THE PINGPosted on 07/18/2005 2:55:09 PM PDT by Heartofsong83
Phoenix Bishop says "No Sunday Shopping" - A Wedge Issue in the Culture Wars
PHOENIX, July 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic bishop of Phoenix, Arizona, quoted in the Arizona Republic, told a congregation attending the most recent priestly ordinations that the world has suffered with the loss of the religious observance of Sunday as a day of rest. The article, which appeared in the July 17th Sunday edition, posed the question, "Whatever happened to Sunday?" It reflects the observation of many Christians that the day which used to be reserved to religious and family togetherness, has turned into "an extension of Saturday," filled with errands invariably including shopping.
Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix said, "Keep the Lord's day holy. . . refrain from all shopping and enjoy Sunday as a day of rest, a day of leisure, a day for family, a day for celebrating the Eucharist."
The trend to the loss of the observance of Sunday is another feature of the general de-Christianizing of western culture since the end of the second world war. Some say it is one small symptom among others, but others see it as the thin edge of the wedge and one which may easily be reversed. According to a 2003 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as many as 33% of workers are at work on Sundays and holidays.
Steve Skojec, a married Catholic layman involved in the burgeoning Latin Mass community in Phoenix, says that his family as well as the other families involved in the traditional Catholic community take the Sunday religious and family observance as a serious part of their faith. Skojec, a realtor and father of two, told LifeSiteNews.com, that the observance of Sunday is worthwhile for its spiritual benefits. "For my wife and I, being in real estate, Sunday is a big money making day. But we feel, if we forego the ability to make money on Sunday, God will bless us."
The work of restoring Christian culture is one that interests many young Catholic and other Christian lay people. The leadership of Christian communities can help by encouraging the growth of genuine Christian social and political movements such as pro-life activity, a project at which the new bishop of Phoenix has excelled.
The diocese, which has recently made the Latin Mass much more available, has also encouraged other traditional Catholic measures to counter the secularizing trend. Bishop Olmstead recently welcomed five sisters from the same cloistered order of nuns as Mother Angelica of EWTN fame to his diocese. Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests For Life was also recently featured giving talks on the right to life in a Phoenix parish. Bishop Olmsted is also often seen protesting outside area abortion mills.
Skojec, 27, implied that the observance of Sunday, what Catholics refer to as the 'Sunday obligation' extends further than merely attending Church services. He said, "To us, if we forego the ability to make money on Sunday, God will bless us. In our minds, the avoidance of temporal gain on Sunday is rewarded with spiritual blessings."
Read Arizona Republic coverage: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0717sundays.html
hw
Question Mark and the Mysterions... I love it hahahaha...snort....hahahahahaha.
This is very good news that I hope spreads. It will make the stores less crowded for the rest of us.
Perhaps its just better the way things are, and let those who wish to follow their own religious sensibilities?
Cheers,
CSG
It has nothing to do with my religious beliefs, it has to do with people working on Sunday, families need at least one day a week to gather together whether it be Sunday, Saturday or whatever,,,the Blue Laws applied to Sunday, family comes first but I guess many people are in search of the almighty dollar instead of keeping their morals, values and family together. To each his own, I'm not trying to structure anyone's life, I live by my own set of rules, I just remarked it would be nice to have families spend one day a week together. Take it for what it's worth and don't try reading anything else into it.
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THE PINGYou see, Jesus is God and He changed His feast day of celebration to the first day of the week in commemoration of His Resurrection and our new life in Him.
Also, I note as others have that you rightfully identify the Apostles as the early Catholic Church. Well done!
>>Agreed, but don't forget to add the following days to your closure list: Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and the Summer/Winter Solstices.<<
Actually I have no problem with this. If each religion closed for it's holidays, it wouldn't be bad at all.
BTW, Ramadan is a month of fasting. The actual holiday is Eid which ends the fast. It's kind of like saying that we should close for Advent because of Christmas.
I agree with him but I am also guilty of shopping on Sunday. I live out of town and I don't always run to town when I need something but on Sundays, I'm in town anyway.
We still have blue laws and dry towns in Jersey but we have to give the Protestants credit for that.
The money phrase.
I actually think you get more done working six days than seven, and as unconservolibertarian as it may be, I think it's not a bad idea to twist an employer's arm to give his staff a day off.
First of all, not everyone in this country is a Christian. Secondly, while I rarely go anywhere on Sunday (its my day to cook and do housework), I LIKE being able to go to a Lowes, Home Depot, WalMart, etc - especially if I'm in the middle of cooking or a home improvement project and need something.
My parish has a coffee hour after the 9:00 Mass once a month. It's a good thing. We also have fish fry Fridays in Lent.
Acts 20: 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread...
This meeting was on Saturday night as Gods people followed there creators lead and started their day at sundown. So from the pagon way of time keeping it was not yet your Sunday. Note he quit at midnight, and fwent about his work on Sunday the frist day of the week. Now one can twist Pauls writtings very easy or you can follow Christ and his Example very easy.
Very interesting article. Well written too, that kept me reading beyond the first paragraph.
Throw in the 4th of July, and I'll agree with that.
But no shopping on any given Sunday? I think God would tell this guy to sit down and be quiet.
Bishop Olmstead Bump!
I grew up in the era of blue laws in Texas. Most people only shopped for things they forgot-sandwich bread for school lunches the next day-that sort of thing.
I can remember the aisles of the store being taped off with yellow tape to keep you from the things you weren't allowed to buy on Sundays-cosmetics, clothes, toys.
It really wasn't that big of a deal because that's the way it was. Sunday was for Church, visiting relatives in nursing homes, or taking the elderly folks who could no longer drive out for a "Sunday Drive". It was for "family obligations" which for whatever reason meant spending time together more than the obligation to make more money to buy more stuff for the family.
I find it somewhat irritating that on Sunday as I drive (past a nearby town) to Church, I see that the little league has a full schedule of different teams on Sunday from early in the morning into the afternoon. There are about six different diamonds, all with games going on.
It's not a large town, maybe 20,000 people or so.
Basically, for the Church goers, they must choose between little league, and Church, plus I'm sure it creates arguments between parents and children as to which is more important when it appears as half the town and many of the kids' friends appear to spend Sundays at the ball park.
Of course Government should not tell people when or when not to engage in their private pursuits. But the leader of a religion should be free to advocate such behavior for his own flock.
There will still be plenty of non-Catholics who avail themselves of the convenience of commercial pursuits on Sunday.
As for me and my house, we do try to reserve Sunday for family and friends time and it works out well. However, when my children attended the post-Mass CCD classes, I often did my grocery shopping then so as not to find the rogue boxes of Count Chocula and such that often mysteriously appear in my basket if I shop with kids in tow!
---I also think that stores should close on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and New Years. Give those employees a chance too to be with their families and observe any religious rituals.---
A thought from me own head!
Himself
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