Why do we worship on Sunday rather than Saturday?

Ever wondered why is there sunset mass when church is supposed to be on Sundays?

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Question:

Some of my non catholic friends have a serious problem with the Sunday worship schedule. They say the Bible points to a Saturday Sabbath established by God from the very beginning. I’ve looked into it myself and can find no definitive Biblical change from the Saturday “day of worship” to Sunday. Does any of this matter?

Answer:

Your friends are right. In the story of creation, the day of rest is Saturday. At the end of the work week, we take a day of rest, just as the Lord took a day of rest after creating the universe. Resting reminds us that no matter how important are the things that we might be doing, just as God was able to rest, we too need to rest.

So why the change from Saturday to Sunday? The resurrection! That’s why! Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week; Sunday. For Christians, there is no event that is more important, so we gather on the first day of the week to remember this important event; the resurrection.

The Jewish understanding of a day is from sunset to sunset. Because of this, the Church has allowed us to fulfill our obligation of Sunday Mass by attending church on Saturday evening.

The important thing for us to remember is that Sunday is a day of resting in the Lord. Part of this is going to church, but the whole day is dedicated to the Lord, so Sunday needs to be different. It is time that should be spent with the family and resting.

Written by Rev. Father Patrick Keyes, C.Ss.R (adapted from the Dear Padre :Questions Catholics Ask)

Published by Jacob Soo