My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are seven (7) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church addressing the Third Commandment of the Decalogue, ‘Keep Holy the Sabbath.’ The following is a reflection on CCC 2192.
When considering how to “keep holy the Sabbath” the Catechism cites two canons of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Our consideration of these will help us to better understand and live the Third Commandment.
Canon 1246 addresses Sunday as the principal, “primordial” feast day of precept. The focus on Sunday as the principal feast day of precept highlights the central importance of the Lord’s Day, the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate not only annually at Easter, but weekly on Sunday. That Sunday is the principal feast is not to denigrate any other feast, but keeps our eyes fixed on the risen Lord. The Sunday observance in the universal Church dates back to apostolic times.
Canon 1247 addresses the obligation binding the faithful to participate in the Holy Mass every Sunday and on the other days of precept.
In the United States of America there are six days of precept or “Holy Days of Obligation” which are also Solemnities on the Roman Calendar: Christmas – the Nativity of the Lord (25 December), the Ascension of the Lord (varies, either forty days after Easter or the Sunday thereafter), Mary the Mother of God (1 January), the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 December), the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August), All Saints (1 November). The universal calendar also includes as Holy Days of Obligation the Epiphany of the Lord (6 January or the Sunday thereafter), Corpus Christi (Thursday after Trinity Sunday or Sunday thereafter), Saint Joseph (19 March), the Apostles Peter and Paul (29 June). These four are also ranked as “Solemnities” and are celebrated as such in the United States of America, but with the permission of the Apostolic See they are not observed in the United States of America as days of precept. Many members of the Christian faithful participate daily in the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass out of a spirit of devotion.
Duty and obligation have been much maligned over the years, not just in our own day. The devil despised the duty and obligation owed to God, as did our first parents, in the beginning (cf. Ephesians 2:2; 5:6; 6:12; 1 John 3:8). Whenever we sin we follow their bad example. The Lord Jesus helps us to keep obedience and duty in proper perspective when He teaches us that if we love Him we will keep His Commandments (John 14:15) and even when we have done all that we were supposed to do we are still just useless servants (cf. Luke 17:10). The Lord calls us to do our duty, in obedience and love and to exceed the bare minimum, as He did on Good Friday, including Sunday Mass (cf. Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23).
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr