Need for 'a day of grace and rest from work'; restore the Sunday Law
Letters to the Editor
With all due respect, may we call on our esteemed legislators and leaders to pass a law “in respecting religious liberty and the common good of all,” in “recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides that:
“2184 Just as God ‘rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,’ human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.”
“2188 In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have to give everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society. If a country's legislation or other reasons require work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our deliverance which lets us share in this ‘festal gathering,’ this ‘assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.’”
“2187 . . . In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees.”
“2186 Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life.”
We hope that our beloved senators and congressmen will heed this urgent and long overlooked obligation to adequately provide for the spiritual wellbeing of the citizenry, that may yet be the answer to the current challenges facing our country now. Citizens are immensely helped to acquire the moral fiber, if they have sufficient time to worship and reflect on the eternal truths on Sundays, the days of rest — where we come from and our true goal in life.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Mrs Ching D Aunario
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