ive always wondered, being a student who leaves all my weekend homework to sunday. Is it bad to do homework on sunday, the sabbath? Should I only just pray, read the bible .etc? thankyou guys
I would be a hypocrite if I told you not to do homework on Sunday; and I have not encountered anyone who does not do their homework on Sunday.
It actually delights me that you would consider changing your schedule- without knowing your capabilities, I would say for most of us, it is a difficult thing to do so. Hmmm. But, I think, it would be helpful to spend some quality alone time with God- even for just half an hour. The time is not the issue, but really try to maybe re-read the Scripture readings, or meditate on the live of the Saint of the day.
If possible, and it usually is, I think we should devote some time for charity or helping out at Church. Anything would be beneficial- collecting the books, cleaning the church or the toilets, etc. Half an hour of that should be plenty. Just try to persevere. I heard that this guy was fighting against Pride, so he would clean the toilet of the church.
So, I think in all, it is a difficult ask to not do homework on Sunday, but try to really put yourself in the church while you there, and make most of the Liturgy. :)
By the way neighbor, few people in University are working on Sundays- thus not going to the Liturgy at all- I think that is sad, and it is wrong. But it kind of makes you think, are we benefiting from the Liturgy ourselves if we do all our homework/study then? Hmmm. That's where my advice to us, perhaps will help us both.
i think that u can do anything u want on sunday as long as u go to mass, perhaps spend sum time with God ect.... i mean its not as extreme as teh jewish sabbath
When I was in my teens and an Evangelical I would spend almost all of Sunday in Church. Now I am Orthodox I expect to be in Church for the morning, but then I enjoy spending some time with my wife in the afternoon, and as I have grown older I have learned that I have a vocation as a husband and father as much as the other things I find God calling me into, and it is easy to let being a husband and father slide.
We all have a variety of responsibilities, duties and callings, and for many of us it is not possible, nor even right, that we should spend all of Sunday engaged only in our own thoughts and spiritual exercises. This is not sin, it is a recognition that God calls us to do many things as we work out our salvation.
Sometimes I have had to work on Sundays when I was in a shift-based job, and my wife is a nurse and still sometimes has to work on Sundays, but as far as I can see it is a good and right thing to provide for oneself and for ones family. Now perhaps if I chose such a job because I was concerned about making as much money as possible, and if I allowed my work to compromise my spiritual life, then that might be a matter of concern to a spiritual father. Likewise with homework, if we are doing it on Sunday in an ordered manner after spending time at the Liturgy then I can see no harm at all since God calls us to be responsible in our studies as in all things. But if we keep doing it on Sunday just because we are disorganised and have to do it at the last minute then that might be a more serious issue.
We know that there are many Orthodox Christians who HAVE to work on a Sunday - Nurses, Doctors, the Police, the Armed Forces etc etc - and in the past in many places Sunday was not a day of rest and work was required of Christians - therefore we should not think that it is sin to work on Sunday, or to spend time with families and friends, but it is perhaps harmful to be disorganised and have to work on Sunday because of laziness at other times.
i agree, peter. i set aside one day a weekend (sometimes sunday sometimes saturday) in which i did no study, from when i was 11 through university and after, it was my personal arrangement with God and stopped me being exhausted as i tend to be obsessive and read too much before an exam and then forget everything! i have done other work on sundays. i think it's our attitude that's most important, we should put God first.
Comments
It actually delights me that you would consider changing your schedule- without knowing your capabilities, I would say for most of us, it is a difficult thing to do so. Hmmm. But, I think, it would be helpful to spend some quality alone time with God- even for just half an hour. The time is not the issue, but really try to maybe re-read the Scripture readings, or meditate on the live of the Saint of the day.
If possible, and it usually is, I think we should devote some time for charity or helping out at Church. Anything would be beneficial- collecting the books, cleaning the church or the toilets, etc. Half an hour of that should be plenty. Just try to persevere. I heard that this guy was fighting against Pride, so he would clean the toilet of the church.
So, I think in all, it is a difficult ask to not do homework on Sunday, but try to really put yourself in the church while you there, and make most of the Liturgy. :)
By the way neighbor, few people in University are working on Sundays- thus not going to the Liturgy at all- I think that is sad, and it is wrong. But it kind of makes you think, are we benefiting from the Liturgy ourselves if we do all our homework/study then? Hmmm. That's where my advice to us, perhaps will help us both.
god bless
i think that u can do anything u want on sunday as long as u go to mass, perhaps spend sum time with God ect.... i mean its not as extreme as teh jewish sabbath
+mahraeel+
We all have a variety of responsibilities, duties and callings, and for many of us it is not possible, nor even right, that we should spend all of Sunday engaged only in our own thoughts and spiritual exercises. This is not sin, it is a recognition that God calls us to do many things as we work out our salvation.
Sometimes I have had to work on Sundays when I was in a shift-based job, and my wife is a nurse and still sometimes has to work on Sundays, but as far as I can see it is a good and right thing to provide for oneself and for ones family. Now perhaps if I chose such a job because I was concerned about making as much money as possible, and if I allowed my work to compromise my spiritual life, then that might be a matter of concern to a spiritual father. Likewise with homework, if we are doing it on Sunday in an ordered manner after spending time at the Liturgy then I can see no harm at all since God calls us to be responsible in our studies as in all things. But if we keep doing it on Sunday just because we are disorganised and have to do it at the last minute then that might be a more serious issue.
We know that there are many Orthodox Christians who HAVE to work on a Sunday - Nurses, Doctors, the Police, the Armed Forces etc etc - and in the past in many places Sunday was not a day of rest and work was required of Christians - therefore we should not think that it is sin to work on Sunday, or to spend time with families and friends, but it is perhaps harmful to be disorganised and have to work on Sunday because of laziness at other times.
In Christ
Peter
i set aside one day a weekend (sometimes sunday sometimes saturday) in which i did no study, from when i was 11 through university and after, it was my personal arrangement with God and stopped me being exhausted as i tend to be obsessive and read too much before an exam and then forget everything!
i have done other work on sundays. i think it's our attitude that's most important, we should put God first.
they have all helped me
god bless