by Francis Weiser
SUNDAYS
HISTORY
OLD TESTAMENT
The system of dividing the moon month (twenty-eight days) into
four parts and of keeping a day of rest in each period of seven
days is of very ancient origin. At the time of Abraham it was
generally observed among the Hebrews and other Semitic nations.
The Bible reports the creation as taking place within six days;
and the subsequent "resting" of the Lord on the seventh day
reveals the Sabbath as instituted and sanctified by God (Genesis
2,3). Consequently, the Sabbath rest was enjoined by the Law of
Moses under severe sanctions. Daily labor for providing the
necessities of life was to be laid aside. Travel and business
transactions were not allowed, and no work could be done on farm
or in garden or house. Even the food for the Sabbath meals had to
be prepared on the preceding day. For this reason Friday came to
be called "paraskeue" or day of preparation.
Although additional acts of worship were not prescribed for the
Sabbath, the custom developed in the later centuries of the Old
Testament of doubling the official daily sacrifice in the temple
on the Sabbath. People who lived outside Jerusalem attended the
synagogues (meetinghouses) for religious instruction and common
prayer.
(I HAVE COVERED IN STUDIES THE TRUTH THAT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
WERE IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT FROM CREATION OF GENESIS ONE, TO
THE TIME OF MOSES. HENCE, THE SABBATH COMMAND WAS FROM THE
CREATION OF GENESIS ONE. PAUL SAYS IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS, SIN DID
REIGN FROM ADAM TO MOSES. SIN IS THE BREAKING OF THE LAW - THE
TEN COMMANDMENTS [1 JOHN 3:4; ROMANS 7]. SO IT WAS SIN TO BREAK
THE 7TH DAY SABBATH COMMANDMENT FROM THE TIME OF ADAM - Keith
Hunt)
NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament there is no evidence that Christ or the
Apostles immediately abolished the Sabbath. In fact, the Apostles
for some years observed it along with other practices of the Old
Testament (see Acts 18,4),
(AH, DID YOU GET THOSE PLAIN WORDS WEISER HAS SAID? AND IT IS THE
TRUTH OF THE MATTER. AND MORE TRUTH IS THAT THE NEW TESTAMENT
NOWHERE ABOLISHES THE 7TH DAY SABBATH - ALL PROVED IN MANY
STUDIES UNDER THIS SECTION OF MY WEBSITE - Keith Hunt)
while at the same time they celebrated Sunday as the new
Christian day of worship because it was the day of Christ's
resurrection (Acts 20,7).
(WEISER IS UTTERLY WRONG!! THE NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANS NOWHERE
TAUGHT OR CLAIMED SUNDAY WAS TO BE OBSERVED JUST BECAUSE CHRIST
WAS RAISED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK. YOU
CANNOT FIND ANY AUTHOR OF ANY BOOK OF THE NT CLAIMING OR TALKING
ABOUT OBSERVING SUNDAY, OR THAT IT REPLACED THE 7TH DAY SABBATH.
THE SABBATH AND PHYSICAL CIRCUMCISION WERE TWO OF THE LARGEST
INSTITUTIONS IN JEWISH RELIGIOUS LIFE. IF THEY HELD A CHURCH WIDE
MEETING [ACTS 15] TO DECIDE THE QUESTION OF PHYSICAL
CIRCUMCISION, YOU CAN BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR, THERE WOULD HAVE
BEEN A CHURCH WIDE MEETING TO TALK ABOUT OBSERVING SUNDAY OR
ABOLISHING THE 7TH DAY SABBATH - NO SUCH CHURCH MEETING CAN BE
FOUND IN THE NT - Keith Hunt)
Saint Paul declared that the keeping of the Sabbath was not
binding on the gentile Christians (Colossians 2:16).
(AGAIN WEISER IS WRONG!! VERY WRONG!! HE HAS NO CLUE ABOUT THE
TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF COLOSSIAN 2. I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE TRUTH IN
A STUDY UNDER THIS SECTION OF MY WEBSITE - Keith Hunt)
It seems, however, that the converts from Judaism continued to
observe the Sabbath for quite some time. This custom prompted
various local churches of the Orient to keep both Saturday and
Sunday as holydays, until the Council of Laodicea in the fourth
century forbade this double observance. The Greek Church
preserves a special distinction for Saturday even today: like
Sunday, it is always exempt from the law of fast or abstinence.
(NOW DID YOU GET THOSE WORDS FROM WEISER, WHAT HE ADMITS AS BEING
THE PRACTICE. STUDIES ON THIS WEBSITE FROM DR.SAMUELE BACCHIOCCHI
PROVE IT ALL IN DETAIL; WHAT THE SCRIPTURE TEACH AND WHAT HISTORY
TEACHES. IN THE OVERALL WORLD OF CHRISTIANITY [THE RISE OF ROME
THEOLOGY] ***BOTH*** DAYS WERE OBSERVED UNTIL THE 4TH CENTURY
WHEN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL OF LAODICEA FORBADE THIS DOUBLE
OBSERVANCE - Keith Hunt)
MASS
In apostolic times the supreme act of Sunday worship, the
Sacrifice of the Mass, was held within the frame of a ritual meal
(the "Lord's Supper"). Imitating the example of Christ as closely
as they could, the Apostles seem to have followed the structure
of the traditional Sabbath meal of the Jews, with its prayers of
praise and thanksgiving and its religious-symbolic rite of
distributing bread and wine to all present. As Christ had done,
they blessed the bread and wine and consecrated them by
pronouncing the words of the institution of the Holy Eucharist.
(This is still done at every Mass.) The meal was held on Saturday
night after sunset, when the "Day of the Lord" had started (1
Corinthians 11:20).
(WEISER HAS MIXED TRUTH WITH ERROR HERE. THE PASSOVER - OBSERVED
ON THE EVENING OF THE 14TH OF NISAN WAS CONTINUED BY THE APOSTLES
AND CHRISTIANS, UNTIL ROME ADOPTED "EASTER" IN THE SECOND
CENTURY. ALL THAT HISTORY IS COVERED IN STUDIES UNDER THIS
SECTION OF MY WEBSITE. IT WAS KNOWN IN CHURCH HISTORY AS THE
"QUARTODECIMIN CONTROVERSY" [THE 14TH KEEPERS]. 1 CORINTHIANS
11:20 HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY PASSOVER [LORD'S SUPPER]
OBSERVANCE - ALL EXPLAINED IN MY STUDIES - Keith Hunt)
Soon after the close of the first century, the Eucharistic
celebration was separated from the meal in many places,
transferred to the early-morning hours of Sunday, and made part
of a service according to the Jewish custom of worshipping on the
Day of the Lord. This service was held in the form of a "vigil"
(night watch) before dawn on Sunday, and usually consisted of a
sermon, prayers, singing of psalms, and readings from Holy
Scripture., (This rite is still preserved in the prayers and
readings of the first part of the Holy Sacrifice, the "Mass of
the Catechumens.") Then followed, in the early morning, the main
act of worship, the Sacrifice itself (Oblatio ).
(THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS RISING UP, ADDING AND ADOPTING
THINGS FROM THE PAGAN WORLD; AND SO EARLY IN THE SECOND CENTURY
ROME ADOPTED "EASTER" AND THE CHURCH AT ROME AND THE CHURCHES OF
GOD IN ASIA MINOR [WHERE PAUL AND JOHN WORKED SO MUCH] WERE INTO
A THEOLOGICAL BATTLE AND DEBATES, AS CHURCH HISTORY CLEARLY SHOWS
- Keith Hunt)
The earliest testimony concerning this Christian Sunday
celebration comes from the pen of a famous pagan official and
poet, Pliny the Younger (113), who served as governor of Bithynia
under Emperor Trajan. In one of his letters to the emperor he
reported on the Christians in his province and, among other
things, in a description of their Sunday service said "that they
used to meet on a certain fixed day before dawn, and to recite in
alternating verses a hymn to Christ as to a god."
(YES ROMAN CHURCH THEOLOGY WAS ON THE MOVE - Keith Hunt)
A detailed description of the Sunday Mass may be found in
the Apologia of Saint Justine, the philosopher and martyr, a
layman, born in Palestine and later living in Rome, who died for
the faith about A.D.165. He wrote his book (The First Apology) to
defend the Christian faith against the calumnies and false
judgments of his pagan fellow citizens in the Roman Empire. He
says of Sunday:
On the so-called "Day of the Sun" all of us [Christians],
both from the city and from the farms, come together in one
place, and the memories of the Apostles or the writings of
the prophets are read, as time will permit. (Service of
Reading)
Then, when the reader has ceased, the one who presides
speaks to us, admonishing and exhorting us to imitate the
great things we have heard. (Sermon)
Afterwards we all rise and pray together. . . . When our
prayer is finished, bread and wine and water are brought.
(Offertory)
And he who presides offers prayers and thanksgivings
[eucharistias] as best he can, and the people give their
assent by saying "Amen." (Canon)
And a distribution and sharing of the Eucharistic oblations
is made to each one; and to the absent ones a portion is
sent through the deacons. (Communion)
Those who are well to do give voluntarily what they wish;
and what has been collected is handed over to him who
presides, and he will use it to help the orphans and widows,
and those who are in need because of sickness or any other
reason . . . in one word, he assumes the care of all who are
in want. (Charity Collection)
(WE SEE CLEARLY HERE THE RISE OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM. REMEMBER
WEISER HAS ADMITTED THAT UNTIL THE 4TH CENTURY *BOTH* THE 7TH DAY
SABBATH AND 1ST DAY WERE OBSERVED BY THE OVERALL CHURCH, BECOMING
MORE AND MORE ROMAN CATHOLIC - Keith Hunt)
In the same work Saint Justine further explains some important
aspects of the Christian Sunday service, two of which deserve
special mention:
Choice of the Day:
We meet on Sunday because it is the first day, on which God
created the world . . . [Gen. 1:1-5], and because our
Savior, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead on the same day.
Nature of the Eucharistic Oblations:
This food is called by us the Eucharist. Nobody is allowed
to receive it except who sincerely believes the truth of our
doctrine and who was cleansed by the washing unto the
remission of sins [baptism], and obtained the rebirth of
life, as Christ has taught us. . . . Not as ordinary bread
and drink do we receive this food; but as our Savior Jesus
Christ was made flesh through the Word of God . . . so have
we been taught that this food is the flesh and blood of that
same incarnate Jesus.
(AH ROMAN CATHOLICISM INDEED RAISING ITS HEAD - Keith Hunt)
It is not difficult to recognize in this earliest document (from
the second century) the essential structure and main parts of the
Christian Sunday celebration through Mass and Communion. By the
fourth century this morning celebration on Sunday had replaced in
all Christian communities the original Saturday night meal and
Mass.
(YES BY THE 4TH CENTURY ROMAN CATHOLICISM HAD TAKEN A STRANGLE
HOLD OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE; IT BECAME THE OFFICIAL CHRISTIAN
RELIGION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE - Keith Hunt)
Despite the constant dangers in the times of persecution in those
early centuries, the attendance at the Eucharistic Sacrifice was
regarded as a duty of honor for all adult Christians. The Synod
of Elvira in Spain, which was held during the great persecution
at the beginning of the fourth century, expressed this duty for
the first time by a formal law, imposing public penance on those
who lived in the city and did not attend Mass for three
successive Sundays.
(SEE HOW ROMAN CATHOLICISM WAS NOW BEGINNING TO LIFT THE SWORD
AND IMPOSE ITSELF ON THE POPULATION - Keith Hunt)
After the Church obtained her freedom under Emperor Constantine
in 313 the hour of Sunday Mass was soon changed from dawn to nine
o'clock in the morning. This was the time the Romans customarily
assigned for "important business." It remained a general rule up
to the late Middle Ages for Christians conscientiously to attend
this official Sunday Mass of their own parish community. It was
not until the fourteenth century that the ancient regulations
were gradually loosened toward the present custom of allowing the
faithful lawfully to attend Mass at other times and in other
places. In many countries, however, the official parish Mass is
still distinguished from other Sunday Masses; it is a High Mass,
often celebrated by the pastor himself, and canonical
announcements (such as banns of marriage) are made. The
liturgical rites assigned to certain feasts (such as blessings,
processions) are also usually performed at this Mass.
(AND SO ROMAN CATHOLICISM MARCHED FORWARD BRANDING ITS THEOLOGY
ON THE POPULATION AT LARGE - IT WAS THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF THE
ROMAN AND THEN THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - Keith Hunt)
NAMES
ANCIENT Terms
Sunday in Jewish usage was "the first day after the Sabbath"
(prima Sabbati), and is so designated in the Gospel reports of
the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1). Very soon the early Christians
named it the "Day of the Lord" (Kyriake, Dominica) as may be seen
in the Apocalypse of Saint John (1:10).
(WEISER IS WRONG AGAIN! THE DAY OF THE LORD IN REVELATION 1:10 IS
THE "PROPHETIC" DAY OF THE LORD, NOT A DAY OF THE WEEK. THE BOOK
OF REVELATION IS A PROPHETIC BOOK. JOHN WAS TAKEN IN VISION TO
THE END TIME, INTO THE PROPHETIC DAY OF THE LORD, SPOKEN ABOUT IN
MANY OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES. SUNDAY OR THE 1ST DAY OF THE WEEK
IS NEVER ADDRESSED IN THE NT AS "THE DAY OF THE LORD." THE DAY IN
THE NT THAT THE LORD IS LORD OVER IS THE SABBATH DAY AS JESUS
HIMSELF PROCLAIMED - MARK 2:27,28 - AND HE WAS TALKING THERE
ABOUT THE 7TH DAY SABBATH THAT THE JEWS OBSERVED, OFTEN WITH
WRONG THEOLOGY - Keith Hunt)
According to official Roman usage, the day was called "Sun Day"
(Dies Solis), for the Romans had accepted the Egyptian custom of
naming the seven days of the week after the sun, the moon, and
the gods of the planets. Later, during the migrations, the
Germanic nations substituted their own gods for those of the
Romans, and thus came about our modern names of the weekdays:
Sunday (sun), Monday (moon), Tuesday (Thiu), Wednesday (Woden),
Thursday (Thor), Friday (Frija). Only Saturday retained its Latin
name (Day of Saturn).
(ROME ADOPTED THE PAGANISM, AND SO IS WITH US TO THIS DAY - Keith
Hunt)
It should be noted that in early Christianity Kyriake (Day of the
Lord) meant primarily the day belonging to Jesus, "whom God has
made both Lord [Kyrios] and Christ" (Acts 2:36). The
corresponding adjective (kyriakos) in those days was used by the
Romans exclusively to denote the divine character of royal and
imperial dignity. Kyriake, therefore, represented to the early
Christians the day on which they gave solemn and joyful worship
to Christ in the royal-divine glory of His resurrection. The
Christians also retained the use of the Roman popular term Sun
Day. They did this to express the thought mentioned by many early
Church Fathers that Christ is the true "Sun of Salvation." Thus,
the rising sun became a symbol of the Lord rising from His tomb.
(PAGANISM ADOPTED BY ROME, JUST SPRINKLE SOME HOLY WATER ON IT
AND IT'S "CHRISTIAN" - I SPEAK WITH TONGUE IN CHEEK - Keith Hunt)
The liturgical prayers in church were said for centuries in an
"oriented" position, that is, clergy and people turned toward the
rising sun, the east, as a symbol of the Risen Lord.
(MORE PAGANISM ADOPTED WITH ROME'S HOLY WATER - Keith Hunt)
LATER TERMS
The Latin nations kept the form "Day of the Lord" (Dominica in
Italian and Portuguese, Dimanche in French, Domingo in Spanish,
Domineca in Rumanian). The other form, "Day of the Sun," is used
by the Germanic and Slavic nations (Sunday in English, Sonntag in
German, Sondag in Scandinavian, Nedelja in Slavonic).
The Greek Church and its people still use the ancient term
Kyriake (Day of the Lord). Another name for Sunday in the Greek
liturgy is "Resurrection" (Anastasis in Greek, Voskresenije in
Russian and Ukrainian). The Arabic-speaking Christians retained
the ancient Oriental custom, calling Sunday "the first day" (Yom
el-ahad). Some nations of eastern Europe, having accepted
Christianity at a later date, named the days of the week by
numerals starting with Monday. Thus the Lithuanians call Sunday
Sekmadienis (the seventh day).
(NOW HOW ABOUT THAT FOR MOVING THE 1ST DAY TO THE 7TH DAY. MYSELF
GROWING UP IN A CHURCH SCHOOL, AND SUNDAY SCHOOL, BEING TAUGHT TO
RECITE THE 10 COMMANDMENTS AS IN EXODUS 20, I THOUGHT SUNDAY WAS
THE 7TH DAY AS ALL CHRISTIANITY I KNEW WAS I THOUGHT OBEYING THE
10 COMMANDMENTS - Keith Hunt)
"EIGHTH DAY"
In early medieval times the term "eighth day" was often used for
Sunday and may be found in the writings of the Fathers quite
frequently. The thought behind this expression is that Sunday
commemorates not only a beginning (first day of creation,
beginning of Christ's risen life), but also an end and
consummation (redemption and eternal glory ). Thus Sunday was
considered both as the first and last day of the week. The
popular custom still used in some European countries of calling a
week "eight days" derives from this tradition.
(AND SO MORE CONFUSION FOR EVERYONE! IT IS WRITTEN GOD IS NOT THE
AUTHOR OF CONFUSION.... SO WE SHOULD KNOW WHO IS - Keith Hunt)
"SABBATH"
At the end of the sixteenth century the Puritans (Presbyterians
and other groups) originated the somewhat confusing practice of
calling Sunday "Sabbath," a custom still prevalent in the
literature and sermons of some Protestant denominations.
(YES ADD MORE CONFUSION TO CONFUSION - BABYLON THE GREAT RULES -
Keith Hunt)
SUNDAY REST
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE
Concerning Sunday rest, the early Church did not transfer the
obligation of the Sabbath law to Sunday. It was generally
understood, of course, that all work that would make attendance
at divine worship impossible had to be discontinued. Beyond this
necessary demand, however, no abstinence from any particular
external occupation was required. The expression "to abstain from
servile work" is found in the Old Testament with regard to Jewish
feasts. Early Christian saints and writers often used this
phrase, but only in a spiritual and allegorical sense. The opus
servile (servile work) according to them is the "slavery of sin"
from which Christians had to abstain not only on Sundays but
every day. They expressly denied a strict obligation of resting
from external work in the sense of the ancient Sabbath law.
The Sunday rest of the early Christians was an otium cordis (rest
of the heart), by which they meant the peace and joy of divine
grace and of a good conscience. Saint Augustine (431) expressed
this in one of his letters:
God prescribes a Sabbath rest for us. What kind of a rest?
. . . It is internal. Our Sabbath is in the heart. There are
many who idle, but their conscience is in turmoil. No sinful
man can have Sabbath rest. Whoever has a good conscience is
truly at peace; and it is this very tranquility in which
consists the Sabbath of the heart.
(YA SPIRITUALIZE EVERYTHING AWAY, BUT THEY ALSO KNEW THEY WERE
CREATING A NEW SABBATH DAY THAT COULD NOT BE BACKED BY SCRIPTURE
AS TO HOW TO OBSERVE - Keith Hunt)
On the other hand, the solemn atmosphere of the Lord's day, the
joyful participation in long church services (usually twice a
day, morning and afternoon), and the practice of spiritual
recollection naturally led to a general custom of abstaining more
and more from strenuous and protracted occupations on Sunday.
This trend was encouraged by civil legislation long before the
Church authorities issued laws of their own in this matter. As
early as 321, Emperor Constantine proclaimed a law of Sunday
rest, which, however, did not include rural and agricultural
work. About forty years later, the Council of Laodicea
recommended some form of Sunday rest "as far as possible."
The duty of complete Sunday rest, including rest from farm work,
was not imposed until 650, when the Council of Rouen enjoined it
for the Merovingian Church (France ). It is interesting to note
that the words "servile work" in Canon 15 of this council are
used, for the first time, with their Old Testament meaning: for
laborious work such as was usually performed by slaves and
servants. During the subsequent centuries this prohibition of
servile work on Sunday was gradually adopted by the other
European nations, and was finally incorporated into the body of
Church law as a serious and general obligation for all Catholics.
(AND SO THROUGH TIME THE LAW OF THE SABBATH - 7TH DAY - WAS
PLACED UPON THE 1ST DAY, AND AS ROME RULED WITH MORE POWER THE
NEW SUNDAY LAW BECAME MORE FORCEFUL - Keith Hunt)
The practice of relieving slaves from work so they could attend
worship and instruction, both in the morning and afternoon, had
become universal among Christian Romans long before the laws of
rest were issued; for it was not the aspect of rest as such but
that of "freedom for worship" that inspired this practice. As
early as the fourth century, many masters anticipated our modern
weekend custom, for slaves were free even on Saturday, at least
for the afternoon, in preparation for Sunday.
In the High Middle Ages the obligation of resting from work began
Saturday evening and was announced by the solemn ringing of
church bells. Pope Alexander 111 (1181) declared that the time
for Sunday rest could lawfully be reckoned from midnight to
midnight.
(MORE ADOPTIONS FROM PAGAN ROME IN COUNTING WHEN A DAY BEGINS AND
ENDS - Keith Hunt)
CIVIC OBSERVANCE
The first Christian emperor, Constantine, initiated the custom,
which has continued through the centuries to the present day, of
honoring Sunday as the Day of the Lord by state laws and
regulations. In this he was not motivated by Church law (which
did not yet exist), but by the desire of giving the Christian day
of worship the same civic honors and privileges that were
traditionally accorded to the pagan feasts. In 321 he forbade the
sitting of courts and any legal action on Sunday. He also allowed
all Christian soldiers to be excused from duty in order to attend
Sunday service, while the pagan soldiers had to assemble in camp,
without arms, and offer a prayer which he himself had composed.
The emperors Theodosius (in 386) and Valentinian II (in 425)
suppressed circus games and all theatrical shows on Sundays. In
400, Honorius (for West Rome) and Arcadius (for East Rome)
forbade horse races on Sunday because they kept people from
attending divine service. Emperor Leo I (474) of East Rome went
so far as to forbid musical performances, both private and
public. This prohibition, though, was soon dropped from the
lawbooks.
In later times the rulers of all European nations continued the
Roman practice of regulating Sunday observance. In 596, the
Merovingian King Childebert of the Franks issued a strict code of
Sunday laws for the population of his realm. So did King Inc of
Wessex (726) and King Wihtred of Kent (725) in England. In
Germany the prescriptions of Sunday rest were incorporated in the
Frankish, Bajuvarian, and Salian collections of law, in the
eighth and ninth centuries.
Prior to the Reformation, sports and popular amusements were
allowed on Sundays in England and Germany. Similarly, the duty of
attendance at Sunday services was not under the sanction of the
civil law but its enforcement was left to the spiritual authority
of the Church. After the Reformation, however, when the power
over the Church was vested in parliament and rulers, attendance
at Sunday worship came to be enforced by the state. In England,
the first act of this kind was passed under Edward VI, in 1551.
Under Queen Elizabeth I (1603) every adult citizen had to go to
church on Sunday by order of the state or be fined a penalty
of twelvepence. This law was not officially repealed until as
late as 1846.
(THE LAWS OF MEN IMPOSED ON MANKIND, THINKING THEY WERE SERVING
THE GOD OF HEAVEN - DELUSION AND DELUSION - Keith Hunt)
The obligation of Sunday rest is still upheld by state law in all
Christian countries. The legal tradition of England, which was
also the basis for early American legislation, tended toward
greater severity than the observance of other nations.
(OF COURSE THIS IS NO LONG TRUE. CHURCHES DO NOT TEACH SABBATH
OBSERVANCE AS UNDER THE SABBATH LAW GIVEN FROM GOD TO ISRAEL, FOR
THEY ALL KNOW SUNDAY WAS NEVER MADE THE SABBATH - Keith Hunt)
MODERN CHURCH LAW
MASS
The present demands of the Church regarding Sunday observance
contain the grave obligation of attending Mass for all the
faithful over seven years of age who are not excused by ill
health or other sufficient reasons.
REST
The law of Sunday rest imposes the obligation of abstaining from
servile work (nonessential labor in household, farm, trade,
industry). Professional people, merchants, and civic officials
are also required to abstain from their regular work. There are,
however, many exemptions from the law because of presentday
necessities, such as the duties of soldiers, policemen, firemen,
doctors, nurses, officials, and workers in public utilities,
communication, transportation, and similar occupations.
The law does not apply to the so-called "liberal works" like
study and writing, arts, music, sports, recreational activities,
entertainment, nonlaborious hobbies, and similar pursuits.
Apart from these technical details of ecclesiastical law, the
Church has always stressed the positive ideal of Sunday
observance. The Day of the Lord, after the public worship, should
be spent in works of piety and charity, in peaceful relaxation,
in the happy union of family life.
(AS IN TODAY, THIS IS JUST ABOUT ALL THROWN AWAY, BUT WILL AGAIN
BE ENFORCED EVEN IN STRICTER WAYS, WHEN THE BABYLON BEAST OF ROME
RISES ONCE MORE TO BRING ABOUT THE END TIME LAST RESURRECTION OF
THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - Keith Hunt)
LITURGY
SUNDAY AND CYCLES
Sunday, together with Easter, forms the most ancient festive
celebration in Christianity. All other feasts came later. And as
they were gradually introduced, Sunday acquired new aspects of
its liturgical character through organic connection with the
festive seasons and periods.
Sunday is the keystone and foundation of all the Christian
festivals, for it constitutes the great day of worship recurring
every week and thus fulfilling, with its sacred liturgy and other
religious observance, the third commandment of the divine
Decalogue. In this aspect it continues the celebration of the
ancient Sabbath, but exceeds it in spiritual significance through
the infinite nobility of its sacrificial worship.
(NO IT CANNOT EXCEED THE TRUE AND ORIGINAL SABBATH, WHEN THE TRUE
HEART OF THE SAINT OF GOD IS IN UNION WITH THAT GOD AND ALL HIS
COMMANDMENTS INCLUDING OBSERVANCE OF THE 7TH DAY SABBATH - Keith
Hunt)
This pre-eminence of Sunday within the temporal unit of the week
was even more pronounced in the beginning of the Christian era,
when Mass was not regularly celebrated on weekdays. Most likely
it was also this aspect of Sunday, as a weekly holyday, that
prompted the Apostles to adopt as part of its Christian
celebration the structure and even, partially, the contents of
the Jewish Sabbath service in temple and synagogue.
(THE APOSTLES NEVER OBSERVED SUNDAY, IT WAS NOT A HOLY DAY TO
THEM; IT WAS NOT EVEN A "RESURRECTION DAY" TO THEM. THEY KNEW IT
WAS THE DEATH OF CHRIST THAT WAS TO BE OBSERVED, NOT THE DAY HE
WAS RESURRECTED - Keith Hunt)
In addition, Sunday is a solemn memorial of Christ's
resurrection, a "little Easter" occurring every week. As such it
commemorates the Lord's resurrection as well as all other
mysteries of His life and redemption, and becomes in the fullest
sense a "Day of the Lord" (Christ). Accordingly, every Sunday is
a high-ranking feast of our Lord, a holyday of peace,
consolation, and joy. The Church has always safeguarded this
jubilant note in its Sunday liturgy. The solemn Credo is recited
on all Sundays, no fast is held, and people used to pray standing
(instead of kneeling) on all Sundays just as they did at Easter
time. The Sundays outside the penitential seasons ring with the
joyful song of the Gloria. The Sundays of Advent and Christmas
season, of pre-Lent, Lent, and Easter season, also reflect in
their Mass texts and other liturgical arrangements the particular
character of each period.
(ALL NICE MAN MADE IDEAS OF HOLINESS, APART FROM THE TRUTH OF
GOD'S WORD....AS JESUS SAID, "BY YOUR TRADITIONS YOU MAKE VOID
THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD" - Keith Hunt)
The direct association of Sundays with the feasts of saints often
passes unnoticed. It does exist, however, in the form that the
Mass texts of some Sundays are influenced by the proximity of
certain saints' feasts. Thus, the fourth Sunday after Pentecost
has the Gospel of Saint Peter's miraculous catch (Luke 5:1-11)
because the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul usually occurs close
by. The eighth Sunday after Pentecost contains the Gospel of the
steward (Luke 16:1-9) in honor of Saint Lawrence (August 10 ) who
"made friends for himself in heaven" by distributing the Church
goods to the poor. On the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost the
Gospel tells us of the cure of the paralytic (Matthew
9:1-8) in honor of the two holy physicians and martyrs Cosmas and
Damian (Sept. 27), who were highly venerated in Rome. An indirect
connection of Sundays with festivals of saints occurs whenever a
high feast of saints (Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, Apostles,
and Evangelists) falls on a Sunday. In such cases the Day of the
Lord also assumes the character of a saint's feast both in Mass
and Divine Office. It retains, however, its own liturgical
commemoration.
(OH THE TRADITIONS OF MEN, AS THEY MAKE IT ALL SOUND SO HOLY,
WHILE THEY ABOLISH THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD - Keith Hunt)
There are, finally, a few Sundays, in addition to Easter and
Pentecost, that have a special feast assigned: the Sunday between
New Year's and Epiphany (Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus), the
Sunday after Epiphany (Feast of the Holy Family), the Sunday
after Pentecost (Feast of the Holy Trinity), and the last Sunday
in October (Feast of Christ the King).
In various countries certain feasts falling on a weekday are
celebrated again with public solemnity on the following Sunday,
such as Corpus Christi (second Sunday after Pentecost), the Feast
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (third Sunday after Pentecost), the
Feast of the Holy Rosary (first Sunday in October), and the
feasts of local or national patron saints.
The Greek Church celebrates a number of Sunday festivals, most of
which are unfamiliar to Christians of the West, such as the Feast
of the Second Coming of the Lord, the Feast of the Holy Fathers
of the Ecumenic Councils, the Feast of the Holy Patriarchs, and
the Feast of All the Ancestors of Christ.
LITURGICAL TEXTS
In the calendar of the Western Church each Sunday has its own
Mass formula. The oldest Masses are those of the Easter season,
from the first Sunday of Lent to Pentecost. They are found in
Sacramentaries (liturgical books) of the seventh century, and
probably are of earlier origin. In subsequent centuries were
added the Mass texts for the Sundays after Epiphany and the
Sundays of Advent and pre-Lent. The twentyfour Sundays after
Pentecost were first introduced in smaller groups (four after
Pentecost, five after Peter and Paul, five after Lawrence, and
six after Michael). The Ember Sundays, which had no Mass of their
own (because the vigil Mass was celebrated before dawn on
Sunday), acquired special texts when the vigil began to be
anticipated on Saturday evening (in the sixth century).
The Mass texts of the Sundays after Pentecost do not reflect any
unified plan or central thought of liturgical commemoration. The
Gospels are taken at random from the Synoptics. The Epistles,
however, are selected in the order of the Biblical canon,
starting with the letters of John and Peter (which in those days
preceded the writings of Saint Paul), and followed by excerpts of
Saint Paul's letters, from Romans to Colossians. The only
exception is the eighteenth (Ember) Sunday, which received its
Mass text independently, like all Ember Sundays.
The Gloria in Excelsis Deo, which was used as a hymn in the
Oriental Church as early as the fourth century, was very
sparingly employed in the celebrations of the ancient Roman
liturgy. Bishops alone had the privilege of inserting it in their
Masses on Sundays and feast days; priests were allowed to intone
it only on Easter Sunday. In the Frankish Church, however, it
soon came to be recited by priests, too, on every Sunday outside
of Lent and Advent. This custom was accepted by Rome in the tenth
century, and subsequently became an established rule for the
whole Western Church.
The Credo recited every Sunday is called ----
Nicaeno-Constantinopolitanum, after the councils of Nicaea (325)
and Constantinople (381), because it incorporates some important
dogmatic formulations of these councils. It was originally used,
in the Eastern Church, for the profession of faith in the rite of
baptism; hence it is still recited in the singular. In the sixth
century it was used in the Byzantine province on the eastern
coast of Spain, and from there it spread through the whole of
Spain. In later centuries it was introduced into Ireland and
England. Abbot Alcuin (804) took it from England to the court of
Charlemagne and inserted it into the liturgical books of the
Carolingian Church . Pope Benedict VIII (1024) finally adopted it
for the Roman liturgy and prescribed it to be recited after the
Gospel on all Sundays and on certain other feasts.
It was a familiar thought in medieval times that Sunday
commemorates in a special way the mystery of the Holy Trinity
(the day on which God created Heaven and Earth, Christ rose from
the dead, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles).
This thought prompted the introduction of the ancient "Preface of
the Trinity" into the Sunday Mass - a custom that originated in
the thirteenth century. Pope Clement XIII (1769) finally made it
a law for all Sundays, except in Lent and those connected with
great feasts. The last Sunday of October (Feast of Christ the
King) was given its own preface in 1925.
(WELL ARE YOU SEEING CLEARLY THE TRADITIONS OF MEN, ADDED AND
ADDED, AND ADDED MORE AS TIME MOVED ON, ALL DONE WITH THE
BACKGROUND OF HYMNS OF PRAISE.....JESUS ONCE SAID, "IN VAIN DO
THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN"
- Keith Hunt)
LITURGICAL COLORS
The use of liturgical colors for Sunday and other feasts
developed gradually, from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries.
It originated in the desire to express the mood of various
celebrations by the display of symbolic colors that would inspire
the faithful with that same appropriate spirit and mood. Of all
the colors used in those centuries, Pope Innocent III (1216)
mentioned only five: white, red, green, black, and purple.
Obviously his list has helped to establish our present canon of
colors. Blue and yellow, so generally favored in medieval times,
have disappeared, but only after they were expressly forbidden by
Rome. The exclusive and official use of the five colors dates
from the time of Pius V (1572). The Eastern Churches have no
established rules concerning liturgical colors.
Green is the temporal color for Sunday as the weekly Day of
Worship. All other colors proclaim a connection with special
feasts and seasons of the liturgical year: white at Christmas and
Easter, red at Pentecost, purple in Advent, pre-Lent, and Lent.
THE ASPERGES
The words of Saint Paul that through baptism, we rise with Christ
into the newness of life (Romans 6:4-6) point to a special
relation between the weekly memorial of the Resurrection and our
own baptism. In the ninth century this thought seems to have
prompted some bishops of the Frankish realm to introduce the
custom of sprinkling holy water upon the faithful before Mass, to
remind them of the grace of baptism. A century later the same
practice was prescribed by Bishop Ratherius (974) at Verona in
Italy; and soon afterward it was accepted by Rome. Thus the rite
of the Asperges became a part of the solemn service on Sunday. In
many places during the Middle Ages a procession around the church
was held, and holy, water was sprinkled upon the graves of the
faithful.
(MORE ADDITIONS OF TRADITIONS - Keith Hunt)
SUNDAY VESPERS
In medieval times the general practice prevailed in most
countries of people attending the solemn Vespers on Sunday
afternoon. The recitation of the Divine Office, performed by the
clergy, was followed by the singing of the Magnificat, while the
altar was incensed. During the past few centuries this ancient
custom has been gradually replaced in many sections by some
popular devotion (prayers, hymns) followed by Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament. In many places of Europe, however, even these
substitute devotions are still called "Vespers," and the light
repast in the evening bears the name of "vesper meal" or simply
"vesper" to this day.
FOLKLORE
RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS
A custom still practiced in many Catholic sections of Europe is
the "praying around the church" on Sunday after the Mass. People
go through the churchyard sprinkling the graves with holy water
and saying prayers for the souls of the departed. This is a
private and nonliturgical substitute for the ancient Asperges
procession.
Another interesting Sunday custom prevalent in many countries is
the "hearing" of the children at breakfast or dinner. During the
meal the father gravely listens while the children repeat, as
best they can, what the priest has preached in the Sunday sermon
and what he has announced. If any corrections or explanations are
in order, the mother usually provides them. Thus the parents make
sure that the children have paid attention to the word of God and
understand what was preached.
Finally, there is the widespread practice of wearing new clothes
or shoes for the first time to Mass on Sunday, out of reverence
for the Day of the Lord and to express due gratitude to God for
granting us all good things. For a similar reason new loaves of
bread are usually served on Sunday morning and the sign of the
cross is made three times upon the loaf before it is cut.
(ALL DONE WITH RELIGIOUS PIETY, AND SO THE DECEPTIONS PASS ON
FROM PARENTS TO CHILDREN, AND THE GREAT BABYLON WHORE OF
REVELATION HAS BROUGHT DECEPTION ON THE WHOLE WORLD - Keith Hunt)
LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS
In the folklore and tradition of most Christian nations Sunday is
a day of good luck and special blessing. From early centuries the
faithful considered it particularly consecrated to the Holy
Trinity, and in many places they still light a lamp or candle in
their homes before the picture of the Trinity every Sunday.
Children born on Sunday are said to be gifted with a cheerful and
happy disposition and followed by good fortune throughout their
lives. Superstitions ascribe all kinds of unusual powers to them,
such as seeing angels and other spirits, great power of
persuasion, finding hidden treasures, and freedom from accidents.
On the other hand, people who violated the sanctity of Sunday
were considered deserving of special punishment. Many legends of
medieval times record such unusual happenings. Sunday violators
being turned into stone, being frightened by a vision of the
Devil, or being condemned to continue doing forever in the beyond
what they had done while breaking the Sunday rest.
..........
THE TRADITIONS OF MEN BRINGING BONDAGE TO MILLIONS, AS WELL AS
FALSE IDEAS AND THEOLOGY.
WEISER OF COURSE HAS ALL HIS NOTES OF REFERENCE AT THE END OF
THIS CHAPTER.
Keith Hunt
To be continued
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