In the days
of old before the coming of Christ, the seventh {7th} day of the week
(saturday) was honored as the day God
rested after creation (On the Seventh day God had completed the work he had
been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing.
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he rested
after all his work of creating; Gen.2:2-3) this being the fundamental
derivation of the 3rd commandment
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT:
“Remember the
Sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work
but the seventh day is a Sabbath for the Lord your God. You shall do no work
that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or
women, nor your animals nor the alien living with you. For six days the Lord
made the heavens, earth and sea and all that these contain but on the seventh
day he rested; that is why the Lord has blessed the Sabbath day and made it
sacred” [Ex.20:8-11]. After the resurrection of Christ from the dead on the
first day of the week; Sunday (‘after the Sabbath and towards dawn on the first
day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the
sepulcher. And suddenly there was a violent earthquake for an angel of the Lord
descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it’ Matthew
28:1, 9, 10; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1, 13, 15; John 20:19, 26Jn.20:1). Our early
Fathers called it ‘the day of the Lord’ {“it was the Lord’s Day…” (Rev.1:10) the day
after the Sabbath, and the Feast of Firstfruits—which is why Paul calls Jesus’
resurrection the firstfruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). Since
it is the first day of the week, it is also the eighth day of the previous
week, the day of the new creation (the allusion in 2 Corinthians 5:17)
as we feel it symbolically represents the acceptance of Christ as Messiah, and
his broadening blessing and redemption to the whole world}
And they worshipped on that day (‘on the first
day of the week we met for the breaking of bread. Paul was due to leave the
next day and he preached a sermon that went on till the middle of the night’
Acts.20:7 AND “Now about the collection for God’s holy people; you are to do
the same as I prescribed for the churches in Galatia. On the first day of the
week, each of you should put aside and reserve as much as each can spare; do
not delay the collection till I arrive” 1 Cor.16:1-2) and this is one of the
traditions handed on to the first Christians with strict adherence by the
apostles. For them, this was "the truth" from which they ought not to
deviate ... Acts 2:42, Jude 3f, 11 Timothy 2:2, Titus 1:9, Romans 6:17.
Once upon a
time all Christians were Catholic, the official decree of Emperor Constantine
(321 A.D) for Sunday as a day of worship was approved by the 33rd
Pope of the Church (Sylvester I; 314-335) with the positional authority of St.
Peter {‘…whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven…’ Mtt.16:18-19} and
Catholic bishops later made this church dogma at the Council of Laodicea (363
A.D.) though with this scriptural passage “Each day, with one heart, they
regularly went to the Temple but met in their houses for the breaking of bread;
they shared their food gladly and generously” (Acts.2:46) it became more
defined for Christians to worship everyday thus every priest must offer Holy
Mass for the life of the world (‘…and
the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world’ Jn.6:51)
each day with or without the congregation. Sunday is seen as a special day of
honor and worship to God through Christ the Head and Corner-stone of the foundation laid on
the apostles and prophets; the Church (Eph.2:19-22, 5:23)as Sabbath was with
the Israelites who offered direct sacrifice to God the Father in the old
testament.
Must one go to Church on Sunday?
Yes; in
obedience to the 3rd commandment (‘I rejoiced when I heard them say
let us go the house of the Lord’ Ps.122:1) because it is the fundamental
classroom for gaining true knowledge about God and morality {“many people will
come to it and say, come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house
of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his
paths...” Isaiah 2:3, ‘the church of the living God, pillar and support of the
truth’ 1 Tim.3:15, “better one day in your courts than a thousand at my own
devices, to stand on the threshold of God’s house than to live in the tents of
the wicked” Ps.84:10, ‘listen to the entreaty of your servant and of your
people Israel; whenever they pray in this place, listen from the place where
you reside in heaven; and when you hear, forgive’ 1kgs.8:30} as well as
offering the thanksgiving sacrifice (Holy Mass; …do this in remembrance of
me…Lk.22:19-20) without which there will be no remission of sin (Heb.9:22).
The Didache,
is also known as "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles". It is an ancient Christian text that was
probably a catechism, used by the early Church.
And on the Lord's own day gather yourselves
together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions,
that your sacrifice may be pure. And let
no man, having his dispute with his fellow; join your assembly until they have
been reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled; for this sacrifice it
is that was spoken of by the Lord; Didache, paragraph 14 (probably written
between 70-140 A.D.)
Buying and Selling not permissible on Sabbath and Holy days of
Obligation:
“…If the
people of the country bring goods or foodstuff of any kind to sell on the
Sabbath day, we will not buy anything from them on Sabbath or holy day…”
{Neh.10:31-32} unless in the cases of emergency on life issues with regards to
drug dispensation and medical attention for pharmacist, hospitals and doctors
including transporters and Gasoline sellers (Filling-station dealers) that
provide easy movement to and fro the Church hence ‘…for the Son of man is
master of the Sabbath’ [Mtt.12:1-8]
Cooking and eating is permissible on Sabbath and Holy days of
Obligation:
‘He then
said, You may go; eat what is rich, drink what is sweet and send helping to the
man who has nothing prepared. For today is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad:
the joy of the Lord is your stronghold’ (Neh.8:10) nevertheless glutton,
drunkenness, orgies and partying spirit is not encouraged (Gal.5:21) as those
who indulge in such actions will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Cathechism and Benediction in the Evening:
“In the
evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in
the room where the disciples were, for the fear of the Jews. Jesus came and
stood among them. He said to them, Peace be with you” {Jn.20:19} hence the
church calls her members for evening instructions on faith, morality and
doctrines of the church in order to gain knowledge which will help them pull
through our different endeavors while maintaining our integrity with our God
(Job 27:5) for those who will not be opportuned to attend daily Mass within the
week which is sealed with the ‘peace’ Our Eucharistic Lord himself gives to all
present for a blossoming week ahead.
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