The Sabbath is for man, and not man for the Sabbath

Right at the outset, let us remind ourselves: Sunday is to Christians what the Sabbath once was and is to the Jews. The meaning of Sunday and church attendance is an expression of reverence for the Most High, that God is not indifferent to man. Further, Sunday is for strengthening and developing excellence and rest, the release of tension necessary for the health of the body and soul. When one draws strength for work, it is not to the detriment of the work itself. One is aware that like the flowers in the garden need to be nurtured and tended, the good in man also needs to be developed and cultivated. This is a universal law that no one doubts. Even if one plants, sows, and hoes in the garden, there are still enough weeds. And this is also true of developing the good in man. It does not follow from the fact that even those people who go to church, and are not always exemplary, cultivating goodness and respect for the beautiful principles that are the foundation of a beautiful society is useless.
The command of the Pater obliges us, “On Sundays and on the commanded feast day, attend the entire Holy Mass.”

The Church enjoins that the faithful, if possible, should attend Holy Mass on Sundays and on the commanded feast. The sacrifice of the Mass is a renewal of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The Holy Mass is not only a reminder of this sacrifice and transfiguration at the Last Supper but also a call for the faithful to sacrifice for the good, to heroism in the midst of the difficulties that life heaps upon man. The sacrifice for good, even if no one knows about it or will know about it, is not in vain; it is not lost. The Eucharistic banquet is an invitation to the faithful to share their goods, respect one another, and form one family whose members do not destroy one another but bring joy and help one another. This is also how we are to understand participation in the Mass, which is to continue in concrete, everyday life, in honest work, in reconciliation with neighbors and relatives, and this is the most beautiful contribution to the beautification of life and is the most beautiful service to life.

What was given by Jesus for the Sabbath is also true for Sunday. Sunday is for man, and not man for Sunday. Sometimes it happens that if a man wants to avoid immense damage, he has to work on Sunday. This is especially true in harvesting in various disasters. Working in hotels, in transport, in some factories, if the work is round the clock, then one has to work even on Sundays.

However, the latest fashion is to ignore Sunday and the holiday. Such people do not realize that neglecting reverence for the Lord God, God’s laws, and the Senator does not benefit economic prosperity; on the contrary, sins and ignorance destroy it. Cultivating the beautiful principles of honesty, conscientiousness, truthfulness, and beautiful mental qualities are also the foundation of economic prosperity. They are the guarantee that people will not steal from one another, or lie to one another, lest the results of dabbling in human wickedness be destroyed. Trust is not only a religious and ethical concept, but also an economic one. For a business that is trusted to make good products also makes millions of dollars. Ignoring and trampling God’s laws and commandments is a manifestation of man’s shortsightedness, for respect for these laws protects even the one who mocks them.

A certain white colonizer mocked an African American chieftain for learning the catechism. “If it were not for this,” says the African American, “I should have eaten you long ago.” It is sometimes opined that in the interest of religion not to antagonize the powerful, it is necessary to be silent in regard to the wrongs, exploitation, and suffering from the innocent. But this is the greatest betrayal of religion, a betrayal of the will of God which protects all men, and it has suffered most from this betrayal in the past.

When St. Sebastian was accused of being a Christian, the Emperor Diocletian himself had him summoned and said to him:
“I valued you as a friend, and you repay me in this way? You betray me like this?”
Sebastian answered, “Great emperor, you have no more faithful servants than the Christians. We love our country and obey the emperor’s commands. However, we believe that the emperor is not God. God is higher than the emperor, and God’s laws protect all people, even the emperor.”
Emperor Diocletian did not understand these arguments because he thought he was the sovereign lord over the whole empire. He did not recognize a higher lord. Soon, on the basis of the same principles of violence that he himself used, he himself was assassinated.