Apostolic Letter

08 July 1998 07:40

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7-Jul-98

NEW APOSTOLIC LETTER ON SUNDAY CELEBRATION

VATICAN (CWNews.com) — Dies Domini, a new apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II encouraging proper respect for the Sabbath, was released today.

The Lord’s Day, the Holy Father writes, should be a “great school of
charity, justice, and peace.” He calls on Christians to demonstrate
their spiritual maturity and to reinforce their Christian identity by
their observance of the Sabbath.

The Sabbath rest is not a way of avoiding work, the Pope argues; rather it is a time for engaging in acts of charity, strengthening family
bonds, and deepening interior life.

At the same time, the Sabbath rest is not merely a religious obligation, the Pope continues. It is a human right, which should be protected by
appropriate legislation.

The 104-page apostolic letter responds to what John Paul sees as a
“banalization” of the Sunday rest. He observes that in some countries
the day has become simply a portion of the weekend– stripped of its
character as the day devoted especially to celebration of the

Resurrection.

Earlier generations of Christians had a much better understanding of the Sabbath, the Pope writes. He points to the example of the martyrs who
died at the hands of the Roman Emperor Diocletian because they refused
to profane the Lord’s Day. Their example led eventually to the Church’s decision to make attendance at Sunday Mass a religious obligation. But
in reality that obligation reflects the Third Commandment, the Pontiff
continues; it is a natural expression of the obligation to “keep holy
the Lord’s Day.”

Citing the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, by Pope Leo XIII, John Paul
notes that the Church has always insisted on the right of workers to a
day of rest. He denounced the “exploitation” practiced by employers who ignore this fundamental human need, observing that the exploitation is
most common in poor countries. Along with worship and rest, Sunday is an appropriate day for religious education, the Pope writes. In the
apostolic letter, he takes pains to explain the origin of the Sunday
observance. It is, he says, an expression of the lively Christian faith in the risen Christ, living in the Church.

The Pope urges all pastors to plan carefully for the Sunday liturgy, and to take the time to prepare homilies that will “deepen in the faithful
the hunger for the Word of God.” He also encourages the faithful to
participate fully in the Eucharistic liturgy, preparing themselves
through the Sacrament of Penance.