On a Friday afternoon not long ago, my wife and I were out running some errands. As we walked along to one of our destinations, my wife noticed that one of the shops – Crumbl Cookies, if you’re curious – is closed on Sundays. We all know that “God’s chicken” isn’t sold on Sundays, but my wife and I were both pleasantly surprised to find another nationwide chain that makes Sunday a day of rest. No, I don’t expect all businesses in our pluralistic, capitalistic society to make this same decision, but I do appreciate the cultural reminder that Sunday is a day set apart from others. For Christians, every Sunday is a “little Easter,” a day to commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

A few years ago, I heard a clever parable about the importance of keeping Sunday holy. The parable is not found in Scripture, and I’m not quite sure of its origin, but it went something like this:

One day a good king was traveling through his kingdom when he encountered a beggar in great need. Overwhelmed with compassion, the king gave the impoverished man seven golden coins on the condition that one of the coins must be donated to the Church. The man gratefully accepted the offer and set out to use the money.

The man began to put the coins to excellent use. The first two coins were spent on buying a house and a field. The third coin was used to purchase a horse and cart, and the fourth coin was spent on buying sheep and cattle. The fifth coin was used to buy a large quantity of grain, and the sixth coin was used to acquire a plow and other tools.

With six coins spent, the man headed towards the Church to donate the seventh and final coin. On the way, however, he saw a tailor selling a fine suit. “If I am to lead a respectable life,” he reasoned, “I need to look presentable.” Therefore, he spent the last coin on the outfit and returned home.

After a few weeks, the king decided to check on the man to see how he was doing. Upon reaching his home, the king was happy to see the man's newfound financial stability. When the king inquired about how the coins were spent, however, the man confessed that he hadn't given any to the Church. Upset that the man did not keep his word, the king demanded that all seven gold coins be repaid with interest.

The meaning of the parable is simple: God has generously given us seven days every week for our use, but He requires us to set aside one of those days for communion with him, especially by attending Mass. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor [Code of Canon Law, canon 1245]. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

2185 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 [Code of Canon Law, canon 120].  Family needs or important social service 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. “The charity of truth seeks holy leisure- the necessity of charity accepts just work” [St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 19,19:PL 41,647].

In other words, Catholics are required to keep every Sunday holy in two ways: 1) First, we have a grave responsibility to attend Mass, unless we are truly prevented from doing so by serious circumstances. 2) Second, we must avoid any unnecessary work or other activities that prevent us from experiencing joyful “rest” and worship on the Lord’s Day.

A person might reasonably ask, where does this Sunday obligation come from? How do we know God wants us to keep Sunday holy in this way? To understand the requirement, we have to begin with the biblical story of creation: Genesis says that God created the world in six days, then rested on the seventh (Genesis 2:3). When the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the third commandment instructed the Israelites to keep holy the Sabbath, which was Saturday:

Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your work animal, or the resident alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:8-11).

The Jewish people, then, set apart Saturday as a day to worship God by going to the synagogue and avoiding unnecessary work. In this way, they thank God for the gift of God’s creation and for his faithfulness.

The Resurrection of Jesus on Sunday, the first day of the week, has brought about a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), which is even greater than God’s original creation in Genesis. In the New Testament, therefore, we see that the early Christians began to gather on Sunday, “the Lord’s Day,” to worship the Lord, especially through the celebration of the Eucharist (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Revelation 1:10). The Sabbath worship on Saturday was replaced by the Lord’s Day worship on Sunday, and Christians were warned not to neglect this weekly gathering (Hebrews 10:25).

One of the earliest Christian bishops, St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was a disciple of the Apostle John, described Christians as “those living in accordance with the Lord's Day” (iuxta dominicam viventes).[1] Another second-century Christian, St. Justin Martyr, described the gathering of Christians on the Lord’s Day in great detail: “On the day we call the day of the sun [i.e., Sunday], all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.”[2]

When Emperor Constantine later converted to Christianity, he decreed in the year 321 that Sunday should be a civil day of rest from unnecessary work and that businesses should be closed: “Let all the magistrates and city people and craftsmen [Constantine is obviously referring to Hobby Lobby here] rest on the venerable day of the Sun.”[3] In our own time, the social custom of resting from unnecessary work on Sunday is all but forgotten, and even the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays is often neglected by Catholics.

I urge Catholics, then, to consider creative ways to rediscover the importance of the Lord’s Day. Make Mass your top priority, avoid unnecessary work and activities, and consider family and individual activities that can help to highlight this weekly “Little Easter.” God has given us seven days of each week, and he asks us to use this particular day to express our joyful gratitude.