The Catholic Church, in an article published on April 12, 2025, in the Malaysia Herald, teaches that Sunday is not merely a day of worship for Catholics but a sacred time meant for all people to pause from secular concerns and honor God. The Church calls on Catholics not only to attend Mass but also to witness their faith publicly by engaging in charitable works and acts of mercy in the community. Catholics are also instructed that Saturday is the day for shopping, errands, and other secular tasks so that Sunday can be fully reclaimed for worship, family, and outreach.
The article titled “Reclaiming Sunday as the Lord’s Day” expressed the following:
• “Once upon a time people came for Mass under the pain of mortal sin and so they complied, willingly or otherwise. However the pendulum has swung to the other side and some now chose to come when it suits them.” [1]
• “One of the realities is that people have lost a sense of what the Eucharist and even Sunday is.” [1]
• “We forget that Sunday is actually the Lord’s Day and we should not shortchange ourselves or even God on that.” [1]
• “Our Eucharistic celebration does not stop at the church door; there is a responsibility entrusted to us to share with others the joy of meeting the Lord in the liturgy.” [1]
• “With the advent of Saturdays off, it now is possible to do our shopping and other necessary tasks then and allow ourselves a more restful Sunday – a day for re-creation of our tired selves.” [1]
• “Sunday allows us more family time, of being together, not just at church but also at meals and shared relaxing time together. With our respective busy weekly schedules, Sunday allows us the opportunity to bond together and make time for each other. Sunday is a day of solidarity and brotherhood with others.” [1]
The truth is that far too many churches have the Sabbath observance reversed. Saturday—not Sunday—is the true biblical day of rest and worship. The seventh day of the week, Saturday, is the original “Lord’s Day” (Genesis 2:1-3) established in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11) and honored by Jesus (Luke 4:16) and the early Church (Acts 13:42-44). Sunday, the first day of the week, was later adopted by tradition and not by divine command and has become the mark of papal apostasy rather than a sacred observance (Daniel 7:25). From the biblical perspective, Sunday is just another working day (Exodus 20:9), while Saturday remains the day God set aside for rest, reflection, and worship (Hebrews 4:4, 9; Isaiah 66:22-23). There must be a call, not to reclaim Sunday, but rather, a call for a return to Sabbath observance on Saturday in order to align with the will of God as revealed in the Holy Scripture.
When Protestants advocate for Sunday rest as a sacred obligation, they may not realize they are echoing a tradition rooted not in Scripture alone, but in the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Historically, the shift from Saturday—the biblical Sabbath—to Sunday observance was a decision instituted by the Church of Rome, which claimed the authority to alter sacred times. By promoting Sunday rest, Protestants are supporting a change that stands as a symbol of Rome’s ecclesiastical power, rather than any biblical command. In doing so, they are aligning with a tradition that originated outside of the Reformation’s foundational principle of sola scriptura, and thus, whether knowingly or not, are doing the very bidding of the institution their forebears once protested.
“While the worshipers of God will be especially distinguished by their regard for the fourth commandment,—since this is the sign of His creative power and the witness to His claim upon man’s reverence and homage,—the worshipers of the beast will be distinguished by their efforts to tear down the Creator’s memorial, to exalt the institution of Rome. It was in behalf of the Sunday that popery first asserted its arrogant claims and its first resort to the power of the state was to compel the observance of Sunday as ‘the Lord’s day.’ But the Bible points to the seventh day, and not to the first, as the Lord’s day. Said Christ: ‘The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.’ The fourth commandment declares: ‘The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord.’ And by the prophet Isaiah the Lord designates it: ‘My holy day.’ Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13.” (Great Controversy, p, 446).
Sources
[1] https://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/reclaiming-sunday-as-the-lords-day/81778/9
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We need to follow the Bible, God’s revealed truth.