United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Chapter 27. Third Commandment: Love the Lord’s Day • 369

sports activities or other unexpected intrusions, it is hoped that Catholic pastors and other Christian religious leaders, with the support of their congregations, may prevail on sponsors of athletic events to adapt their programs to the religious needs of youth. We must preserve the oppor tunity to go to Mass on Sundays without competition from sporting events, work, or other temptations. On Sunday, we can also seek out forms of culture and entertain ment that enhance the message of the Gospel and foster spiritual growth. A proper observance of Sunday can thus be a prophetic stance in our culture, offering a witness that is both wholesome and healing for the great number of people who need to be less frantic and more willing to let go and settle down to what best corresponds to their spiritual nature and yearnings. FOR DISCUSSION 1. What is your Sunday like? How can it become a balance of worship, restful reflection, and personal spiritual renewal? What pressures make this a challenge for you, and what can you do about them? How does Sunday Mass enrich your life, your relationships, and the rest of your week? 2. What can be done to free up poor people from unfair working prac tices that deprive them of the gift of the Christian Sunday? How can families reverse the trend sponsored by those who schedule athletic events for children and young people on Sunday morning? 3. How does consumerism eat away at the Christian ideals of Sunday? What are ways that family gatherings could again become a regular feature of Sunday life? DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS • “Take care to keep holy the sabbath day as the Lord, your God, commanded you. Six days you may labor and do all your work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord” (Dt 5:12-14).