Thou Shalt Take it Easy: 7 Reasons to Embrace Sunday Rest

Recently, my wife and I were at a Catholic thrift store we frequent, and posted prominently by the entrance was a large sign announcing that beginning in January, the store would now be open on Sundays. The sign explained that Sunday used to be a special day for family, for worship, and for rest—but it simply isn’t that anymore. Instead, it is just another day to get things done. “We want to meet people where they are,” the sign concluded, “and that means being open on Sunday.”
My wife and I were saddened. We had been proud of this store for being one of the handful that still closed on Sunday. In a day when nothing but profit remains sacred, it’s hard to believe that only 50 or so years ago, everything was closed on Sunday. Catholic, protestant, or secular, the culture recognized the uniqueness of Sunday as a day of rest.
But while the culture is racing madly about, being “productive” on Sunday, we Catholics should still respect the Lord’s day. Here are seven reasons why you should rest on Sunday.
1. God commands it
The first and foremost reason for resting on Sundays is because God commands it. In Exodus chapter 20, God gives his people ten commandments that summarize the moral law. Among these is a commandment to “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.” How is the sabbath to be kept holy? By resting.
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
Mother Church also instructs the faithful to rest on Sundays, including a commandment to rest as the first