Joshua Bennett
The Sabbath is considered a holy day by the Catholic Church, but there is some debate about whether it falls on Saturday or Sunday. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and is considered a day of rest and worship. Some Catholic sources claim that the early Church moved the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, replacing the Hebrew Sabbath with the Lord's Day. However, others argue that the Church did not change the day of worship, and that Sunday has always been the day of worship for Christians. The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to Sunday as the Lord's Day and the day of Christ's Resurrection, which is commemorated with the Eucharist.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Day of the week | Saturday (the "Old Sabbath") |
| Worship day | Sunday (the "Lord's Day") |
| Worship day for Catholics | Sunday (the "Christian Sabbath") |
| Day of Christ's Resurrection | Sunday |
| Day of Pentecost | Sunday |
| Day of commemoration | Sunday |
| Day of assembly | Sunday |
| Day of rest | Saturday |
| Day of worship for Jews | Saturday |
| Day of worship for Hebrew speakers | Saturday |
| Day of worship for Seventh-day Adventists | Saturday |
| Day of worship for Seventh-day Baptists | Saturday |
| Day of the week per Hebrew tradition | Saturday |
| Day of worship in the Old Testament | Saturday |
| Day of worship in the New Testament | Sunday |
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What You'll Learn
The Sabbath is no longer binding
The Catholic Church teaches that the particular day of worship is ceremonial, or an accidental component of the law that is changeable. The early Church Fathers compared the observance of the Sabbath to the observance of the rite of circumcision, demonstrating that if the apostles abolished circumcision, then the observance of the Sabbath must have been abolished as well. This is supported by passages in the Bible, such as Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Colossians 2:16-17, and Revelation 1:10, which indicate that Christians are to worship on the Lord's day (Sunday) instead.
St. Paul tells Christians that the ceremonial aspect of the old law—the Sabbath day itself—is no longer binding for them: "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival, or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ" (Col. 2:16-17). The Sabbath is referred to as a "'mere shadow'" or "fleeting by nature", indicating its temporary nature.
The concept of the Lord's Day is usually treated as synonymous with the Sabbath. Non-Sabbatarians interpret this to mean that Jesus's obedience and the New Covenant fulfilled the laws of the Sabbath, the Ten Commandments, and the Law of Moses, thus abolishing or abrogating them. While Sunday is often observed as the day of Christian assembly and worship, Sabbath commandments are dissociated from this practice.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter, Dies Domini, encouraging Catholics to keep the Lord's Day holy and not let it be blended with a "weekend" mentality. This echoes the sentiment of Lutheran founder Martin Luther, who questioned how anyone could "abrogate the law" and "abrogate sin". However, the Lutheran Augsburg Confession states that the Catholic Church has dispensed with one of the Ten Commandments by changing the Sabbath-day into the Lord's Day.
Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Lutheran, and Eastern Catholic Churches distinguish between the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Lord's Day (Sunday), with both days playing a special role for the faithful. However, the general consensus among Christians is that the Sabbath is no longer binding, and Sunday worship and rest observances have taken precedence.
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Sunday worship
The Catholic Church teaches that Sunday worship replaces the ceremonial observance of the Sabbath. This is based on the interpretation that the Sabbath is "a mere shadow" of what is to come, with the substance belonging to Christ (Col. 2:16-17). St. Paul's teachings indicate that the Sabbath is no longer binding on Christians, and early Christians are believed to have gathered for worship on Sundays.
The distinction between the Sabbath and Sunday is further emphasized by the Catholic Church's interpretation of the Third Commandment. While the Commandment itself is considered immutable, the Church teaches that the specific day of observance is flexible. This interpretation is based on the understanding that the essence of the moral law remains unchanged, while God has the authority to "change times and seasons" (Daniel 2:21).
The shift from Sabbath to Sunday worship in Catholicism has faced questions from some religious organizations, such as Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh-Day Baptists, who argue for Saturday worship. However, Catholic sources point to Scripture, indicating that even during New Testament times, Christians worshipped on Sundays, referring to it as "the Lord's Day."
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The Lord's Day
The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, counted from sunset to sunset, that is, from Friday evening to Saturday evening. It is a day of rest, sanctified to the Lord. The Catholic Church, through the authority of Christ, replaced the Hebrew Sabbath (Saturday) with the Lord's Day (Sunday). This occurred very early on, well before the time of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century.
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" (CCC 2191). The early Church did not move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Instead, 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). Sunday is the day Catholics are bound to keep, not Saturday.
The Third Commandment is considered "fundamentally immutable" because it is one of the Ten Commandments, which Jesus said we must follow to attain everlasting life. However, the Catholic Church teaches that the particular day we celebrate in keeping the Third Commandment is ceremonial and changeable. Sunday is expressly distinguished from the Sabbath, and its ceremonial observance replaces that of the Sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath.
St. Paul writes that the ceremonial aspect of the old law, including the Sabbath day itself, is no longer binding for Christians. The Sabbath is a "mere shadow," fleeting by nature. The substance belongs to Christ (Col. 2:16-17). This means that the Hebrew diet, festivals, and Sabbaths are no longer obligations for Christians.
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The Hebrew Sabbath
Shabbat, or Sabbath, is a day of rest and worship in Judaism. It is observed from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, marking the seventh day of the week when God rested after six days of creation, as described in the Book of Genesis. This day is considered holy and is mentioned in the Ten Commandments: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy".
The word Shabbat comes from the Hebrew root ש־ב־ת, which translates as "rest" or "ceasing [from work]". The concept of cessation from labour is consistent with the omnipotent God's rest on the seventh day of creation. The first non-Biblical reference to Sabbath dates back to an ostracon from around 630 BCE, discovered at Mesad Hashavyahu.
The Sabbath is regarded as a joyous occasion, with customs and rituals such as special meals, singing, spending time with family, and religious ceremonies. Meals typically involve two loaves of braided challah bread, symbolising the double portion of manna that fell for the Israelites during their Exodus from Egypt. The day is also seen as a commemoration of this liberation from slavery.
While Judaism observes Saturday as the Sabbath, Eastern Christianity also recognises this day as the Hebrew Sabbath, while other branches of Christianity observe Sunday as the "Lord's Day" to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus.
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The Old Testament
The Sabbath day is a weekly holy day in the Old Testament, referenced in the First and Ten Commandments. The Sabbath is the day of rest, when God rested from six days of creation. According to Jewish law, the Sabbath is the last day of the week, Saturday.
The Sabbath is also mentioned in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. For example, the prophet Isaiah writes about the future glory of Jerusalem, where foreigners will come to worship the Lord on the Sabbath. The prophet Jeremiah warns the people of Judah against carrying burdens and doing business on the Sabbath, as they have desecrated the holy day. The prophet Ezekiel has a vision of the new temple, where the priests will keep the Sabbaths and offer sacrifices.
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Frequently asked questions
The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and is considered a day of rest and worship.
The Lord's Day is the first day of the week, Sunday, when Christ rose from the dead. It is considered the beginning of the "second creation".
The Sabbath is considered the holy day in Judaism, whereas the Lord's Day is the day Christians worship on.
Catholics worship on the Lord's Day, Sunday, and not on the Sabbath, which is Saturday. This is because Sunday is considered the day of Christ's Resurrection and the beginning of the "new creation".
