visit.

This cultural shift is part of the post-Christian society in which we live. In the flawed 20th century argument for separation of Church and state, faith lost its preferred place. Society now hardly seems able to pause for the Lord’s Day. Still, the conveniences, materialism, and indifference that make Sunday just another day of the week do not stand up to the Third Commandment.

Remember the Sabbath day? Actually, it was not a question when God gave the commandment to Moses. He said, “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” (Exodus 20:8-10). While culture changes, God’s word does not. Today’s Catholics need to discern ways within our modern culture to obey the commandment and the Church precept for Sunday observance.

First and foremost is attendance at Sunday Mass. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic life, an indispensable means of sanctifying grace. We worship the Lord as is right and just, and we come away renewed and strengthened. The Church offers Sunday liturgy at a variety of times, including Saturday vigil and Sunday evening Mass, to accommodate different schedules.

Beyond the Sunday worship obligation, the commandment says, “You shall not do any work.” In ancient times, this was a huge deal. God’s people were not allowed to have their servants or even their beasts of burden work on the Sabbath! While the Church’s requirement is less stringent, we do have to give this part of the commandment our attention. Labor needed for one’s livelihood is permissible. Other than that, unnecessary servile work is forbidden.

In making Sunday sacred, we imitate God’s day of rest after the six days of creation. Whether we interpret the Biblical creation story literally or whether we consider its timing as figurative, Genesis says that God rested. The Catechism explains that refraining from work on Sunday not only honors our Creator’s example, but also recognizes the rhythm of work and rest that is part of human life (CCC 2184).

Modern Catholics may find it a challenge not to work on Sundays. The days when the social order made it easy to obey the Third Commandment have passed. How does one rest in a world that never stops? The Catechism offers this guidance: On Sundays the faithful must refrain from work or activities that hinder “the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body” (CCC 2185). Joy, mercy, and relaxation are guide words for plans on the Lord’s Day.

While we cannot change much of the world around us, we can design our activities to sanctify Sunday despite our surroundings. To start, we could avoid shopping on Sundays. Grocery shopping and other mundane, business errands should be weekday or Saturday activities for Catholic households, if possible. Making online purchases during the week may help. 

In addition, household or outdoor chores that feel like drudgery belong to days other than Sunday. A day without drudgery benefits both body and mind.

If it’s possible to meet the demands of a career on days other than Sunday, that is best. It can be especially refreshing to have a Sunday free from work-related emails and screen time.

Once we strike shopping, chores, and unnecessary career demands from our Sunday plans, what activities promote joy, constitute works of mercy, or allow for relaxation? The list will be different for each person, each family. The objective is to find ways to sanctify Sunday, to set it apart from ordinary workdays. Anything relaxing, refreshing, charitable, or pious is probably a good activity for a Sunday. Dinners out, socializing with friends, a quiet day reading, attending a concert or sporting event, volunteering for a worthy cause, or a day trip to some inspiring locale are ideas to sanctify a Sunday.

That old-fashioned Sunday dinner might be worth reviving! It can include members of the household, or perhaps guests who live near enough to visit. Even a person spending the day alone can make the dinner special in honor of the Lord's Day. Consider favorite foods, maybe outdoors at a picnic table, or with background music playing.

A small detail to make the day more special could be to dress in your “Sunday best,” as Grandmother used to say. In fact, why not wear those nice clothes to Mass as well?

Works Cited

Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday, 1995. Print.