Christian Forums

Quote from: Jaime on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 11:24:12
Dave, In verse 21 of Acts Chapter 15, there is a phrase injected there after the 4 requirements were listed:
"For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath."

It appears the 4 requirements given were a compromise for initial conversion, BUT the unstated implication seems to be that since Moses (the Law) is preached in the synagogues in every city, these folks will naturally absorb the rest.  Why make their lives miserable now. Let's make these 4 the initial filter.

That may not be the case, but it is a curious insertion in my opinion. Would like to hear other thoughts about it.

There is a catholic tradition that has James the Just advocating for strict Torah observance for all gentiles at least initially.   But the texts of Acts 15 and 21 say the opposite.  Perhaps his mind was changed in 15.   

As to what he was saying in verse 21 has been debated. 

One school says that the 4 requirements were only initial, and that James was advocating for gentiles going to the synagogues to learn and observe Moses as they grew into it.  (the position you state)

Another school says that in order to understand the New Covenant properly one must have a decent grasp on what was in the Mosaic covenant and the synagogue was a good place to get that knowledge. (my position as well)

Some others ignore it altogether since it did not make it into James' letter to the gentile churches.

Historically we know that synagogues allowed (some even welcomed) Gentile New Covenant believers until the 70 ad Siege of Jerusalem that destroyed the temple.  They were all kicked out at that point, but it had started to change back and was almost there again when the Bar Kochba revolt started in 134 ad and in 135 Bar Kochba was declared "messiah" by a leading rabbi and the new covenant believers both Jew and Gentile would not fight for a false messiah. So we got kicked out again and it lasted that time.

So it looks as if for at least a few decades the gentile believers COULD go en mass to traditional synagogues to learn.

I can see it as a compromise of initial conversion.
Another curious thing I have noted is about Cornelius in Chapter 10. He is noted as a righteous man, a Godly man and he prayed apparently on the 9th hour which was the time of prayers for the Jews. My question is, did Luke, the writer of Acts consider him righteous and Godly BECAUSE he was worshipping God and holding God up in the manner that a Jew would recognize as right and Godly even as a Gentile, possibly already observing the Sabbath and other things?

Quote from: Gerhard Ebersöhn on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 11:46:54
I don't find anything curious in or about the whole of Acts 15.

The Sabbath's observance is the taken for granted in all of 'apostolic Christianity'. It's like The Body's breathing.

Send this letter and have it read in the whole world before every Congregation ... the Sabbath's Going-to Church all over the earth [then known] affords the opportunity.

We, the apostles do not even have any prescription for you our brethren, on the issue of circumcision - the original reason we have had this council.

All we want to make clear to our new Gentile brothers is to stay away from their former ways!

Galatians 4 addresses the very same tendency among the rookies; they were getting homesick. They were steeped in the ways of their forefathers.

Not to EVERY congregation, but to the Gentile congregations. 

It was in the light of the decision in Acts 15 that Paul could even write Galatians.

Sabbath observance was taken for granted in the Jewish ranks of the church  (see Acts 21)  along with full Torah observance.  "See how many thousands have come ... and they are ZEALOUS for the Law!"

Quote from: Jaime on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 12:05:10
Another curious thing I have noted is about Cornelius in Chapter 10. He is noted as a righteous man, a Godly man and he prayed apparently on the 9th hour which was the time of prayers for the Jews. My question is, did Luke, the writer of Acts consider him righteous and Godly BECAUSE he was worshiping God and holding God up in the manner that a Jew would recognize as right and Godly even as a Gentile, possibly already observing the Sabbath and other things?

Cornelius, Jairus in Mark 5 and the Centurion in Luke 7 all fit the description in the Talmud of "God Fearer."

Paul addresses them in Acts 13. "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:"  (v 16)

They were ALMOST Jewish converts; led a completely Torah observant Jewish life but had not been circumcised (the final step of formal conversion)

So yes, they all would have observed the Sabbath.

Quote from: DaveW on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 12:18:08

Quote from: Jaime on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 12:05:10
Another curious thing I have noted is about Cornelius in Chapter 10. He is noted as a righteous man, a Godly man and he prayed apparently on the 9th hour which was the time of prayers for the Jews. My question is, did Luke, the writer of Acts consider him righteous and Godly BECAUSE he was worshiping God and holding God up in the manner that a Jew would recognize as right and Godly even as a Gentile, possibly already observing the Sabbath and other things?

Cornelius, Jairus in Mark 5 and the Centurion in Luke 7 all fit the description in the Talmud of "God Fearer."

Paul addresses them in Acts 13. "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:"  (v 16)

They were ALMOST Jewish converts; led a completely Torah observant Jewish life but had not been circumcised (the final step of formal conversion)

So yes, they all would have observed the Sabbath.

Thanks.

Quote from: DaveW
Not to EVERY congregation, but to the Gentile congregations. 

It was in the light of the decision in Acts 15 that Paul could even write Galatians.

Sabbath observance was taken for granted in the Jewish ranks of the church  (see Acts 21)  along with full Torah observance.  "See how many thousands have come ... and they are ZEALOUS for the Law!"

Yes; to every OTHER Congregation than the Jerusalem Congregation which were all Gentiles and before whom "Moses [who] since long had preachers in every city that read him in the Church every Sabbath ---Congregations where the CHRISTIAN council's decisions were read to CHRISTIANS whether Jews or Gentiles; almost everyone, Gentiles. If that does not say something for Sabbath's observance among the early Gentile Christians, what will?

Poor Sunday propagandists!

Quote from:  Gerhard EbersöhnYes; to every OTHER Congregation than the Jerusalem Congregation which were all Gentiles and before whom "Moses [who] since long had preachers in every city that read him in the Church every Sabbath ---Congregations where the CHRISTIAN council's decisions were read to CHRISTIANS whether Jews or Gentiles; almost everyone, Gentiles. If that does not say something for Sabbath's observance among the early Gentile Christians, what will?

Poor Sunday propagandists!

Do you faithfully keep all the law or just the Sabbath? If breaking the law, which sacrifice do you offer?

Larry, the ceremonial law (animal sacrifices etc) was nailed to the cross. The moral law was transferred to our hearts.

Quote from: JamieLarry, the ceremonial law (animal sacrifices etc) was nailed to the cross. The moral law was transferred to our hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones . . which glory was to be done away. 

Is this the moral law we're talking about? I imagine you understand that the sacrifices made represented that made by Christ? Today we have the finished work of Jesus and He has become our rest (Sabbath)

Hebrews 4:9-10  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Which law do you reckon was written on our hearts that was prophecied in Jer. 31:31? The glory of the stone tablets is no more. That law is written on our hearts. I concede that the Sabbath is arguably also ceremonial law, but the other nine were not done away with, they were transcribed on our hearts.
Also the ministration of death was the PENALTY of the law of sin and death that Jesus of course resolved.

Quote from: Gerhard Ebersöhn on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 12:43:09
Poor Sunday propagandists!

I am not a "Sunday propagandist."  Like I said, I keep a Saturday sabbath.

Quote from: Gerhard Ebersöhn on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 12:43:09
Yes; to every OTHER Congregation than the Jerusalem Congregation which were all Gentiles 

No, only Paul had started Gentile congregations. 
The rest of the Apostles had ministered primarily in Jewish areas.

Quoteand before whom "Moses [who] since long had preachers in every city that read him in the Church every Sabbath ---Congregations where the CHRISTIAN council's decisions were read to CHRISTIANS whether Jews or Gentiles; almost everyone, Gentiles. If that does not say something for Sabbath's observance among the early Gentile Christians, what will?

What it says is that gentiles CAN observe a Saturday sabbath if they so choose but it is NOT REQUIRED.  For a Jewish believer IT IS REQUIRED.

the part of Moses being taught every Sabbath was NOT IN THE LETTER.

And look at Acts 21 you will see James NEVER INTENDED that decision to apply to Jewish believers.  In fact that was a false rumor that he sought to silence.

21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;
24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.
25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication."

Again, we have those 4 laws for GENTILES, and the Law of Moses for Jewish believers.

Do you NOT see the distinction that James is making?

Hi Jaime, let me ask; is not lying, not killing, not stealing that which gets us to heaven? Is there any work added to believing on the Lord Jesus? Galatians 3:3  ". . having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:10  "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse . ."
   
2 Corinthians 3:2  Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
 
Hebrews 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

Back in Hebrews 7:22  By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
 
Hebrews 7:27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
 
Hebrews 8:6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Hebrews 8:7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

Now I ask what law was written in Israel's heart after which days of Hebrews 8:10?

Hebrews 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Quote from: Larry
Do you faithfully keep all the law or just the Sabbath? If breaking the law, which sacrifice do you offer?

Who by implication or directly is the boaster here? He who NEVER claimed he kept ANY Law or he who lampooning brags his wonderful hull compliance to the Great Law of all? 

The hypocrite!

Not he who has NO sacrifice or offering to offer; but he who presents his own example in full obedience to the Law of Jesus Christ. In other words, he, who makes himself equal with God like Lucifer and Nebuchadnezzar did.

Pride comes before the fall. It is the miserable fallen only who cannot fall further being the chief of sinners already.

But the MOMENT the hypocrite fails to find an answer to a challenge, he resorts to belittling of the simple and wanting sinner under the Law searching the Scriptures for answers to his heart's questions, and accuses him, of hypocrisy!

The presumptuous' strategy that works every time ... almost.

Reply to post  Reply #81 on: Yesterday at 12:56:11 PM

No I do not see it ... or for that matter, ANYTHING you say or make or imagine. And I don't care. Except that I do not _see_ what _you_ say, "it says" ---because that, is plain and openly not true.

Quote from: Larry2
Do you faithfully keep all the law or just the Sabbath? If breaking the law, which sacrifice do you offer?

Quote from: Gerhard EbersöhnWho by implication or directly is the boaster here? He who NEVER claimed he kept ANY Law or he who lampooning brags his wonderful hull compliance to the Great Law of all?

I'm not sure what was complicated by my question, but repeated in another manner: do you keep all the law? The sacrifice I present is Jesus, not works. Maybe you can tell me of your works. My thinking is that if we go to God asking forgiveness for anything, and He is faithful to forgive us from all unrighteousness, it is no longer me doing the work. Now God can and does fulfill the righteousness of the law in us (Not by us) who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:4), and men will know us by our fruit, but God knows us through His Son. Before men a faith not producing righteous works is a dead faith.

My thoughts.

 

David Pawson is a much loved and highly respected Christian Bible teacher here in the UK. He has been teaching for well over 50 years now. Some of you may have seen him on one of the God tv channels
Here is a small part of what he says about the sabbath.

"The Sabbath law is fulfilled for us every day of the week when we cease to do our own works and do God's instead, thus entering into the rest that remains for the people of God. We are still free to keep one day special if we wish, but we are also free to regard every day alike. So we cannot even impose Sunday observance on other believers, never mind unbelievers, for we are all free in Christ."
Got it in one David

Quote from: chosenone on Sat Nov 17, 2012 - 07:12:07


David Pawson is a much loved and highly respected Christian Bible teacher here in the UK. He has been teaching for well over 50 years now. Some of you may have seen him on one of the God tv channels
Here is a small part of what he says about the sabbath.

"The Sabbath law is fulfilled for us every day of the week when we cease to do our own works and do God's instead, thus entering into the rest that remains for the people of God. We are still free to keep one day special if we wish, but we are also free to regard every day alike. So we cannot even impose Sunday observance on other believers, never mind unbelievers, for we are all free in Christ."
Got it in one David

The truth is spoken! 

Sozomen reported in the mid-5th Century,

    The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria (Sozomen. THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF SOZOMEN. Comprising a History of the Church, from a.d. 323 to a.d. 425. Book VII, Chapter XIX. Translated from the Greek. Revised by Chester D. Hartranft, Hartford Theological Seminary UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D., LL.D., AND HENRY WACE, D.D., Professor of Church History in the Union Theological Seminary, New York. Principal of King's College, London. T&T CLARK, EDINBURGH, circa 1846).

Also in the fifth century, the historian Socrates noted:

    For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this. The Egyptians in the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the inhabitants of Thebais, hold their religious assemblies on the sabbath, but do not participate of the mysteries in the manner usual among Christians in general (Socrates Scholasticus. Ecclesiastical History, Book V, Chapter XXII. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume 2. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. Online Edition Copyright © 2005 by K. Knight).



See also the histories of Ireland and Ethiopia (early 1600) which kept the seventh-day Sabbath till Rome found out about it.

In the fourth century, but in Ethiopia, Frumentius reported:
"And we assemble on Saturday," he continues; "not that we are infected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath" (Davis, Tamar. A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches. 1851; Reprinted 1995 by Commonwealth Publishing, Salt Lake City, pp. 41-42).
Ethiopian Emperor Galawdewos (A.D. 1540-1559):
We do celebrate the Sabbath, because God, after He had finished the Creation of the World, rested thereon...and that especially, since Christ came not to dissolve the law but to fulfill it. It is therefore not in the imitation of the Jews, but in obedience to Christ, and His holy apostles, that we observe that day (Quoted in Bradford C.E. Sabbath Roots, The African Connection. L. Brown and Sons, Barre (VT), 1999, p. 26).

Ethiopia - A.D. 1534
(Ethiopian legate at court of Lisbon) "It is not therefore, in imitation of the Jews, but in obedience to Christ and His holy apostles, that we observe the day." Gedde's "Church History of Ethiopia," pp. 87-88.

Alphonsus Mendes, who was sent out as patriarch of Ethiopia, demanded that all Ethiopian Christians be re-baptized, and the priests re-ordained, though he permitted the married priests to remain married. He prohibited the Ethiopian custom of circumcision, and insisted that Saturday be turned from the Sabbath as observed by the Ethiopians to a fast day as observed by Ethiopian Christians.



And in India till Xavier arrived (1st visit in 1542, next in 1548).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Francis_Xavier

"The Jewish wickedness" of which Xavier complained was evidently the Sabbath-keeping among those native Christians as we shall see in our next quotation. When one of these Sabbath-keeping Christians was taken by the Inquisition he was accused of having *Judaized*; which means having conformed to the ceremonies of the Mosaic Law; such as not eating pork, hare, fish without scales, of having attended the solemnization of the Sabbath." Account of the Inquisition at Goa, Dellon, p.56. London, 1815

A Catholic Provincial Council suppressed the practice of keeping the Sabbath in Norway in 1435 CE.

The reign of Vasily (1505-1533) was characterized by cruelty and a return to ignorance. His son and successor Ivan IV (1531-1584) turned out to be a bloody ruler who terrorized all Russia, earning from history the infamous title, Ivan the Terrible. Even during his reign, there were people in Russia who were true to the teachings of the Bible, especially the Sabbath. The "One Hundred Head" Church Council, called in 1551 during the reign of Ivan IV, adopted a resolution which until today has not been annulled by the Russian Orthodox Church. This regulation states that the people, besides worshiping on Sunday, could also worship on Saturday in the confines of the Russian Orthodox Church—a statement which was recognized by the church council as authorized by the Apostles Peter and Paul (D. E. Kozhachnikov, ed., Stoglav [Source: One-Hundred-Head Council] (St. Petersburg: Tipografiia Imperatorskoi Akademy Nauk, 1863), pp. 270, 271. As cited by Zhigankov, Oleg. Ahead of their time? The 15th century Reformation in Russia. College and University Dialogue Journal).  Online at http://dialogue.adventist.org/articles/12_3_zhigankov_e.htm
2.

Quote from: Lively Stone on Sat Nov 17, 2012 - 10:30:29

Quote from: chosenone on Sat Nov 17, 2012 - 07:12:07


David Pawson is a much loved and highly respected Christian Bible teacher here in the UK. He has been teaching for well over 50 years now. Some of you may have seen him on one of the God tv channels
Here is a small part of what he says about the sabbath.

"The Sabbath law is fulfilled for us every day of the week when we cease to do our own works and do God's instead, thus entering into the rest that remains for the people of God. We are still free to keep one day special if we wish, but we are also free to regard every day alike. So we cannot even impose Sunday observance on other believers, never mind unbelievers, for we are all free in Christ."
Got it in one David

The truth is spoken! 

He is an amazing speaker of the truth who I have listened to from time to time for 25 years. A great man of Gods Word. We are blessed today to have so many opportunities to hear such annointed teaching from the wider family of God. 

Quote from: Gerhard Ebersöhn on Fri Nov 16, 2012 - 11:02:28
Even the 'rendering' you use, is rape of the Written Word!

The "rendering" I used here was the New American Standard Bible, the most accurate translation available.

Are you King James only?  It says pretty much the same.

Isn't the word in italics?  Thereby indicating that it is supplied?

Quote from: Amo on Sat Feb 11, 2012 - 10:39:55


In light of the fact, that Sunday keepers have repeatedly throughout history appealed to the civil authorities to enforce their day of worship upon all, how is it that those who keep the fourth commandment by faith in the word of God, are the ones always accused of being legalistic?

Well actually being called legalistic doesnt bother me a bit. I couldnt imagine standing before Christ and saying save me Lord, im an illegalist..i did nothing you commanded me to do

Quote from: larry2 on Sat Nov 17, 2012 - 05:47:10
... do you keep all the law? The sacrifice I present is Jesus, not works. Maybe you can tell me of your works. ....

"The sacrifice I present ..."
Verb:
"present"
Subject:
"I"
"...not works"?
It is, 'works' – the subject's, very own, 'works'!

I would lie if I said I have no works ... works of unrighteousness, too much of – even my own righteousness is like filthy rags. Were it not for grace I would have been lost.

  I see, after being gone for quite some time, that pretty much no one answered my original question starting this thread.

Dave pointed out the following words of mine, and then I suppose, believes he refuted them with Exo. 31:16&17. 

QuoteThe bible does not say anywhere that the Sabbath is specifically for the Jews.

Exo 31:16  Therefore the children of Israel [i.e. the Jews] shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Exo 31:17  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.'"

If you want to do a play on my words then very well, you have a point. However, I think it fairly obvious that my intent was not to say that God never specifically told the Jews to observe His Sabbath, but only that His Sabbath was not intended specifically and only for the Jews. Nevertheless, if you are intent upon making the point that I meant as you determined, very well then. I give you that one.

Now can you please tell me how you have determined that God's Sabbath was only and specifically for the Jews, when it was created by Him 2000 years before there was a Jew? Kept by those who were not yet called Jews? Why Gentiles were admonished to keep it and be blessed for doing so even after God gave it specifically to the Jews, and during that time? Why it was kept by Jesus, the apostles, and other Christians for centuries after Christ's death, and why it is said that the saved, including many so called non Jews will observe it in heaven? Thank you.

If you would like the scriptural and historic evidence for all of the above, please do just ask for it. Though most of it has already been posted on this thread.

QuoteAmo, if its alright I would like to share this on some of the other sites I am on with your permission.

Sorry Hobie, I was gone for quite a while. Of course you could have and can use it. I have no monopoly upon the truth. Nor would I dare try to prevent anyone from sharing it as though I or anyone else could claim to be the progenitor of truth.

What did Jesus say regarding to the Sabbath?

Mark 2:27, "Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

So, did he say "The Sabbath was made for Jews"?  No, He did not.  He said it was made for man (human kind), and He also declared Himself "Lord of the Sabbath".  Thefore, the Sabbath is the Lord's Day.

What else did Jesus say?

Matthew 5:17-19, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Have heaven and earth disappeared?  Clearly neither have, nor will. Also, a warning is given that "least in the kingdom of heaven" doesn't denote a position in heaven, but means that heaven will regard them with disdain after Jesus' return.

Jesus spoke of the Sabbath in the future:

Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of the Sabbath in the future:
"Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,'[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Messiah!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29 "Immediately after the distress of those days


"'the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

30 "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

36 "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

In the OP Sunday legislation throughout history was brought forward as a sign of true legalism, as compared to the accusation of legalism cast upon those who observe the sabbath according to the fourth commandment, by faith in God's word. A link was and is presented for those wishing to examine a book addressing much of that legislation. I thought it pertinent to the subject to look at some more recent developments relating to the same, and the efforts of many still, towards legislation. Along with this is the newest development of Sunday significance among Secularists, Humanists, and Atheists also. Not to mention the all important decision of the government of Israel to recognize Sunday as a legal holiday. Yes, it seems that Sunday is truly becoming the rest day of this world, which will no doubt eventually be legislated into reality. The following internet sites address much of the same.

http://www.ucg.org/doctrinal-beliefs/always-sunday-europes-official-day-rest/

http://www.catholicsun.org/2012/06/06/sundays-must-be-a-day-of-rest-dedicated-to-god-family-pope-says/

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-05/israeli-proposal-to-make-sunday-day-of-rest-may-benefit-retail.html

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/european_bishops_back_proposed_eu_law_on_sunday_rest/

https://www.au.org/church-state/may-2009-church-state/au-bulletin/church-groups-push-eu-to-approve-sunday-law

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/croatia-bans-sunday-shopping-and-encourages-citizens-to-devote-time-to-fami

http://www.baptiststandard.com/resources/archives/48-2008-archives/8330-pastors-ask-town-to-ban-sunday-morning-sports

http://www.mspca.org/programs/animal-protection-legislation/government-affairs/current-legislation/wildlife-legislation/hunting-on-sundays-2.html

7602 - Sunday Law / AD News - Grace Mackintosh

http://sundayassembly.com/

http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/12/sunday-assembly-gathering-offers-community-atheists

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/10/mega-church-where-god-is-unwelcome-atheists-unite-at-sunday-assemblies-across/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/14/atheist-sunday-assembly-branches-out

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-09/church-for-atheists-comes-to-australia/5080996

http://religioninireland.net/2013/11/10/secular-sunday-brunch-with-atheist-ireland/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheists-flock-to-secular-sunday-school-30231/

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pch24.pl%2Fkonferencja-w-sejmie-o-potrzebie-wolnej-niedzieli%2C18708%2Ci.html&act=url

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.datasantafeonline.com%2Fultimas-noticias%2Fdestacadas%2F19410-diputados-dio-media-sancion-al-descanso-dominical-.html&act=url

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.opais.net%2Fpt%2Fopais%2F%3Fdet%3D33184&act=url

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.refdag.nl%2Fnieuws%2Fbuitenland%2Fkortrijk_peilt_bevolking_over_verbod_op_grasmaaien_op_zondag_1_779536&act=url

http://www.thejournal.ie/france-sunday-shopping-laws-1107689-Sep2013/?com_ord=date

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=968&sid=25460743&fm=most_popular

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, having received the opinion of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, has decided that it would be appropriate to publish the present Doctrinal Note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life. This Note is directed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church and, in a particular way, to Catholic politicians and all lay members of the faithful called to participate in the political life of democratic societies.


By fulfilling their civic duties, guided by a Christian conscience, in conformity with its values, the lay faithful exercise their proper task of infusing the temporal order with Christian values, all the while respecting the nature and rightful autonomy of that order, and cooperating with other citizens according to their particular competence and responsibility. The consequence of this fundamental teaching of the Second Vatican Council is that the lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in 'public life', that is, in the many different economic, social, legislative, administrative and cultural areas, which are intended to promote organically and institutionally the common good. This would include the promotion and defence of goods such as public order and peace, freedom and equality, respect for human life and for the environment, justice and solidarity.

II. Central points in the current cultural and political debate

The growth in the sense of responsibility towards countries still on the path of development is without doubt an important sign, illustrative of a greater sensitivity to the common good. At the same time, however, one cannot close one's eyes to the real dangers which certain tendencies in society are promoting through legislation, nor can one ignore the effects this will have on future generations.
A kind of cultural relativism exists today, evident in the conceptualization and defence of an ethical pluralism, which sanctions the decadence and disintegration of reason and the principles of the natural moral law. Furthermore, it is not unusual to hear the opinion expressed in the public sphere that such ethical pluralism is the very condition for democracy. As a result, citizens claim complete autonomy with regard to their moral choices, and lawmakers maintain that they are respecting this freedom of choice by enacting laws which ignore the principles of natural ethics and yield to ephemeral cultural and moral trends, as if every possible outlook on life were of equal value. At the same time, the value of tolerance is disingenuously invoked when a large number of citizens, Catholics among them, are asked not to base their contribution to society and political life – through the legitimate means available to everyone in a democracy – on their particular understanding of the human person and the common good. The history of the twentieth century demonstrates that those citizens were right who recognized the falsehood of relativism, and with it, the notion that there is no moral law rooted in the nature of the human person, which must govern our understanding of man, the common good and the state.

3. Such relativism, of course, has nothing to do with the legitimate freedom of Catholic citizens to choose among the various political opinions that are compatible with faith and the natural moral law, and to select, according to their own criteria, what best corresponds to the needs of the common good. Political freedom is not – and cannot be – based upon the relativistic idea that all conceptions of the human person's good have the same value and truth, but rather, on the fact that politics are concerned with very concrete realizations of the true human and social good in given historical, geographic, economic, technological and cultural contexts. 

In this context, it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals. The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine.A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility towards the common good. Nor can a Catholic think of delegating his Christian responsibility to others; rather, the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives him this task, so that the truth about man and the world might be proclaimed and put into action.


7. Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone is to desire that person's good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of "all of us", made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society[4]. It is a good that is sought not for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. To take a stand for the common good is on the one hand to be solicitous for, and on the other hand to avail oneself of, that complex of institutions that give structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically and culturally, making it the pólis, or "city". The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. Every Christian is called to practise this charity, in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the pólis. This is the institutional path — we might also call it the political path — of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbour directly, outside the institutional mediation of the pólis. When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have. Like all commitment to justice, it has a place within the testimony of divine charity that paves the way for eternity through temporal action. Man's earthly activity, when inspired and sustained by charity, contributes to the building of the universal city of God, which is the goal of the history of the human family. In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family, that is to say, the community of peoples and nations[5], in such a way as to shape the earthly city in unity and peace, rendering it to some degree an anticipation and a prefiguration of the undivided city of God.




36. Economic activity cannot solve all social problems through the simple application of commercial logic. This needs to be directed towards the pursuit of the common good, for which the political community in particular must also take responsibility. Therefore, it must be borne in mind that grave imbalances are produced when economic action, conceived merely as an engine for wealth creation, is detached from political action, conceived as a means for pursuing justice through redistribution.

The link consists in this: individual rights, when detached from a framework of duties which grants them their full meaning, can run wild, leading to an escalation of demands which is effectively unlimited and indiscriminate. An overemphasis on rights leads to a disregard for duties. Duties set a limit on rights because they point to the anthropological and ethical framework of which rights are a part, in this way ensuring that they do not become licence. Duties thereby reinforce rights and call for their defence and promotion as a task to be undertaken in the service of the common good. Otherwise, if the only basis of human rights is to be found in the deliberations of an assembly of citizens, those rights can be changed at any time, and so the duty to respect and pursue them fades from the common consciousness. Governments and international bodies can then lose sight of the objectivity and "inviolability" of rights. When this happens, the authentic development of peoples is endangered[108]. Such a way of thinking and acting compromises the authority of international bodies, especially in the eyes of those countries most in need of development. Indeed, the latter demand that the international community take up the duty of helping them to be "artisans of their own destiny"[109], that is, to take up duties of their own. The sharing of reciprocal duties is a more powerful incentive to action than the mere assertion of rights.

Hence the principle of subsidiarity is particularly well-suited to managing globalization and directing it towards authentic human development. In order not to produce a dangerous universal power of a tyrannical nature, the governance of globalization must be marked by subsidiarity, articulated into several layers and involving different levels that can work together. Globalization certainly requires authority, insofar as it poses the problem of a global common good that needs to be pursued.

67. In the face of the unrelenting growth of global interdependence, there is a strongly felt need, even in the midst of a global recession, for a reform of the United Nations Organization, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth. One also senses the urgent need to find innovative ways of implementing the principle of the responsibility to protect[146] and of giving poorer nations an effective voice in shared decision-making. This seems necessary in order to arrive at a political, juridical and economic order which can increase and give direction to international cooperation for the development of all peoples in solidarity. To manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result; to bring about integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace; to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration: for all this, there is urgent need of a true world political authority, as my predecessor Blessed John XXIII indicated some years ago. Such an authority would need to be regulated by law, to observe consistently the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, to seek to establish the common good[147], and to make a commitment to securing authentic integral human development inspired by the values of charity in truth. Furthermore, such an authority would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights[148]. Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums. Without this, despite the great progress accomplished in various sectors, international law would risk being conditioned by the balance of power among the strongest nations. The integral development of peoples and international cooperation require the establishment of a greater degree of international ordering, marked by subsidiarity, for the management of globalization[149]. They also require the construction of a social order that at last conforms to the moral order, to the interconnection between moral and social spheres, and to the link between politics and the economic and civil spheres, as envisaged by the Charter of the United Nations.


Development is impossible without upright men and women, without financiers and politicians whose consciences are finely attuned to the requirements of the common good.


so too the meaning and purpose of the media must be sought within an anthropological perspective. This means that they can have a civilizing effect not only when, thanks to technological development, they increase the possibilities of communicating information, but above all when they are geared towards a vision of the person and the common good that reflects truly universal values.


2187 Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees.

2188 In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church's holy days as legal holidays. They have to give everyone a public example of prayer, respect, and joy and defend their traditions as a precious contribution to the spiritual life of society. If a country's legislation or other reasons require work on Sunday, the day should nevertheless be lived as the day of our deliverance which lets us share in this "festal gathering," this "assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven."[125]

Sundays must be a day of rest dedicated to God, family, pope says

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The demands of work can't bully people out of needed time off, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Sunday must be a day of rest for everyone, so people can be free to be with their families and with God, the pope said.
"By defending Sunday, one defends human freedom," he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square June 6.
In his catechesis, the pope told an estimated 15,000 pilgrims and visitors about his trip June 1-3 to Milan for the seventh World Meeting of Families.

He thanked everyone who made the "unforgettable and wonderful event" possible and praised the willingness he witnessed of people striving to live a "Gospel of the family."

"Humanity has no future without the family," he said. Young people need to be born and raised in "that community of life and love that God himself wanted," that is, a family based on marriage between a man and woman, he said.

He reminded young people that they, too, have a responsibility to contribute to the well-being of the family, such as by saying "yes" to God's will, working hard in their studies, being generous to others, being active in the community and using their talents to better the world.

The pope said when he met government representatives in Milan, he reminded them of the importance of policies and laws that protect the family. The most essential is the right to life, "whose its deliberate suppression can never be allowed." The identity of the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, needs recognition, too, the pope said.

During an evening vigil of testimonies, the pope answered the questions of five families from different countries because "I wanted to show the open dialogue that exists between families and the church, between the world and the church," he said.

He said he was quite taken by people's testimonies, which dealt with "hot-button issues" such as the difficulties families experience because of separation, divorce, the economic crisis and long hours on the job.

The pope said he wanted to come to the defense of free time, which is "threatened by a kind 'bullying' by the demands of work."

"Sunday is the day of the Lord and of man, a day which everyone must be able to be free -- free for the family and free for God."

Family, work, rest and celebration are gifts from God and important aspects of human life that must find a "harmonious balance" in order to build a more humane world, he said.
He said the World Meeting of Families was a way to send a message to the whole world that "it is possible and joyful, even if it takes work, to live love faithfully forever and be open to life" and that it's also possible for the whole family to take part in the mission of the church and help create a better world.

- - -

Editor's Note: The text of the pope's audience remarks in English will be posted online at www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20120606_en.html.

The text of the pope's audience remarks in Spanish will be posted online at www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20120606_sp.html.

END

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF "RERUM NOVARUM"



Work thus belongs to the vocation of every person; indeed, man expresses and fulfils himself by working. At the same time, work has a "social" dimension through its intimate relationship not only to the family, but also to the common good, since "it may truly be said that it is only by the labour of working-men that States grow rich".14 These are themes that I have taken up and developed in my Encyclical Laborem exercens.15


Another important principle is undoubtedly that of the right to "private property".16 The amount of space devoted to this subject in the Encyclical shows the importance attached to it. The Pope is well aware that private property is not an absolute value, nor does he fail to proclaim the necessary complementary principles, such as the universal destination of the earth's goods.17

9. To these rights Pope Leo XIII adds another right regarding the condition of the working class, one which I wish to mention because of its importance: namely, the right to discharge freely one's religious duties. The Pope wished to proclaim this right within the context of the other rights and duties of workers, notwithstanding the general opinion, even in his day, that such questions pertained exclusively to an individual's private life. He affirms the need for Sunday rest so that people may turn their thoughts to heavenly things and to the worship which they owe to Almighty God.28 No one can take away this human right, which is based on a commandment; in the words of the Pope: "no man may with impunity violate that human dignity which God himself treats with great reverence", and consequently, the State must guarantee to the worker the exercise of this freedom.29

It would not be mistaken to see in this clear statement a springboard for the principle of the right to religious freedom, which was to become the subject of many solemn International Declarations and Conventions,30 as well as of the Second Vatican Council's well-known Declaration and of my own repeated teaching.31 In this regard, one may ask whether existing laws and the practice of industrialized societies effectively ensure in our own day the exercise of this basic right to Sunday rest.

If Pope Leo XIII calls upon the State to remedy the condition of the poor in accordance with justice, he does so because of his timely awareness that the State has the duty of watching over the common good and of ensuring that every sector of social life, not excluding the economic one, contributes to achieving that good, while respecting the rightful autonomy of each sector.


II. TOWARDS THE "NEW THINGS" OF TODAY

In contrast, from the Christian vision of the human person there necessarily follows a correct picture of society. According to Rerum novarum and the whole social doctrine of the Church, the social nature of man is not completely fulfilled in the State, but is realized in various intermediary groups, beginning with the family and including economic, social, political and cultural groups which stem from human nature itself and have their own autonomy, always with a view to the common good. This is what I have called the "subjectivity" of society which, together with the subjectivity of the individual, was cancelled out by "Real Socialism".40


However, what is condemned in class struggle is the idea that conflict is not restrained by ethical or juridical considerations, or by respect for the dignity of others (and consequently of oneself); a reasonable compromise is thus excluded, and what is pursued is not the general good of society, but a partisan interest which replaces the common good and sets out to destroy whatever stands in its way.

21. Lastly, it should be remembered that after the Second World War, and in reaction to its horrors, there arose a more lively sense of human rights, which found recognition in a number of International Documents52 and, one might say, in the drawing up of a new "right of nations", to which the Holy See has constantly contributed. The focal point of this evolution has been the United Nations Organization. Not only has there been a development in awareness of the rights of individuals, but also in awareness of the rights of nations, as well as a clearer realization of the need to act in order to remedy the grave imbalances that exist between the various geographical areas of the world. In a certain sense, these imbalances have shifted the centre of the social question from the national to the international level.53



IV. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE UNIVERSAL DESTINATION OF MATERIAL GOODS


30. In Rerum novarum, Leo XIII strongly affirmed the natural character of the right to private property, using various arguments against the socialism of his time.65 This right, which is fundamental for the autonomy and development of the person, has always been defended by the Church up to our own day. At the same time, the Church teaches that the possession of material goods is not an absolute right, and that its limits are inscribed in its very nature as a human right.

While the Pope proclaimed the right to private ownership, he affirmed with equal clarity that the "use" of goods, while marked by freedom, is subordinated to their original common destination as created goods, as well as to the will of Jesus Christ as expressed in the Gospel. Pope Leo wrote: "those whom fortune favours are admonished ... that they should tremble at the warnings of Jesus Christ ... and that a most strict account must be given to the Supreme Judge for the use of all they possess"; and quoting Saint Thomas Aquinas, he added: "But if the question be asked, how must one's possessions be used? the Church replies without hesitation that man should not consider his material possessions as his own, but as common to all...", because "above the laws and judgments of men stands the law, the judgment of Christ".66

The Successors of Leo XIII have repeated this twofold affirmation: the necessity and therefore the legitimacy of private ownership, as well as the limits which are imposed on it.67 The Second Vatican Council likewise clearly restated the traditional doctrine in words which bear repeating: "In making use of the exterior things we lawfully possess, we ought to regard them not just as our own but also as common, in the sense that they can profit not only the owners but others too"; and a little later we read: "Private property or some ownership of external goods affords each person the scope needed for personal and family autonomy, and should be regarded as an extension of human freedom ... Of its nature private property also has a social function which is based on the law of the common purpose of goods".68 I have returned to this same doctrine, first in my address to the Third Conference of the Latin American Bishops at Puebla, and later in the Encyclicals Laborem exercens and Sollicitudo rei socialis.69

31. Re-reading this teaching on the right to property and the common destination of material wealth as it applies to the present time, the question can be raised concerning the origin of the material goods which sustain human life, satisfy people's needs and are an object of their rights.

The original source of all that is good is the very act of God, who created both the earth and man, and who gave the earth to man so that he might have dominion over it by his work and enjoy its fruits (Gen 1:28). God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favouring anyone. This is the foundation of the universal destination of the earth's goods. The earth, by reason of its fruitfulness and its capacity to satisfy human needs, is God's first gift for the sustenance of human life. But the earth does not yield its fruits without a particular human response to God's gift, that is to say, without work. It is through work that man, using his
intelligence and exercising his freedom, succeeds in dominating the earth and making it a fitting home.

Mention has just been made of the fact that people work with each other, sharing in a "community of work" which embraces ever widening circles. A person who produces something other than for his own use generally does so in order that others may use it after they have paid a just price, mutually agreed upon through free bargaining. It is precisely the ability to foresee both the needs of others and the combinations of productive factors most adapted to satisfying those needs that constitutes another important source of wealth in modern society. Besides, many goods cannot be adequately produced through the work of an isolated individual; they require the cooperation of many people in working towards a common goal. Organizing such a productive effort, planning its duration in time, making sure that it corresponds in a positive way to the demands which it must satisfy, and taking the necessary risks — all this too is a source of wealth in today's society. In this way, the role of disciplined and creative human work and, as an essential part of that work, initiative and entrepreneurial ability becomes increasingly evident and decisive.70

34....Even prior to the logic of a fair exchange of goods and the forms of justice appropriate to it, there exists something which is due to man because he is man, by reason of his lofty dignity. Inseparable from that required "something" is the possibility to survive and, at the same time, to make an active contribution to the common good of humanity.

40. It is the task of the State to provide for the defence and preservation of common goods such as the natural and human environments, which cannot be safeguarded simply by market forces. Just as in the time of primitive capitalism the State had the duty of defending the basic rights of workers, so now, with the new capitalism, the State and all of society have the duty of defending those collective goods which, among others, constitute the essential framework for the legitimate pursuit of personal goals on the part of each individual.


43. The Church has no models to present; models that are real and truly effective can only arise within the framework of different historical situations, through the efforts of all those who responsibly confront concrete problems in all their social, economic, political and cultural aspects, as these interact with one another.84 For such a task the Church offers her social teaching as an indispensable and ideal orientation, a teaching which, as already mentioned, recognizes the positive value of the market and of enterprise, but which at the same time points out that these need to be oriented towards the common good.

In the light of today's "new things", we have re-read the relationship between individual or private property and the universal destination of material wealth.



44. Pope Leo XIII was aware of the need for a sound theory of the State in order to ensure the normal development of man's spiritual and temporal activities, both of which are indispensable.89 For this reason, in one passage of Rerum novarum he presents the organization of society according to the three powers — legislative, executive and judicial — , something which at the time represented a novelty in Church teaching.90 Such an ordering reflects a realistic vision of man's social nature, which calls for legislation capable of protecting the freedom of all. To that end, it is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the "rule of law", in which the law is sovereign, and not the arbitrary will of individuals.

Even in countries with democratic forms of government, these rights are not always fully respected. Here we are referring not only to the scandal of abortion, but also to different aspects of a crisis within democracies themselves, which seem at times to have lost the ability to make decisions aimed at the common good. Certain demands which arise within society are sometimes not examined in accordance with criteria of justice and morality, but rather on the basis of the electoral or financial power of the groups promoting them. With time, such distortions of political conduct create distrust and apathy, with a subsequent decline in the political participation and civic spirit of the general population, which feels abused and disillusioned. As a result, there is a growing inability to situate particular interests within the framework of a coherent vision of the common good. The latter is not simply the sum total of particular interests; rather it involves an assessment and integration of those interests on the basis of a balanced hierarchy of values; ultimately, it demands a correct understanding of the dignity and the rights of the person.98

The Church respects the legitimate autonomy of the democratic order and is not entitled to express preferences for this or that institutional or constitutional solution. Her contribution to the political order is precisely her vision of the dignity of the person revealed in all its fulness in the mystery of the Incarnate Word.99

Malfunctions and defects in the Social Assistance State are the result of an inadequate understanding of the tasks proper to the State. Here again the principle of subsidiarity must be respected: a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.100

In order to overcome today's widespread individualistic mentality, what is required is a concrete commitment to solidarity and charity, beginning in the family with the mutual support of husband and wife and the care which the different generations give to one another.



 





Thus the Church's social teaching is itself a valid instrument of evangelization. As such, it proclaims God and his mystery of salvation in Christ to every human being, and for that very reason reveals man to himself. In this light, and only in this light, does it concern itself with everything else: the human rights of the individual, and in particular of the "working class", the family and education, the duties of the State, the ordering of national and international society, economic life, culture, war and peace, and respect for life from the moment of conception until death.

It is not merely a matter of "giving from one's surplus", but of helping entire peoples which are presently excluded or marginalized to enter into the sphere of economic and human development. For this to happen, it is not enough to draw on the surplus goods which in fact our world abundantly produces; it requires above all a change of life-styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies. Nor is it a matter of eliminating instruments of social organization which have proved useful, but rather of orienting them according to an adequate notion of the common good in relation to the whole human family. Today we are facing the so-called "globalization" of the economy, a phenomenon which is not to be dismissed, since it can create unusual opportunities for greater prosperity. There is a growing feeling, however, that this increasing internationalization of the economy ought to be accompanied by effective international agencies which will oversee and direct the economy to the common good, something that an individual State, even if it were the most powerful on earth, would not be in a position to do.


In concluding this Encyclical I again give thanks to Almighty God, who has granted his Church the light and strength to accompany humanity on its earthly journey towards its eternal destiny. In the third Millennium too, the Church will be faithful in making man's way her own, knowing that she does not walk alone, but with Christ her Lord. It is Christ who made man's way his own, and who guides him, even when he is unaware of it. Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, constantly remained beside Christ in his journey towards the human family and in its midst, and she goes before the Church on the pilgrimage of faith. May her maternal intercession accompany humanity towards the next Millennium, in fidelity to him who "is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (cf. Heb 13:8), Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name I cordially impart my blessing to all.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 1 May, the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker, in the year 1991, the thirteenth of my Pontificate.
JOHN PAUL II

Quote from: Amo on February 13, 2012, 05:36:03 PM

The bible does not say anywhere that the Sabbath is specifically for the Jews. >>

<<Ex 31.12 And the Lord said to Moses,
13 "You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.
17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel  that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'>>

OK let's get it clear, in these scriptures the Sabbath, being a pivotal part of the Law and Covenant is specifically reissued to Israel which includes the Jews; the Law including the 4th commandment are already in the ark.

What the statement should have said, "The bible does not say anywhere that the Sabbath is exclusively for Israel/Jews". But I knew what he meant. In two places in the OT the scriptures state that the Law (covenant) will go to the Gentiles; no where does it say the good news will go to the Gentiles; and this happened via Jesus Christ, Jews first, lost sheep second and Gentiles 3rd . So as well as reissuing the Law including the Sabbath to the Jews and the lost sheep He also issues the Law including the Sabbath and Holy Days:
Quote: Paul told members of the Church at Corinth—both Jews and gentiles (non-Israelites)—that they should put out leaven, symbolic of sin, because "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). In the next verse Paul said to this mixed group of Jews and gentiles, "Therefore let us keep the feast," referring to the same festival God had instituted in ancient Israel many centuries before. Unquote.

This is a quote and opinion from one of my earlier posts which seems to be relative here:

I'll try to explain to you how I see God's Law and covenant working; God's Law as the Ten Commandments, is pure in the same way mathematic can be pure, but pure mathematics is next to useless until it is applied and when it is applied it assumes the purity of that to which it is applied; if mathematics is applied to garbage then garbage is the purity. The Covenant of God can also be applied to garbage and this is what the Pharisees did. Beware of the word "legalism", it is a derogative with no realistic concept, it is one of Satan's tools of deception. Consider the man who keeps the Ten Commandments perfectly he is like the mathematician who plays with pure mathematics all day; nothing good or bad in it but nothing gained. The person who is in covenant with Christ has the Law living in them, most are not able to recite the Ten Commandments, but applying the Law in everything they do.  This is different to those new covenants where the Law is nailed to the cross or thrown in the dust bin; their covenant is a word without a concept, like an egg with innards sucked out and often filled up with multiple versions of good news.

http://www.europeansundayalliance.eu/

http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/emire/GREECE/WEEKLYRESTDAY-GR.htm

http://www.atg.wa.gov/AGOOpinions/opinion.aspx?section=archive&id=7488#.UrRi9bQ6-QI

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14335a.htm

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/11/08/243952070/france-rethinks-the-sanctity-of-its-day-of-rest

http://catholicmom5.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/sunday-is-a-day-of-rest/

http://www.vrijheidslijst.nl/E-vrijheidslijst/Viewpoints/Sunday.html

http://thisourtask.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/sunday-a-day-of-rest/

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-official-exhorts-catholics-to-set-aside-sundays-for-god-and-rest/

http://languageofbeauty.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/sunday-day-of-make-up-rest/

http://sundayassemblyleeds.com/public-charter/

http://sundayassembly.com/public-charter-for-the-sunday-assembly/