Our Sunday Visitor Endorses Blue Laws, Claiming They Made it Easier to Keep Sunday Holy

Our Sunday Visitor, a prominent Catholic publication that has championed the Catholic faith for over a century, reaffirmed its support for Blue Laws—civil legislation that mandates Sunday as a day of rest and worship. This push for church-state entanglement is exactly the kind of religious coercion that Seventh-day Adventists have long warned against. In an article titled “The Meaning of Sunday: How God-Given Rest Unlocks a Purposeful Life,” Our Sunday Visitor openly praised the societal and spiritual benefits of enforcing Sunday observance through law, advancing Rome’s vision for society that will ultimately come at the expense of liberty of conscience.

On April 6, 2025, Our Sunday Visitor expressed the following:

• “I would strongly urge everyone to rediscover Sunday: Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ!” [1]

• “He is the One who knows the secret of time and the secret of eternity, and He gives us ‘his day’ as an ever-new gift of his love.” [1]

• “The rediscovery of this day is a grace that we must implore, not only so that we may live the demands of faith to the full, but also so that we may respond concretely to the deepest human yearnings.” [1]

• “Once upon a time it was easier to do this. States and municipalities enforced blue laws that guaranteed a day off on Sunday for nonessential businesses. The Sabbath spirit was evident in lighter traffic, less rushing around. Sunday had a different pace, a different vibe.” [1]

• “Gradually, blue laws were weakened by an accumulation of exceptions. Now they’re all but gone. So we have to make an effort, and it should begin with a deep examination of conscience.” [1]

• “It goes without saying that we should fulfill the Church’s Sunday obligation. Our country is in the middle of a Eucharistic Revival, and we mustn’t miss out on it.” [1]

• “But ‘hallowing’ the day is not reducible to Mass attendance. We need to do more, incrementally. We can change the day a little bit at a time.” [1]

• “Recovering Sunday is the cure for any midlife crisis and the only lasting remedy for despair. God designed our lives to keep this rhythm of work, followed by worship and refreshment, followed by work once again. Only the Sabbath can give meaning to all the days that precede and all the days that follow. We need the reminder. We need the rest. Remember what Jesus said: The Sabbath was made for us. And it was our creator who made it. I am convinced that in the Lord’s day we find our purpose.” [1]

Brothers and sisters, this is much more than just religious commentary. It is a bold statement laden with prophetic implications. For Seventh-day Adventists, who have long emphasized the sacredness of the seventh-day Sabbath and warned against the enforcement of Sunday observance, such a declaration from a major Roman Catholic publication is a dark, ominous warning of what is coming ahead. It highlights the ongoing effort to push for Sunday rest by law.

Bible prophecy warns that in the last days, religious and civil powers will unite to enforce Sunday observance, in opposition to the commandment-keeping remnant who honor the seventh-day Sabbath, Saturday, as instituted at Creation and reaffirmed in the Ten Commandments (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8–11). Adventists believe that this movement toward mandated Sunday rest will result in the “mark of the beast” crisis described in Revelation 13 and 14, when people will be compelled to choose between the commandments of God and the laws of men.

In response to moral decline, economic uncertainties, and societal unrest, there is an increasing call from various religious and political groups to return to God and reestablish traditional values—including Sunday as a national day of rest. While such appeals may appear friendly or even beneficial for family and community life, Adventists discern in them the early stages of an effort to restrict religious liberty and force compliance with a counterfeit day of worship.

The Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches are seeking to reclaim Sunday as the central day of Christian worship and to advocate for policies that support its observance. We were warned that we would see efforts to bring about a resurgence of enforced Sunday observance under religious and moral pretenses. These developments only reaffirm the importance of vigilance, faithfulness to God’s law, and the urgent need to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages—calling all people to worship the Creator “who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:7).

Sources

[1] https://www.oursundayvisitor.com/the-meaning-of-sunday-how-god-given-rest-unlocks-a-purposeful-life/