Do you keep the Sabbath holy?

[kristinannie]

I was shocked today to learn that soccer in our area has Sat and Sun games every week. I have decided not to sign my son up because of that, especially since the games are during church! It made me think about my view of the Sabbath. I don't think our family has been doing enough to keep it holy. My DH does have to work a couple of Sundays a month since he works at a hospital. I do think on his Sunday's off we should have a lot more family time and a lot less TV and housework.

 

I would love to hear what YOU do on Sundays (or Saturdays if that is your Sabbath).

[Orthodox6]

I can relate to the sports conflicts. Our eldest played soccer for years. (His soccer coach took the photographs at ds' wedding last year, and some of the gang were in the wedding, the team friendships have been so long-lasting.)

 

We "bent" enough to allow playing soccer games on Sunday afternoons. We held firm, however, on Saturday evening [church] services and on Sunday morning [church] services. Fortunately, everything worked out without mishap over the years.

 

Just this summer, dd could have signed up for an optional ice skating competition. The event was scheduled for early Sunday morning. DD herself (12 years) decided that it "just would not feel right" to participate.

 

I do not live as I believe that I should live on the Sabbath. (Sunday, in our case.) I could try, but I do not have any trust in the realities of life such that I can refuse to do laundry or buy groceries after church is over. In general, though, much of our "socializing" with other families occurs on Sunday afternoons which is, in my view, appropriate.

 

Different faith groups are going to interpret the principle differently. So I am not promoting my actions as any kind of measuring rod.

[Koerarmoca]

We follow a Friday sunset to Saturday sunset Sabbath. Friday is or preparation day we prepare all the meals for Friday dinner, then Saturday Bfast-lunch-dinner. We do laundry and such, clean the house etc. so no "work" has to be done. Friday I also make 4 loaves of Challah. We just do family things, A bible reading, play games, take a long Saturday afternoon nap. I use the least amount of dishes possible but being summer time I do wash them or at the very least rinse them well. We have not found a local Saturday fellowship but we do sing an do a bible reading on Saturdays. Most important thing is to rest and not create work for others (so no shopping or going out to eat would be appropriate)

[Nestof3]

It depends on your take on the word "holy." I see it as separate, and I understand it to mean that for our benefit we should have a day out of the week that is separate from the rest -- a time to rest and enjoy things.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I *know* we don't keep the Sabbath holy in my family.

And the irony is that I helped my priest prepare an homily on exactly that subject - ok, bear with me, the extent of my helping was to buy him a book off Amazon ;-)

 

Still, the irony hasn't been lost on me. But what's one to do, when the society around you doesn't believe in keeping a holy day?

 

My kid would train year round, at 15+ hours a week, and I would deny them the provincial championship because it falls on a Sunday? In gym, there are 5 competitions during the year, which may or may fall on a Sunday. This year, my daughter's final competition - the provincials - were on a Sunday. I can't very much tell her she can't go. And I can't keep her away from a year's worth of training just in case the championship falls on a Sunday!

[6packofun]

I wish our *church* kept the Sabbath more holy! I consider small groups and youth group stuff on that day pretty annoying and not contributing to a day devoted to rest and family. Yes, all of those things are, to some extent, devoted to GOD, but with the running around to get to all of them, my brain is NOT focused on resting in Him as I leave my comfortable home after getting back from church just a few hours ago!!

 

What do the rest of you think about church stuff on Sunday? I know that it's a convenient day for scheduling, so I understand the desire to make things easier for families. But once I get home from service in the morning, man, I want to put on my comfy lounge pants and NOT LEAVE. Just hang out and spend time with my dh and kids and get some reading done. :)

[creekland]

We do, but we are not legalistic about it. We simply have found that we absolutely enjoy having a day off from our regular routine and our bodies/brains seem healthier for it too.

 

We go to church Sunday morning, then eat together at home (something easy to fix). Afterward people can do whatever they please that they find relaxing. We do very little work and absolutely nothing non-essential. No dishes, no laundry, no schoolwork, etc. Reading (purely pleasure reading) is common as are computer, card, or board games. Sometimes we go hiking. In the summer we often head down toward a nice, wide creek on our property.

 

There are times when we NEED to do something due to visiting relatives or something extra, but we all sort of mourn the loss when that happens and resolve to not let it happen any more often than it does.

 

There's no way we would sign up for any sporting event that regularly met on Sunday - or any academic event - or any social event. We just cherish our down time way too much. Our boys feel the same way about this as we do.

 

I suppose, in a way, it's not "holy" in the sense that we don't sit around and meditate about God, but it certainly is taking a day of rest from our usual activities.

[tex-mex]

We follow a Friday sunset to Saturday sunset Sabbath. Friday is or preparation day we prepare all the meals for Friday dinner, then Saturday Bfast-lunch-dinner. We do laundry and such, clean the house etc. so no "work" has to be done. Friday I also make 4 loaves of Challah. We just do family things, A bible reading, play games, take a long Saturday afternoon nap. I use the least amount of dishes possible but being summer time I do wash them or at the very least rinse them well. We have not found a local Saturday fellowship but we do sing an do a bible reading on Saturdays. Most important thing is to rest and not create work for others (so no shopping or going out to eat would be appropriate)

:iagree:

Our homeschurch does a Friday "shabbat" starting at sunset to sunset on Saturday. We try not to be legalistic with it. It is basically family time. If we had a wedding or invite during that time, we attend. Our homechurch meets on Saturday nights.

[BMW]

We head to church in the am. Then we have family time. I love the idea of cooking ahead and not making work for ourselves or others, but I have never implemented that in our life. We sometimes nap... sometimes head out on the boat and hang out on the water... sometimes go for a drive. We either eat out or my husband will serve us... grill or something special for us. One of the most important things for us is setting aside the day to spend as family.

[Xuzi]

We try, but we could deffinitely do better. We don't shop on Sundays unless absolutely necessary (like when one of my kids got really sick suddenly on a Sunday morning, I went to the store to get him some medicine). If we're on vacation over a Sunday we'll find a local LDS chapel to go to for services.

 

I *do* do housework on Sundays though, which I know I need to do better at, as I'm not really "resting" when I'm folding laundry. :p I also try to read my Sunday School lessons prior to church (which is at 1pm), but don't always do it, even though I certainly get more from the class when I do so.

 

So, I think I do all right, with plenty of room for improvement.

[Violet Crown]

Still, the irony hasn't been lost on me. But what's one to do, when the society around you doesn't believe in keeping a holy day?

 

You push the point. I've already had the argument with dd15's coach that she will not go to weekend out-of-town tournaments that make it impossible for her to get to Sunday Mass. This has occasionally meant that she hasn't been able to do a tournament he thought she should; but now a coach with some standing in the sport is aware that the way some tournaments are structured makes it impossible for Catholics to attend in good conscience.

 

Right now, dd is away at an academic camp on a college campus. I had understood that she could walk to the campus chapel for Mass, but found out at the orientation that the chapel was closed over the summer. There was an off-campus church, but they weren't supposed to go off-campus. I told the organizer that there must be some accommodation made; and then the parents of two other kids spoke up and said, yes, their kids also needed to have a way to get to Mass. So because (a) someone spoke up and insisted, and (b) others joined their voices, the organizer figured out a way to have a car take the three kids to Mass every Sunday morning. :)

 

What we can do, when society pushes, is push back.

 

ETA: Here's a family pushing back at society. In a nice way.

Edited July 12, 2011 by Sharon in Austin

[Ester Maria]

To an extent, in that I will not work, deal with petty household issues, no homeschooling, I will avoid monetary transactions, I will shut of the cell phone and the landline, the atmosphere of the day will be a little different than other days - but I do not push it. Nor does DD13. But we are dressed more nicely LOL - though we are always dressed nicely. Normally I do not cook either but prearrange everything before.

 

DH and DD14 do push it, though, whenever applicable (in some situations, or during travel, it may not always be, but they push it to the best they can in every situation). They do not use electronics at all, they do not use transport / drive / whatever, if something is scheduled for Friday evening or Saturday until sunset it will just not happen because they will consider shabat to be a priority, and overall, for them, it is a totally different day.

 

DH grew up in an orthodox family, and things such as football games were simply not happening if happening on shabat, and if school attendance was happening in some periods, it was happening without writing or doing anything which would break shabat (since it was within the walking distance). Shabat was *always* privileged, other than in situations which posed a life threat, where it was naturally acceptable to break it.

 

Personally, I am a non-believer so for me it is all about national folklore more than anything else, but I actually liked when we kept it more when kids were younger. It brought family together in a wonderful way.

[simka2]

honestly, no. not in any strict sense. I will try to avoid things most of the time , but sometimes being in church is very traumatizing for me. it happens less and less now, but i will take breaks where I need to. now for perspective i haven't missed a divine liturgy since january, but I will miss one a month for the next 4 months. we have a horse show series that the kids participate in. i rarely stay home with sick kids. they almost always come with me unless they are in really bad shape.

iIhate typing from my phone!

Edited July 13, 2011 by simka2

[justamouse]

YES dadgummit!

 

Even when we weren't practicing Catholics, we kept it low key. The reasons are myriad. Now that we are practicing Catholics, it's just added a far richer tradition to our previous family one.

 

My Dh works a lot, and so Sabbath gives us the time to reconnect as husband and wife and as a family unit. We do not normally allow playing with other children, we do that all week. We attend Mass at 12:30 pm in the summer so I make a huge breakfast and then when we get back, we have linner (dinner lunch) and then a leisurely dessert (which I don't usually serve during the week). In the fall, Mass schedules will go back to normal and we'll attend the Sunday evening 6 PM service. Again with the big breakfast, and linner, only we attend in the evening and come home and have dessert. If we choose to go out (say a garden center, something leisurely) we'll put it between those things (we're in a town so getting somewhere in minutes has it's benefits). Even if I'm working in the garden, sewing, watching a movie, we're relaxing as a family.

 

Dh is Italian so the meals for us are a time to talk and be with eachother. They take at least an hour. That was very different from my dine and dash childhood, so it's been a wonderful addition in my life.

Edited July 13, 2011 by justamouse

[Carol in Cal.]

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 

What does this mean?

 

We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His word, but hold them sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

 

(Remembered word for word from catechism class, 45 years ago.)

 

We were also taught that this means to go to church every week. So we do. Pretty much no matter what.

[kristinannie]

I totally agree with all PP that it is not necessary to be legalistic about these things, but I do feel like I need to make a much bigger effort to make the Sabbath day holy. I need to do more of the housework on Saturday so that I can have a true day of rest. I really think it would help me prevent burnout as well. Plus, extra time playing with the kids would be great! They grow up so fast!

 

I just feel that signing up for a sport that always has games during mass is not right for our family. My friend who is signing up her son says they just don't go to church during soccer season. I really think that is sad. We do have Saturday evening masses that we can attend, but my son goes to Sunday school on Sunday mornings. Although I teach chatechism at home, I do like him to go to Sunday school.

 

We have started a weekly dinner with DH's parents. Sometimes they come here, but mostly we go there. It has been really nice just making the day about family. I just really want to guard that day for us!

[missiemick]

We follow a Friday sunset to Saturday sunset Sabbath. Friday is or preparation day we prepare all the meals for Friday dinner, then Saturday Bfast-lunch-dinner. We do laundry and such, clean the house etc. so no "work" has to be done. Friday I also make 4 loaves of Challah. We just do family things, A bible reading, play games, take a long Saturday afternoon nap. I use the least amount of dishes possible but being summer time I do wash them or at the very least rinse them well. We have not found a local Saturday fellowship but we do sing an do a bible reading on Saturdays. Most important thing is to rest and not create work for others (so no shopping or going out to eat would be appropriate)

 

:iagree:

This is basically what we do. We look forward to it each week.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

You push the point. ...

What we can do, when society pushes, is push back.

 

 

And how can we deal with the fact that a provincial championship has to deal with Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and school boards?

They can't please everyone, and we all keep different holy days (I think the school board considers Monday to Friday as sacred too - at least untouchable)

[Carol in Cal.]

And how can we deal with the fact that a provincial championship has to deal with Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and school boards?

They can't please everyone, and we all keep different holy days (I think the school board considers Monday to Friday as sacred too - at least untouchable)

 

Cue "Chariots of Fire" theme...

[kristinannie]

And how can we deal with the fact that a provincial championship has to deal with Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and school boards?

They can't please everyone, and we all keep different holy days (I think the school board considers Monday to Friday as sacred too - at least untouchable)

 

 

I honestly think that in your case, things are fine. These are events that occur a few times a year that your children are training for. I honestly am more worried about signing up my children for something I know will cause us to miss Sunday mass for about 12 weeks in a row. We all have to do what is best for our families!

[eaglei]

I wish we would as a family. We used to - a long time ago. Then life interfered in some major, very difficult ways, and Sunday, *of necessity*, became almost "just another day."

 

We currently attend Sunday services in the morning only and that's it - the rest of the day could be any day.

 

Independently, I decided about a year ago that I would change some of my Sunday activities. For the most part (in as far as it does not interfere with the rest of the family), I have kept with that plan and am pleased. There is room for LOTS of improvement, though.

 

I am :bigear: to read what others say in this thread, and especially those who are endeavoring alone (with no other familial support) to keep the Sabbath holy. :)

[YLVD]

I was shocked today to learn that soccer in our area has Sat and Sun games every week. I have decided not to sign my son up because of that, especially since the games are during church! It made me think about my view of the Sabbath. I don't think our family has been doing enough to keep it holy. My DH does have to work a couple of Sundays a month since he works at a hospital. I do think on his Sunday's off we should have a lot more family time and a lot less TV and housework.

 

I would love to hear what YOU do on Sundays (or Saturdays if that is your Sabbath).

 

No, but then we are atheists.

 

I guess that it would never occur to me whether or not people go or not. I don't assume that most people go to church.

[justamouse]

I honestly think that in your case, things are fine. These are events that occur a few times a year that your children are training for. I honestly am more worried about signing up my children for something I know will cause us to miss Sunday mass for about 12 weeks in a row. We all have to do what is best for our families!

:iagree::iagree:

 

Especially if your child has a particular talent for a sport.

[Desert Rat]

And how can we deal with the fact that a provincial championship has to deal with Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and school boards?

They can't please everyone, and we all keep different holy days (I think the school board considers Monday to Friday as sacred too - at least untouchable)

 

 

One person's holy day is not another's.

[iona]

In our area in new mexico there are some interesting practices. All of the alcohol sections of stores are roped off so you can't buy alcohol on Sunday. In Texas they lifted the ropes at noon...so sunday afternoon was ok I guess. I I remember my pastor's wife having trouble buying communion wine one Sunday morning (they hadn't realised they were out). In my understanding these are remnants of "blue laws" and they may not pertain to all counties. There are different views of keeping it holy.

[eaglei]

I don't assume that most people go to church.

 

Not trying to hijack the thread - this comment just stood out at me.

 

When I was a child, it was expected that everyone went to church. Didn't matter which church - just that you went. I remember well the lone Sunday morning when we heard the strangest noise. No one could believe his ears. The man from a new family in the neighborhood was actually, shockingly . . . mowing his grass! And he didn't even have the decency to wait till after twelve, when most churches were thought to be done with services. One just did.not.cut.grass.on.Sunday. Period.

 

I think YLVD's comment is sadly true for most people today - they wouldn't assume that most people go to church. I know I don't assume this. But growing up, and for a long time after, I did think most people went to church.

 

If this is the common mindset that it appears to be, then it isn't puzzling that keeping the Sabbath holy in today's world sometimes seems like an impossible uphill battle. It's not impossible, of course, as previous posters have verified in their comments - which makes me want to try even harder, so I remain :bigear: with this thread!

[Jean in Newcastle]

In the OT sense of keeping the Sabbath holy? No. I believe that every day is my Sabbath rest in Christ. We do, however, go to church for teaching and fellowship on Sunday and have time to recharge afterward.

[Aelwydd]

In the OT sense of keeping the Sabbath holy? No. I believe that every day is my Sabbath rest in Christ. We do, however, go to church for teaching and fellowship on Sunday and have time to recharge afterward.

 

This is closest to my understanding as well.

[mhg]

We're somewhat strict Sabbatarians (isn't this a word?).

 

We do NOTHING on Sunday except go to morning worship hour. We are home all day and, for the most part, go no where. We do not go out to eat (restaurants) and avoid AS BEST as possible making any purchases. (One time my son was sick and it pained my husband to have to go buy Tylenol)! We have home worship at home in the evenings. While we realize some people have to work on Sundays (esp medical), we don't judge these professions, but simply feel that, WHEN you can, you should honor the Sabbath as best as you can. I cook on Saturdays so food prep is minimal and we basically, "lay around like dead snakes" and hallow the day as unto the Lord.

 

At the church we used to attend before relocating, the main webpage (written by the pastor) about the church, says,

"Our focus as a church is on worship and teaching. Much else goes on, but that is the heart of our life. We want to develop a hunger and thirst for the living God. For this reason, we try not to be a “full service church,” with something for everyone. We try to keep church life simple and to keep church activities to a minimum; we assume that godly homes are more likely to be built if people are at home most nights rather than run ragged by various church functions."

 

We always appreciated that sentiment there.

 

We feel that church activities have gotten out of control and that families already have so little time together that the church calender contributes to the problem.

 

But....as for the sports, I think you made an honorable decision. I'm sure someone on this thread has mentioned watching Chariots of Fire as this issue was at the heart of the movie. Great movie.

Edited July 13, 2011 by mhg

[Embassy]

In the OT sense of keeping the Sabbath holy? No. I believe that every day is my Sabbath rest in Christ.

 

:iagree: I believe Sunday is not the Sabbath for Christians. The Sabbath for Christians is Jesus Christ. The Sabbath of the Old Covenant was a type and shadow of the rest we find in Christ.

 

The working that we are to cease from in the new covenant is trying to earn salvation by good works. It has nothing to do with a specific day of the week.

[stripe]

It's rather provocative (if not loaded) to ask, "Do you keep the Sabbath holy?", though, isn't it?

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Cue "Chariots of Fire" theme...

 

He was an adult making a decision for himself.

 

How can one tell a child who's not particularly strong in her faith that all the training she's done during the year will *not* lead her to the championship, because that particular year, the championship for her age category was on Sunday? (it could have been on Sat, this year it wasn't)

 

This is the situation we had to live through this year. I just couldn't tell my daughter she couldn't go.

[6packofun]

LOL The comment stood out to me because I think it's hilarious that an atheist would feel the need to comment at all. :lol:

[PiCO]

ETA: Here's a family pushing back at society. In a nice way.

 

I don't think things are going to change. My daughters do gymnastics. We have had very diverse teammates: Mormons who won't compete on Sundays, Seventh Day Adventists who don't do anything from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Jews who don't compete Saturdays, Christians who can't compete Sundays.

 

This is all fine and good, and the coach accommodated their wishes for local meets. But I can't imagine trying to accommodate every child's religious preference for a state, regional, or national meet. What if there were kids in one age group who could not compete on all days of the competition? When do you schedule the age group? I'm all for taking a day off of school for the meet, but most people would protest.

 

I think it's admirable to be more committed to your family/religious time than you are to a sport, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect the rest of the world to adjust to your time schedule. Every family needs to decide its priorities. You can choose whether or not to participate in an activity, but I don't think you should inflict your priorities on others.

 

(My apologies to 6packofun for "feeling the need to comment at all," as I am an atheist...;))

[amey311]

No, but then we are atheists.

 

I guess that it would never occur to me whether or not people go or not. I don't assume that most people go to church.

 

Interesting. Maybe it's where we live, but I assume everyone else goes to church (even though we don't). I was surprised all hockey season that no one complained when there were games on both weekend days. If it was over one day, I assumed people went to church on the other day (so if there was a game Sunday morning, they went to church on Saturday evening or later on Sunday).

[alpidarkomama]

We do! But the Jewish and Christian concepts of sabbath are very different. :)

[Wayfaring Stranger]

My understanding of the Orthodox view of the Sabbath is that it is on Saturday (from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night). God rested after creation and that is the day of the week Christ rested in the tomb (by rested in the tomb, I mean battled death and destroyed the bonds of Hades). But he rose on the eighth day. And we are now living in the eighth day. The seventh day (the sabbath day) was all they had before Christ (and was for the benefit of man) but the eighth day is greater. So on the eighth day (the time after the resurrection) we celebrate the eighth day. Both the seventh and eighth days are resurrectional, so we still keep the sabbath holy and in the USA we call the seventh and eighth day together the weekend. For us it is a rest from the week's work.

 

Our family is not legalistic about it.

 

Sunday is both the eighth and first day in our tradition. It is the first day of creation and the beginning of Christ's work on the new creation.

[kristinannie]

It's rather provocative (if not loaded) to ask, "Do you keep the Sabbath holy?", though, isn't it?

 

 

I wasn't trying to ask a loaded question. I was basically just trying to decide whether I was being reasonable not to participate in a sport that would require us to miss Sunday mass. This is an area that I have not made a priority in the past and I am starting to think that I need to work on that for my family. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Maybe I should have worded it differently.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

I try to not do any unnecessary work, some dishes when needed. No laundry, etc.... I like a clean house, so I have to fight the temptation to use time when DH is home to catch up. I really try to make it quality family time. I try to do Bible study, although I'm doing that more than on Sundays right now. For me, the key thing is to rest.

[creekland]

He was an adult making a decision for himself.

 

How can one tell a child who's not particularly strong in her faith that all the training she's done during the year will *not* lead her to the championship, because that particular year, the championship for her age category was on Sunday? (it could have been on Sat, this year it wasn't)

 

This is the situation we had to live through this year. I just couldn't tell my daughter she couldn't go.

 

The State Chess Tournament is on a weekend. This year my guys went Saturday and Sunday and our school's team won. They could not have won without them.

 

Personally, I have absolutely no problem with them going and they'll go again next year if their school wins regionals.

 

Like I said, we're not legalistic about it. There are times when things happen. As it regards chess, my guys don't consider that "work" anyway. ;)

 

But in general, we love our day of rest. It's great for our minds, bodies, and souls, and whether it's the "correct" Biblical interpretation or not, we're not giving it up. We're too addicted to it! (My boys as well as us adults.) :D

 

It has been interesting reading various thoughts and practices.

 

In no way do I expect "the world" to adjust to us. We're fully content making our own choices. When something is forced it isn't the same as when it's voluntary anyway.

[creekland]

I wasn't trying to ask a loaded question. I was basically just trying to decide whether I was being reasonable not to participate in a sport that would require us to miss Sunday mass. This is an area that I have not made a priority in the past and I am starting to think that I need to work on that for my family. I didn't mean to offend anyone. Maybe I should have worded it differently.

 

I can't speak (write?) for others, but I'm enjoying reading this thread. I certainly don't consider it a loaded question and I don't mind when atheists comment. ;) I just find it interesting to see how others choose to live their lives. Like most threads, it's not going to change how we do things since we're addicted to our day of rest, but if I weren't satisfied, I'd still enjoy the thread looking for possibilities or thoughts.

[....]

We do! But the Jewish and Christian concepts of sabbath are very different. :)

 

You're absolutely right!

 

My husband works 7 days a week. Every 2 or 3 weeks, he'll take a day off - but it's usually Saturday. There's absolutely nothing we can do about it. We need a job and means to care for our kids financially. We don't like this schedule. We've been living like this for years. It'll probably kill both of us early.

 

I usually take the kids to service on Sunday by myself (because he is at work). He's working 2nd shift next Sunday, so he'll be able to go and take Communion with me.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

Kristinannie, I'm pretty sure you are Catholic, so I wanted to add that Jeff Cavins does a really nice job on this topic in the Great Adventure Bible Series. I'll try to go back to my notes and post some of his thoughts.

[Orthodox6]

You're right; we do begin "honoring the Sabbath" on Saturday !

 

Keying into your direction. . . Orthodox Christians consider the services of Saturday evening (Vespers, or Vigil -- depending on whether one follows the Slavic or the Byzantine typicon) to be the beginning of a span that culminates in the Divine Liturgy (or Matins + Liturgy) on Sunday morning. Hence one does not go in for many common kinds of entertainment on Saturday evenings. "Dating", for example, is not good form for Saturday evening; Friday evenings are for that. Families work out for themselves how, appropriately and quietly, they are to spend the time space after Saturday evening service and before retiring for the night.

 

 

My understanding of the Orthodox view of the Sabbath is that it is on Saturday (from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night). God rested after creation and that is the day of the week Christ rested in the tomb (by rested in the tomb, I mean battled death and destroyed the bonds of Hades). But he rose on the eighth day. And we are now living in the eighth day. The seventh day (the sabbath day) was all they had before Christ (and was for the benefit of man) but the eighth day is greater. So on the eighth day (the time after the resurrection) we celebrate the eighth day. Both the seventh and eighth days are resurrectional, so we still keep the sabbath holy and in the USA we call the seventh and eighth day together the weekend. For us it is a rest from the week's work.

 

Our family is not legalistic about it.

 

Sunday is both the eighth and first day in our tradition. It is the first day of creation and the beginning of Christ's work on the new creation.

Edited July 13, 2011 by Orthodox6

[SailorMom]

I was having the same thoughts as the other non-Christian posters.....

I beleive the atheist that "felt the need to comment" was trying to make the point that most sports are secular, and can't be expected to take into account the holy days of a variety of religions. It doesn't work. I can tell you that from organizing Scouting (Wednesday nights were always "off limits" as were Mondays for LDS)....

Now - i can certianly see complaining if this is a church based activity :)

[Violet Crown]

I think it's admirable to be more committed to your family/religious time than you are to a sport, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect the rest of the world to adjust to your time schedule. Every family needs to decide its priorities. You can choose whether or not to participate in an activity, but I don't think you should inflict your priorities on others.

 

 

Totally understand what you're saying. Except I'm not quite sure what you mean by "I don't think should inflict [my] priorities on others."

 

What I was saying was, if sports are crowding out the time that my religious beliefs require for religious observance, then I am going to bring it to the attention of those making the requirement. What they choose to do from there is up to them; my only duty on Sunday is to get myself and my children to Mass.

 

If everybody does the same, then those who organize the sporting events will have a clearer idea of what their scheduling means for ordinary families. That gives them information. I'd never say "You can't hold this on Sundays, because that doesn't work for my family." But I sure will speak up and say "If this takes up all of Sunday, from morning to evening, my family will not participate, because we have a non-negotiable priority of worship."

 

I think many people and organizations are more than happy to make reasonable accommodations. But they can't do that if they don't have the relevant information. And they won't have that information if people don't speak up. (This principle is meant to be inclusive of all faiths, or lack of faiths.)

[iquilt]

We sign up for sports thru our Christian homeschool sports league precisely because they won't hold practices on Wednesday nights (due to many church activities) and never anything on Sundays. A nice bonus is they will make sure every child in your family has practices on the same night each week instead of 3 different practice nights for 3 different kids.

[DawnM]

I have to admit that just the title of this thread made me wince.

 

I grew up in a very legalistic home. Sundays were holy, holy, holy and you were in direct violation to God almighty if you played games, worked on the lawn, shopped, or in any way didn't just sit and do almost nothing all Sunday long.

 

I dreaded and hated Sundays in my home.

[Heather in Neverland]

It is a day of rest for us. We go to church and spend time together playing games, watching movies, reading, etc.

[PiCO]

Totally understand what you're saying. Except I'm not quite sure what you mean by "I don't think should inflict [my] priorities on others."

 

What I was saying was, if sports are crowding out the time that my religious beliefs require for religious observance, then I am going to bring it to the attention of those making the requirement. What they choose to do from there is up to them; my only duty on Sunday is to get myself and my children to Mass.

 

If everybody does the same, then those who organize the sporting events will have a clearer idea of what their scheduling means for ordinary families. That gives them information. I'd never say "You can't hold this on Sundays, because that doesn't work for my family." But I sure will speak up and say "If this takes up all of Sunday, from morning to evening, my family will not participate, because we have a non-negotiable priority of worship."

 

I think many people and organizations are more than happy to make reasonable accommodations. But they can't do that if they don't have the relevant information. And they won't have that information if people don't speak up. (This principle is meant to be inclusive of all faiths, or lack of faiths.)

 

Oh, I totally agree with you.

 

I was making more of a general statement, more of a reaction to the video clip someone posted about the Jewish gymnast in New Jersey. I was not specifically responding to anyone's post here.

 

The woman in the video wants USA-Gymnastics to accommodate her daughter in future state gymnastics championships. (I think USA Gymnastics made a reasonable accommodation.)

 

I can't believe what people do to participate in team sports when they have tournaments every other weekend. It seems like if your team does well, you are litterally at the field all day Saturday and Sunday. I couldn't do that.