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Doing Homework on Sunday


Twentie Fow

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White Knight

No because your not getting paid to do it.

Working on the Sabbath Day for money is bad and considered breaking it. But when you do the things you have to do like chores around the house or something or help out your parents with something I think thats alright.

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Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about work on the Sabbath Day.....

[quote]A day of grace and rest from work


2184
Just as God "rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,"121 human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.122


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.123 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.124

2186
Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.


2187
Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees.


2188
In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have to give everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society. If a country's legislation or other reasons require work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our deliverance which lets us share in this "festal gathering," this "assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven."125[/quote]

It is not clear to me whether or not doing homework on Sunday is righteous.

God Bless,

Twentie Fow

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phatcatholic

twenty fow,

i think it all depends on how you approach your homework. if you view it as an opportunity to cultivate your mind, to fulfill your responsibilities as a faithful student, and to glorify God w/ your work by trying your best, then i think doing homework on Sunday is acceptable. however, when i was in high school, i used to dread Sunday b/c that meant i had to do my homework and that school started back up the next day. i would end up doing a little, gettin distracted by something, doin a little more, "hey, what's on tv?" and somehow by the end of the day it got done. it wasn't always my best work either. i see now that that wasn't the right approach.

your priority should always be to sanctify the day, and the CCC tells us how we do this. as long as homework does not interfere w/ this priority, then i think it can be an acceptable part of the day. however, if you see homework interfering w/ this priority, then you could always ensure that it was completed on friday or saturday. finishing your homework is still a responsibility, and you certainly wouldn't want to tell your teacher, "oh, i didn't do it b/c i was sanctifying Sunday."

i hope that helps

pax christi,
phatcatholic

Edited by phatcatholic
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Jake Huether

A couple semesters into College I gave up doing homework on Sunday. Turns out my grades actually went up after that!

I think our mind and body need rest on Sunday... So Sunday isn't just a day of giving God Glory. It's a day for preparing yourself to be able to give God Glory more fully during the week. It's a day of rest. You shouldn't have to stress out on problems, etc.

That's just my take on it. Usually homework isn't such that one MUST do it on Sunday. If you've put it off all week, it's an abuse of Sunday to do it. If you couldn't otherwise do it, then it might be excusable...

I think you shouldn't add this to the worries of your day. Especially Sunday.

Glory to God in the Highest!

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  • 3 months later...

I've usually ended up working on my artwork on Sundays for school. I started working Friday (4-9) & Saturday (8-4), which makes Sunday the only day I relax even more special.

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Okay from my old books on Moral Theology:

There are three types of labor to be considered:

1)Liberal- this type of work is allowed and includes such things as writing, sewing, and the like.
2) Mixed- this type is also allowed and includes such things as sports, hunting, fishing, etc...
3)Servile-this type of work is not allowed and includes manual labor with the hands and such (farming, most mechanical work,)

In addition public markets should not be open, courts should not be in session, and so forth.

Some cases that excuse us from the obligation of rest:
1) Necessity to self-cooking and such
2) Necessity to neighbor-as mentioned, works of charity and other things that are needed
3) It is a custom in the place-such as ice cream shops and what not
4) One is required by employer and could loose his job without hope of finding another

Overall, however, work should be avoided if it is able to be done at a later date.

I hope that helps.

Edited by Paphnutius
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