What Does "day Of Rest" Really Mean?

[Basilisa Marie]

Okay, so I'm a grad student and just landed a part-time job working for a restaurant so I can have money for groceries, school books, and plane tickets to see my family and boyfriend about once per semester. Because I have class three days a week, there's a very good chance I'll be scheduled to work half-days the rest of the days, which would include Sunday.

My question is, how does the "day of rest" really work? I've read a bunch of conflicting things about this. Including: people can work on Sundays if they have to, like if you're a police officer or need the money for necessities, as long as you get to Mass and have some "rest" time either on Sunday or another day of the week. If I "need" to, I could probably get Sundays off, since my boss knows that I'm Catholic. But there are plenty of mass times available to me so I'd be able to attend no matter what time I worked. So can your "rest day" really be another day of the week as long as you meet your Sunday obligation? With my schedule, I might actually not get a full day off. Or does it not really matter as long as I make sure that I personally get some time to recharge?

Thank you muchly, I know I'm probably over-thinking this.

[cappie]

[size="3"]In the opening paragraphs of [i][url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html"]Dies Domini[/url][/i], John Paul II says Sunday is the Easter that returns every week. As the first day of the week it looks forward to what is to come. As the eighth day, it looks back in thanksgiving to what the past has brought us. Sunday calls us to remember our roots are in Jesus and so is our goal. In paragraph four, John Paul II speaks how culture is changing. Sunday used to be a universal day of rest in many cultures. For many people it is but he says some of the meaning of the Lord’s Day as a day of rest has been lost in the newer concept of a "weekend" where we take two days off diminishing the uniqueness of the Lord’s Day. The weekend is understood as simple rest and relaxation and not as a time to honor the Lord.[/size]
[size="3"]How do we honor the Lord’s Day? John Paul quotes [i][url="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html"]Sacrosanctum Concilium[/url][/i] 106 from the Second Vatican Council when he writes[/size][indent][indent]
[size="3"]That on Sunday "Christian believers should come together, in order to commemorate the suffering, Resurrection and glory of the Lord Jesus, by hearing God’s Word and sharing the Eucharist, and to give thanks to God who has given them new birth to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (cf. 1 Pt 1:3). ([i][url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html"]Dies Domini[/url][/i], 6).[/size][/indent][/indent]
[size="3"]We are called to worship the Lord.[/size]

[size="3"]As John Paul II writes, "The divine rest of the seventh day does not allude to an inactive God, but emphasizes the fullness of what has been accomplished" ([i][url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html"]Dies Domini[/url][/i], 11). The Lord does not stop being God on the seventh day. On the seventh day, God looks back at what he has created and appreciates his work. In following God’s lead, I desire to take time on Sunday to reflect on what the previous week has been like. What good have I done and what do I need to do better at? How was the Lord present to me? In paragraph 15, John Paul II reminds of our call to explicit prayer. This is not simply the Sunday Mass but to take this time to personally reflect on our relationship with God. We are not called to simple rest "but to rest [i]in[/i] the Lord" ([i][url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html"]Dies Domini[/url][/i], 16).[/size]

[size="3"]In paragraph 22, John Paul II speaks of how the Christian calendar with its [i]Sunday[/i] day of rest did not coincide with the Greek and Roman calendars. Yet, they made the effort to rise early to celebrate the Sunday mass before going to work. In our hectic world today, some people need to work on Sunday.[/size] [size="3"]Personally, I am also aware that I should not contribute to unnecessarily making people work on Sunday. For example, do I really need to go shopping on Sunday or am I able to do it during the week?[/size]

[size="3"]In paragraphs 69-73, John Paul II suggests the Sunday can also be a day to devote "to works of mercy, charity and apostolate." In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus calls us to care for others. Sunday is a good day to do this. Feeding the hungry or visiting the sick is not simply work and thus to be avoided. We honor the Lord in our love and care for those in need.[/size]