Grace Thompson
There is a common misconception that Catholics worship on the Sabbath, which is the last day of the week (Saturday) when God rested from his work, according to Jewish law and the Old Testament. However, Catholics worship on the Lord's Day, or Sunday, which is the first day of the week and the day when Christ rose from the dead. While some claim that the Catholic Church, through the authority of Christ, replaced the Sabbath with the Lord's Day, this is a complex issue with early Christian writings, such as the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas, indicating that early Christian converts from Judaism chose to observe the Lord's Day in honour of Christ's Resurrection.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholics worship on | The Lord's Day (Sunday) or the first day of the week |
| Sabbath is | The last day of the week (Saturday) |
| The day when Christ rose from the dead | Sunday |
| The day when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles | Sunday |
| The Catholic Church replaced the Sabbath with the Lord's Day | True |
| The day when Christians worship | Sunday |
| The day when Christians rest | Sunday |
| The day when Christians pray | Sunday |
| The day when Christians engage in acts of mercy | Sunday |
| The day when Christians offer up their sacraments | Sunday |
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What You'll Learn
The Catholic Church replaced the Sabbath with the Lord's Day (Sunday)
The Catholic Church celebrates the Sabbath on Sunday, the first day of the week, which is also called the Lord's Day. This is the day when God said, "Let there be light" (Gen 1:3), and when Christ rose from the dead. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
> "The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the 'eighth day,' Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day." (CCC 2191)
The Catholic Church did not move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Instead, it replaced the Hebrew Sabbath with the Lord's Day, which occurred very early, before the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. This replacement was done by the authority of Christ, who had the power to change the Sabbath.
The early Christian writers, such as St. Barnabas and St. Ignatius of Antioch, also observed the Lord's Day over the Hebrew Sabbath. St. Ignatius wrote to the Magnesians:
> "We have seen how former adherents of the ancient customs have since attained to a new hope; so that they have given up keeping the Sabbath, and now order their lives by the Lord's Day instead—the Day when life first dawned for us, thanks to Him (Jesus) and His death." (Epistle to the Magnesians 9)
The New Testament writers regarded Christ’s sayings about the Mosaic law as permanently binding. Christ himself spoke out against the Pharisees' strict observance of the Sabbath (Matt 12:1-8; Luke 13:10-16). He also said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, implying that he, as the Son of Man, had authority over the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28).
The Catholic Church decrees that all Catholics must refrain from menial labor and worship God by attending Sunday Mass. This is to ensure that people set aside sufficient time for worship and rest, in line with the moral principle behind the Sabbath commandment.
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The Sabbath was replaced in honour of Christ's Resurrection
The Sabbath was instituted by God as a day of rest and a way of acknowledging the goodness of His original creation. It was also a reminder of God's saving act of bringing Israel out of bondage in Egypt and establishing them as His covenant people.
However, with the coming of Christ and His resurrection, the early Church began to interpret the Old Testament commandments in light of Christ and the New Covenant. They understood that the Sabbath pointed to Christ and the need for redemption, which was fulfilled by Christ's death and resurrection. Thus, the focus shifted from the Sabbath to Jesus' resurrection.
Christ's resurrection, which occurred on the first day of the week (Sunday), inaugurated a "new creation". As such, the Church began to commemorate the first day of the week as the "Lord's Day", a day set apart for the public solemn worship of God. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost, which also occurred on a Sunday.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday, which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ" (CCC 2190). This shift from the Sabbath to Sunday was not a change in the day of worship, but a fulfilment of the Old Testament commandments in light of Christ's resurrection.
Today, Catholics continue the practice of gathering together on the day of Christ's resurrection, honouring it as the "Lord's Day" and celebrating the new creation inaugurated by Christ's triumph over sin and death.
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The Sabbath was replaced before the time of Emperor Constantine
The Sabbath was not replaced by the Catholic Church before the time of Emperor Constantine. The Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which is called the Lord's Day or Sunday. Sunday is considered the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the "eighth day," when Christ rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.
Catholics worship on Sunday, the Lord's Day, and not on the Sabbath, which is Saturday, the last day of the week when God rested from creation according to Jewish law. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clarifies this, stating that the Church celebrates the day of Christ's Resurrection on the "eighth day," Sunday, or the Lord's Day.
The misconception that Constantine changed the Sabbath to Sunday stems from his edict in 321 AD or 324 AD, declaring Sunday as a day of rest. However, this decree did not alter the Sabbath but instead established Sunday as the official day of rest for the Roman Empire. Constantine's motivation likely arose from the desire to adopt a practice that Christians had followed for over two centuries.
Furthermore, it is important to note that churches before Constantine did not observe the Jewish Sabbath. There was no Sabbath-keeping for Constantine to abolish. Instead, the Council of Nicea addressed the question of when to observe Passover, deciding that it would be celebrated on the Sunday nearest Nisan 14 rather than on the day itself.
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The Sabbath was replaced by Jesus, as the Son of Man
The Catholic Church, through the authority of Christ as the Son of Man, replaced the Hebrew Sabbath (Saturday) with the Lord's Day (Sunday). This occurred very early on, before the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.
The New Testament writers regarded Christ’s sayings about the Mosaic law as permanently binding. The Sabbath was replaced by Jesus, as the Son of Man, with his authority to alter it. In Mark 2:27-28 (RSV), Jesus defended himself and his disciples against the Pharisees, who criticised them for breaking the Sabbath:
> "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; so the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
The early Christian writers bear witness to the observance of the Lord's Day (Sunday) over the Hebrew Sabbath. The Didache, a first-century church manual written by the Apostles, the Epistle of Barnabas (c. 100 A.D.), and the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch before 110 A.D. all support this. St. Ignatius wrote to the Magnesians:
> "We have seen how former adherents of the ancient customs have since attained to a new hope; so that they have given up keeping the Sabbath, and now order their lives by the Lord's Day instead—the Day when life first dawned for us, thanks to Him (Jesus) and His death."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
> "The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the 'eighth day,' Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day."
The day of Christ's Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the "eighth day", on which Christ, after his “rest” on the great Sabbath, inaugurates the "day that the Lord has made", the "day that knows no evening".
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The Sabbath was replaced to align with the New Testament
The Sabbath was replaced with the Lord's Day (Sunday) by the Catholic Church through the authority of Christ. This occurred very early on, before the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. The early Church did not move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday; instead, the Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which is called the Lord's Day or Sunday. This is the day of Christ's Resurrection, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the \"eighth day\", when Christ, after his "rest" on the Sabbath, inaugurates the "day that the Lord has made", the "day that knows no evening".
The New Testament highlights several significant events that occurred on Sundays. Firstly, the Resurrection of Christ occurred on Easter Sunday, and secondly, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church on Pentecost Sunday. These events are in line with the ideas of 16th- and 17th-century Puritans, which led to the Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Methodist, and Baptist Churches enshrining first-day (Sunday) Sabbatarian views in their confessions of faith.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
> The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the ‘eighth day,’ Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day
This aligns with St. Barnabas's reference to the "eighth day" in his epistle, which is interpreted as referring to Sunday. Additionally, St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Magnesians before 110 A.D., indicating that early Christian converts from Judaism began to observe the Lord's Day in honour of Christ's Resurrection:
> We have seen how former adherents of the ancient customs have since attained to a new hope; so that they have given up keeping the Sabbath, and now order their lives by the Lord's Day instead - the Day when life first dawned for us, thanks to Him (Jesus) and His death.
The Catholic Church's replacement of the Sabbath with the Lord's Day is further supported by early Christian writers, such as those from the first century, whose writings preserve the thoughts, beliefs, and lifestyle of Christians during that time. These include the Didache, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Catholics do not worship on the Sabbath, which is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Catholics worship on the Lord's Day, or Sunday, the eighth day and first day of the week. The early Church did not move the Sabbath to Sunday.
The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship for Jews, as commanded by God. The weekly Sabbath is one of three holy days on the Jewish calendar, along with the monthly new moons and seven yearly festivals. The day begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.
Catholics worship on Sunday because that is the day when Jesus rose from the dead, and when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles. Sunday is also referred to as the "eighth day," representing a new beginning and a day that "knows no evening."
