The Sunday Sabbath The Third Commandment says, “Take care to keep holy the 16 sabbath day as the LORD, your God, commanded you…the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.” From the beginning the Jewish people have always observed Saturday as the sabbath. So why do Catholics go to church on Sunday? In short, it’s all about Jesus! The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 2174 says this: “Jesus rose from the dead ‘on the first day of the week.’ Because it is the ‘first day,’ the day of Christ’s Resurrection recalls the first creation. Because it is the ‘eighth day’ following the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by Christ’s Resurrection. For Christians it has become the first of all days, the first of all feasts, the Lord’s Day.” And in paragraph 2176 the Catechism tells us that “Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.” We see Sunday Mass from the very beginning of the Church. In Acts 20:7, St. Luke recalls, “On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread…” And finally in paragraph 2177 of the Catechism, we read “Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church.” For further study: Acts 20:7 • CCC 1343 • CCC 2168-2195 Notes
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