From:      Rhonda Steiner
To:           heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Subject:      Popes Letter - Why keep Sunday? (Part 4 of 6)


Shalom,

Thought you might find this Letter from Pope John Paul II on why
catholics should keep Sunday holy, intresting.  (I'll warn you though,
its rather lengthy

http://www.cin.org/jp2/diesdomi.html

Rhonda

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                                        (PART 4 of 6)

>From Eddie:
***************

     Is the Pope's teaching on Sunday being the Sabbath scriptural?
Here is the answer:  In II Timothy 2:15 it is written:

"STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing (interpreting) the word of truth"

    In Acts 17:11 it is written:

"These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in
that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched
the scriptures daily, whether these things were so".

   May God bless you in your studies with the help of the Ruach
HaKodesh / Holy Spirit leading and guiding you into all truth (John
16:13)

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                                        (PART4 of 6)


                                       APOSTOLIC LETTER

                                          DIES DOMINI

                               OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II

               TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL OF THE CATHOLIC
               CHURCH

                               ON KEEPING THE LORD'S DAY HOLY

49. Because the faithful are obliged to attend Mass unless there is a
grave impediment, Pastors have the corresponding duty to offer to
everyone the real possibility of fulfilling the precept. The
provisions of Church law move in this direction, as for example in the
faculty granted to priests, with the prior authorization of the
diocesan Bishop, to celebrate more than one Mass on Sundays and holy
days,(85) the institution of evening Masses(86) and the provision
which allows the obligation to be fulfilled from Saturday evening
onwards, starting at the time of First Vespers of Sunday.(87) From a
liturgical point of view, in fact, holy days begin with First
Vespers.(88) Consequently, the liturgy of what is sometimes called the
"Vigil Mass" is in effect the "festive" Mass of Sunday, at which the
celebrant is required to preach the homily and recite the Prayer of
the Faithful.

Moreover, Pastors should remind the faithful that when they are away
from home on Sundays they are to take care to attend Mass wherever
they may be, enriching the local community with their personal
witness. At the same time, these communities should show a warm sense
of welcome to visiting brothers and sisters, especially in places
which attract many tourists and pilgrims, for whom it will often be
necessary to provide special religious assistance.(89)

A joyful celebration in song

50. Given the nature of Sunday Mass and its importance in the lives of
the faithful, it must be prepared with special care. In ways dictated
by pastoral experience and local custom in keeping with liturgical
norms, efforts must be made to ensure that the celebration has the
festive character appropriate to the day commemorating the Lord's
Resurrection. To this end, it is important to devote attention to the
songs used by the assembly, since singing is a particularly apt way to
express a joyful heart, accentuating the solemnity of the celebration
and fostering the sense of a common faith and a shared love. Care must
be taken to ensure the quality, both of the texts and of the melodies,
so that what is proposed today as new and creative will conform to
liturgical requirements and be worthy of the Church's tradition which,
in the field of sacred music, boasts a priceless heritage.

A celebration involving all

51. There is a need too to ensure that all those present, children and
adults, take an active interest, by encouraging their involvement at
those points where the liturgy suggests and recommends it.(90) Of
course, it falls only to those who exercise the priestly ministry to
effect the Eucharistic Sacrifice and to offer it to God in the name of
the whole people.(91) This is the basis of the distinction, which is
much more than a matter of discipline, between the task proper to the
celebrant and that which belongs to deacons and the non-ordained
faithful.(92) Yet the faithful must realize that, because of the
common priesthood received in Baptism, "they participate in the
offering of the Eucharist".(93) Although there is a distinction of
roles, they still "offer to God the divine victim and themselves with
him. Offering the sacrifice and receiving holy communion, they take
part actively in the liturgy",(94) finding in it light and strength to
live their baptismal priesthood and the witness of a holy life.

Other moments of the Christian Sunday

52. Sharing in the Eucharist is the heart of Sunday, but the duty to
keep Sunday holy cannot be reduced to this. In fact, the Lord's Day is
lived well if it is marked from beginning to end by grateful and
active remembrance of God's saving work. This commits each of Christ's
disciples to shape the other moments of the day - those outside the
liturgical context: family life, social relationships, moments of
relaxation - in such a way that the peace and joy of the Risen Lord
will emerge in the ordinary events of life. For example, the relaxed
gathering of parents and children can be an opportunity not only to
listen to one another but also to share a few formative and more
reflective moments. Even in lay life, when possible, why not make
provision for special times of prayer - especially the solemn
celebration of Vespers, for example - or moments of catechesis, which
on the eve of Sunday or on Sunday afternoon might prepare for or
complete the gift of the Eucharist in people's hearts?

This rather traditional way of keeping Sunday holy has perhaps become
more difficult for many people; but the Church shows her faith in the
strength of the Risen Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit by making
it known that, today more than ever, she is unwilling to settle for
minimalism and mediocrity at the level of faith. She wants to help
Christians to do what is most correct and pleasing to the Lord. And
despite the difficulties, there are positive and encouraging signs. In
many parts of the Church, a new need for prayer in its many forms is
being felt; and this is a gift of the Holy Spirit. There is also a
rediscovery of ancient religious practices, such as pilgrimages; and
often the faithful take advantage of Sunday rest to visit a Shrine
where, with the whole family perhaps, they can spend time in a more
intense experience of faith. These are moments of grace which must be
fostered through evangelization and guided by genuine pastoral wisdom.


Sunday assemblies without a priest

53. There remains the problem of parishes which do not have the
ministry of a priest for the celebration of the Sunday Eucharist. This
is often the case in young Churches, where one priest has pastoral
responsibility for faithful scattered over a vast area. However,
emergency situations can also arise in countries of long-standing
Christian tradition, where diminishing numbers of clergy make it
impossible to guarantee the presence of a priest in every parish
community. In situations where the Eucharist cannot be celebrated, the
Church recommends that the Sunday assembly come together even without
a priest,(95) in keeping with the indications and directives of the
Holy See which have been entrusted to the Episcopal Conferences for
implementation.(96) Yet the objective must always remain the
celebration of the Sacrifice of the Mass, the one way in which the
Passover of the Lord becomes truly present, the only full realization
of the Eucharistic assembly over which the priest presides in persona
Christi, breaking the bread of the word and the Eucharist. At the
pastoral level, therefore, everything has to be done to ensure that
the Sacrifice of the Mass is made available as often as possible to
the faithful who are regularly deprived of it, either by arranging the
presence of a priest from time to time, or by taking every opportunity
to organize a gathering in a central location accessible to scattered
groups.

Radio and television

54. Finally, the faithful who, because of sickness, disability or some
other serious cause, are prevented from taking part, should as best
they can unite themselves with the celebration of Sunday Mass from
afar, preferably by means of the readings and prayers for that day
from the Missal, as well as through their desire for the
Eucharist.(97) In many countries, radio and television make it
possible to join in the Eucharistic celebration broadcast from some
sacred place.(98) Clearly, this kind of broadcast does not in itself
fulfil the Sunday obligation, which requires participation in the
fraternal assembly gathered in one place, where Eucharistic communion
can be received. But for those who cannot take part in the Eucharist
and who are therefore excused from the obligation, radio and
television are a precious help, especially if accompanied by the
generous service of extraordinary ministers who bring the Eucharist to
the sick, also bringing them the greeting and solidarity of the whole
community. Sunday Mass thus produces rich fruits for these Christians
too, and they are truly enabled to experience Sunday as "the Lord's
Day" and "the Church's day".

CHAPTER IV

DIES HOMINIS

Sunday: Day of Joy, Rest and Solidarity

The "full joy" of Christ

55. "Blessed be he who has raised the great day of Sunday above all
other days. The heavens and the earth, angels and of men give
themselves over to joy".(99) This cry of the Maronite liturgy captures
well the intense acclamations of joy which have always characterized
Sunday in the liturgy of both East and West. Moreover, historically -
even before it was seen as a day of rest, which in any case was not
provided for in the civil calendar - Christians celebrated the weekly
day of the Risen Lord primarily as a day of joy. "On the first day of
the week, you shall all rejoice", urges the Didascalia. (100) This was
also emphasized by liturgical practice, through the choice of
appropriate gestures. (101) Voicing an awareness widespread in the
Church, Saint Augustine describes the joy of the weekly Easter:
"Fasting, is set aside and prayers are said standing, as a sign of the
Resurrection, which is also why the Alleluia is sung on every Sunday".
(102)

56. Beyond particular ritual forms, which can vary in time depending
upon Church discipline, there remains the fact that Sunday, as a
weekly echo of the first encounter with the Risen Lord, is unfailingly
marked by the joy with which the disciples greeted the Master: "The
disciples rejoiced to see the Lord" (Jn 20:20). This was the
confirmation of the words which Jesus spoke before the Passion and
which resound in every Christian generation: "You will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn to joy" (Jn 16:20). Had not he himself
prayed for this, that the disciples would have "the fullness of his
joy" (cf. Jn 17:13)? The festive character of the Sunday Eucharist
expresses the joy that Christ communicates to his Church through the
gift of the Spirit. Joy is precisely one of the fruits of the Holy
Spirit(cf. Rom 14:17; Gal 5:22).

57. Therefore, if we wish to rediscover the full meaning of Sunday, we
must rediscover this aspect of the life of faith. Certainly, Christian
joy must mark the whole of life, and not just one day of the week. But
in virtue of its significance as the day of the Risen Lord,
celebrating God's work of creation and "new creation", Sunday is the
day of joy in a very special way, indeed the day most suitable for
learning how to rejoice and to rediscover the true nature and deep
roots of joy. This joy should never be confused with shallow feelings
of satisfaction and pleasure, which inebriate the senses and emotions
for a brief moment, but then leave the heart unfulfilled and perhaps
even embittered. In the Christian view, joy is much more enduring and
consoling; as the saints attest, it can hold firm even in the dark
night of suffering. (103) It is, in a certain sense, a "virtue" to be
nurtured.

58. Yet there is no conflict whatever between Christian joy and true
human joys, which in fact are exalted and find their ultimate
foundation precisely in the joy of the glorified Christ, the perfect
image and revelation of man as God intended. As my revered predecessor
Paul VI wrote in his Exhortation on Christian joy: "In essence,
Christian joy is a sharing in the unfathomable joy, at once divine and
human, found in the heart of the glorified Christ". (104) Pope Paul
concluded his Exhortation by asking that, on the Lord's Day, the
Church should witness powerfully to the joy experienced by the
Apostles when they saw the Lord on the evening of Easter. To this end,
he urged pastors to insist "upon the need for the baptized to
celebrate the Sunday Eucharist in joy. How could they neglect this
encounter, this banquet which Christ prepares for us in his love? May
our sharing in it be most worthy and joyful! It is Christ, crucified
and glorified, who comes among his disciples, to lead them all
together into the newness of his Resurrection. This is the climax,
here below, of the covenant of love between God and his people: the
sign and source of Christian joy, a stage on the way to the eternal
feast". (105) This vision of faith shows the Christian Sunday to be a
true "time for celebration", a day given by God to men and women for
their full human and spiritual growth.

The fulfilment of the Sabbath

59. This aspect of the Christian Sunday shows in a special way how it
is the fulfilment of the Old Testament Sabbath. On the Lord's Day,
which - as we have already said - the Old Testament links to the work
of creation (cf. Gn 2:1-3; Ex 20:8-11) and the Exodus (cf. Dt
5:12-15), the Christian is called to proclaim the new creation and the
new covenant brought about in the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Far from
being abolished, the celebration of creation becomes more profound
within a Christocentric perspective, being seen in the light of the
God's plan "to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and
things on earth" (Eph 1:10). The remembrance of the liberation of the
Exodus also assumes its full meaning as it becomes a remembrance of
the universal redemption accomplished by Christ in his Death and
Resurrection. More than a "replacement" for the Sabbath, therefore,
Sunday is its fulfilment, and in a certain sense its extension and
full expression in the ordered unfolding of the history of salvation,
which reaches its culmination in Christ.

60. In this perspective, the biblical theology of the "Sabbath" can be
recovered in full, without compromising the Christian character of
Sunday. It is a theology which leads us ever anew and in unfailing awe
to the mystery of the beginning, when the eternal Word of God, by a
free decision of love, created the world from nothing. The work of
creation was sealed by the blessing and consecration of the day on
which God ceased "from all the work which he had done in creation" (Gn
2:3). This day of God's rest confers meaning upon time, which in the
sequence of weeks assumes not only a chronological regularity but
also, in a manner of speaking, a theological resonance. The constant
return of the "shabbat" ensures that there is no risk of time being
closed in upon itself, since, in welcoming God and his kairoi - the
moments of his grace and his saving acts - time remains open to
eternity.

61. As the seventh day blessed and consecrated by God, the "shabbat"
concludes the whole work of creation, and is therefore immediately
linked to the work of the sixth day when God made man "in his image
and likeness" (cf. Gn 1:26). This very close connection between the
"day of God" and the "day of man" did not escape the Fathers in their
meditation on the biblical creation story. Saint Ambrose says in this
regard: "Thanks, then, to the Lord our God who accomplished a work in
which he might find rest. He made the heavens, but I do not read that
he found rest there; he made the stars, the moon, the sun, and neither
do I read that he found rest in them. I read instead that he made man
and that then he rested, finding in man one to whom he could offer the
forgiveness of sins". (106) Thus there will be for ever a direct link
between the "day of God" and the "day of man". When the divine
commandment declares: "Remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it
holy" (Ex 20:8), the rest decreed in order to honour the day dedicated
to God is not at all a burden imposed upon man, but rather an aid to
help him to recognize his life-giving and liberating dependence upon
the Creator, and at the same time his calling to cooperate in the
Creator's work and to receive his grace. In honouring God's "rest",
man fully discovers himself, and thus the Lord's Day bears the
profound imprint of God's blessing (cf. Gn 2:3), by virtue of which,
we might say, it is endowed in a way similar to the animals and to man
himself, with a kind of "fruitfulness" (cf. Gn 1:22, 28). This
"fruitfulness" is apparent above all in filling and, in a certain
sense, "multiplying" time itself, deepening in men and women the joy
of living and the desire to foster and communicate life.

62. It is the duty of Christians therefore to remember that, although
the practices of the Jewish Sabbath are gone, surpassed as they are by
the "fulfilment" which Sunday brings, the underlying reasons for
keeping "the Lord's Day" holy - inscribed solemnly in the Ten
Commandments - remain valid, though they need to be reinterpreted in
the light of the theology and spirituality of Sunday: "Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six
days you shall labour, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a
Sabbath to the Lord your God. Then you shall do no work, you, or your
son, or your daughter, or your servant, or your maid, or your ox, or
your ass, or any of your beasts, or the foreigner within your gates,
that your servant and maid may rest as well as you. You shall remember
that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God
brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Therefore the Lord your God commanded that you keep the Sabbath day"
(Dt 5:12-15). Here the Sabbath observance is closely linked with the
liberation which God accomplished for his people.

63. Christ came to accomplish a new "exodus", to restore freedom to
the oppressed. He performed many healings on the Sabbath (cf. Mt
12:9-14 and parallels), certainly not to violate the Lord's Day, but
to reveal its full meaning: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for
the Sabbath" (Mk 2:27). Opposing the excessively legalistic
interpretation of some of his contemporaries, and developing the true
meaning of the biblical Sabbath, Jesus, as "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mk
2:28), restores to the Sabbath observance its liberating character,
carefully safeguarding the rights of God and the rights of man. This
is why Christians, called as they are to proclaim the liberation won
by the blood of Christ, felt that they had the authority to transfer
the meaning of the Sabbath to the day of the Resurrection. The
Passover of Christ has in fact liberated man from a slavery more
radical than any weighing upon an oppressed people - the slavery of
sin, which alienates man from God, and alienates man from himself and
from others, constantly sowing within history the seeds of evil and
violence.

The day of rest

64. For several centuries, Christians observed Sunday simply as a day
of worship, without being able to give it the specific meaning of
Sabbath rest. Only in the fourth century did the civil law of the
Roman Empire recognize the weekly recurrence, determining that on "the
day of the sun" the judges, the people of the cities and the various
trade corporations would not work. (107) Christians rejoiced to see
thus removed the obstacles which until then had sometimes made
observance of the Lord's Day heroic. They could now devote themselves
to prayer in common without hindrance. (108)

It would therefore be wrong to see in this legislation of the rhythm
of the week a mere historical circumstance with no special
significance for the Church and which she could simply set aside. Even
after the fall of the Empire, the Councils did not cease to insist
upon the arrangements regarding Sunday rest. In countries where
Christians are in the minority and where the festive days of the
calendar do not coincide with Sunday, it is still Sunday which remains
the Lord's Day, the day on which the faithful come together for the
Eucharistic assembly. But this involves real sacrifices. For
Christians it is not normal that Sunday, the day of joyful
celebration, should not also be a day of rest, and it is difficult for
them to keep Sunday holy if they do not have enough free time.

65. By contrast, the link between the Lord's Day and the day of rest
in civil society has a meaning and importance which go beyond the
distinctly Christian point of view. The alternation between work and
rest, built into human nature, is willed by God himself, as appears in
the creation story in the Book of Genesis (cf. 2:2-3; Ex 20:8-11):
rest is something "sacred", because it is man's way of withdrawing
from the sometimes excessively demanding cycle of earthly tasks in
order to renew his awareness that everything is the work of God. There
is a risk that the prodigious power over creation which God gives to
man can lead him to forget that God is the Creator upon whom
everything depends. It is all the more urgent to recognize this
dependence in our own time, when science and technology have so
incredibly increased the power which man exercises through his work.

66. Finally, it should not be forgotten that even in our own day work
is very oppressive for many people, either because of miserable
working conditions and long hours - especially in the poorer regions
of the world - or because of the persistence in economically more
developed societies of too many cases of injustice and exploitation of
man by man. When, through the centuries, she has made laws concerning
Sunday rest, (109) the Church has had in mind above all the work of
servants and workers, certainly not because this work was any less
worthy when compared to the spiritual requirements of Sunday
observance, but rather because it needed greater regulation to lighten
its burden and thus enable everyone to keep the Lord's Day holy. In
this matter, my predecessor Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical Rerum
Novarum spoke of Sunday rest as a worker's right which the State must
guarantee. (110)

In our own historical context there remains the obligation to ensure
that everyone can enjoy the freedom, rest and relaxation which human
dignity requires, together with the associated religious, family,
cultural and interpersonal needs which are difficult to meet if there
is no guarantee of at least one day of the week on which people can
both rest and celebrate. Naturally, this right of workers to rest
presupposes their right to work and, as we reflect on the question of
the Christian understanding of Sunday, we cannot but recall with a
deep sense of solidarity the hardship of countless men and women who,
because of the lack of jobs, are forced to remain inactive on workdays
as well.

67. Through Sunday rest, daily concerns and tasks can find their
proper perspective: the material things about which we worry give way
to spiritual values; in a moment of encounter and less pressured
exchange, we see the true face of the people with whom we live. Even
the beauties of nature - too often marred by the desire to exploit,
which turns against man himself - can be rediscovered and enjoyed to
the full. As the day on which man is at peace with God, with himself
and with others, Sunday becomes a moment when people can look anew
upon the wonders of nature, allowing themselves to be caught up in
that marvellous and mysterious harmony which, in the words of Saint
Ambrose, weds the many elements of the cosmos in a "bond of communion
and peace" by "an inviolable law of concord and love". (111) Men and
women then come to a deeper sense, as the Apostle says, that
"everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it
is received with thanksgiving, for then it is consecrated by the word
of God and prayer" (1 Tim 4:4-5). If after six days of work - reduced
in fact to five for many people - people look for time to relax and to
pay more attention to other aspects of their lives, this corresponds
to an authentic need which is in full harmony with the vision of the
Gospel message. Believers are therefore called to satisfy this need in
a way consistent with the manifestation of their personal and
community faith, as expressed in the celebration and sanctification of
the Lord's Day.

Therefore, also in the particular circumstances of our own time,
Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation
respects their duty to keep Sunday holy. In any case, they are obliged
in conscience to arrange their Sunday rest in a way which allows them
to take part in the Eucharist, refraining from work and activities
which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord's Day, with
its characteristic joy and necessary rest for spirit and body. (112)

68. In order that rest may not degenerate into emptiness or boredom,
it must offer spiritual enrichment, greater freedom, opportunities for
contemplation and fraternal communion. Therefore, among the forms of
culture and entertainment which society offers, the faithful should
choose those which are most in keeping with a life lived in obedience
to the precepts of the Gospel. Sunday rest then becomes "prophetic",
affirming not only the absolute primacy of God, but also the primacy
and dignity of the person with respect to the demands of social and
economic life, and anticipating in a certain sense the "new heavens"
and the "new earth", in which liberation from slavery to needs will be
final and complete. In short, the Lord's Day thus becomes in the
truest sense the day of man as well.

A day of solidarity

69. Sunday should also give the faithful an opportunity to devote
themselves to works of mercy, charity and apostolate. To experience
the joy of the Risen Lord deep within is to share fully the love which
pulses in his heart: there is no joy without love! Jesus himself
explains this, linking the "new commandment" with the gift of joy: "If
you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have
kept the Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you
this that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This
is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you" (Jn
15:10-12).

The Sunday Eucharist, therefore, not only does not absolve the
faithful from the duties of charity, but on the contrary commits them
even more "to all the works of charity, of mercy, of apostolic
outreach, by means of which it is seen that the faithful of Christ are
not of this world and yet are the light of the world, giving glory to
the Father in the presence of men". (113)

70. Ever since Apostolic times, the Sunday gathering has in fact been
for Christians a moment of fraternal sharing with the very poor. "On
the first day of the week, each of you is to put aside and save
whatever extra you earn" (1 Cor 16:2), says Saint Paul referring to
the collection organized for the poor Churches of Judaea. In the
Sunday Eucharist, the believing heart opens wide to embrace all
aspects of the Church. But the full range of the apostolic summons
needs to be accepted: far from trying to create a narrow "gift"
mentality, Paul calls rather for a demanding culture of sharing, to be
lived not only among the members of the community itself but also in
society as a whole. (114) More than ever, we need to listen once again
to the stern warning which Paul addresses to the community at Corinth,
guilty of having humiliated the poor in the fraternal agape which
accompanied "the Lord's Supper": "When you meet together, it is not
the Lord's Supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead
with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do
you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church
of God and humiliate those who have nothing?" (1 Cor 11:20-22). James
is equally forceful in what he writes: "If a man with gold rings and
in fine clothing comes into your assembly and a poor man in shabby
clothing also comes in, and you pay attention to the one who wears the
fine clothing and say, 'Take a seat here, please', while you say to
the poor man, 'Stand there', or, 'Sit at my feet', have you not made
distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?"
(2:2-4).

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