Day 283: The Day of Rest

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social services 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. CCC 2185

Today's reading is short, consisting of a few paragraphs on honoring the Day of Rest (Sunday), just as the Lord did after finishing Creation (Gen 2:2), and also an In Brief reviewing what has been covered on the Third Commandment. On this day, we are to worship Our Lord at Mass and "refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to" Him, as quoted above. Yes, we should do ordinary tasks (laundry, cooking, etc.), but as much as possible, we should dedicate time to the Lord, our families, and charitable works for our neighbors. To use modern cultural language, Sunday is a "mental health day" that God has given us, a day to "recharge the batteries" after a long week of work and stress.

The Catechism Compendium summarizes why it is important for the civil recognition of Sunday as a feast day:

It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural, and social lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to good works, particularly for the sick and for the elderly. (#454)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

The Third Commandment convicts us with its obligation to enter into worship, specifically attending Mass. It is especially countercultural because it challenges our prevalent culture of nonstop work and busyness. Some of us even made work and activity an idol... Our contemporary world often neglects family time, making Sundays even more essential... The goal is not to avoid work so much as to enter into rest... We should be aware of those who are not able to stop working due to hardships. Everyone who can rest should, but we should not judge those who must work. (p. 82)

Finally, I wanted to include this great video by Fr. Mike Schmitz, which I thought was good at explaining why Jews and Christians have different Sabbath Days: