There comes a time in every Catholic's life where Sunday rolls around and we find that there is something to do. Now we are reminded by Holy Mother Church of God's commandment to “Keep Holy the Sabbath” and this also means to abstain from servile work on that day. But before you pull your hair out trying to figure out what you're not supposed to do, let's review a little catechism!

Servile work according to the Catholic Church is understood as “hard labor” or physical labor also avoiding activities not of necessity (business deals, shopping, housekeeping). Because we are given six days to work and actually commanded to take rest on the seventh. This is no joke! The almighty and everlasting God worked for six days in the creation of the world and rested on the seventh and therefore blessed that day so that all should recognize it.

But is it so black and white? Shall I sit and not lift a hand to do anything in fear that I may commit sin? Of course not! Recall the teaching of the Church is to not do work that is NOT OF NECESSITY. For example, let us say your spouse is on bed due to a sickness of some kind and you are left to tend to the children and the house. Shall you actually let your house be torn to pieces and not put it in order to maintain peace and stability in the household? This is an obvious situation where doing what you must, even on the Sabbath, is necessary. Recall Jesus did what was good by healing a sick man on the Sabbath and the legalistic Pharisees scorned Him for doing so.

But what if you have to work on Sunday, THEN you are sinning BIG time, right? Of course not! Now it would be ideal to seek out employment that respects the Lord's commandment for rest on Sunday but not every establishment does. And life being what it is, sometimes you have to get a job whenever or where ever you can! Remember that besides participating in the Sacraments of the Church , doing penance, prayer and the like...you must also carry out your duty in life. In fact, by simply carrying out your duty in life with gladness to serve for Jesus' glory is the work of the saints! For example, if you work in a restaurant, as let's say a waiter, then you likely will end up working on a Sunday. Perhaps you can try to speak with fellow co-workers to help you trade your work days so you can be off on some Sundays or even speak with your manager about that possibility. But let's say for arguments sake that you are unable to trade those days and you are forced to work on the Lord's day. Well, when you are able you should take whatever time you have to utter a prayer of adoration for God on His day. In your prayer, mention your longing to abide by His ways that you may be given the opportunity to rest on Sundays but to also ask for graces to do your duty in life by practicing virtues.

And on the other side of the coin, shall you who are free on a Sunday go into a restaurant? Well, this is to be considered as well. I know, after Mass we all get very hungry and that new Mexican restaurant down the road is to die for! But if we are to work to strengthen Christendom in our communities, then we should band together to adhere to God's commandments. This isn't to say that restaurant owners are evil for insisting on working on Sunday's but rather recognizing that there is a disorientation for what is most important in life. Think of it, what if every person who claims to be Christian actually decided unanimously to not go to any restaurant on Sunday? That would literally mean the restaurants that are open on those days would lose money just by staying open. It would cost them more money to keep the grills hot and the lights on because not enough people would come to eat. This also means that Christians who are forced to work could be sent home without having to work on God's day! All I am saying is, we all have a duty in life but the first duty on our list should be recognizing God's designs for all of us.