Post by marcellusfaber on Apr 24, 2023 12:39:18 GMT -5
I'm trying to determine whether it is permissible to eat at restaurants and pub's on Sundays and holy days. I've found a few treatments of it but nothing comprehensive. The question seems to revolve around a few points:
1. Is the work done by bar staff, waiters, etc. servile work? This doesn’t seem like a clear-cut question to me following the books and could be argued either way. Is the work done by these people ordinary (natural)? (Prummer 426)
2. Is the labour necessary? If it is necessary to cook and serve food at home, then how is it not necessary at a restaurant or pub’?
3. Are we permitted to employ non-Catholics to work on Sundays and holy days? The answer seems to be: yes, without necessity in the case of infidels but only with necessity in the case of heretics and schismatics (since they are apparently bound by the laws of the Church). This is presuming that the natural law obligation of worshipping God is not infringed.
4. Are we forbidden from buying and selling food? Since food is necessary, and I have seen it stated that buying and selling of both necessary and small items is permitted, it would seem not.
5. Custom is mentioned by Prummer as a legitimate excuse to not follow the precept. Are bar staff, waiters, etc. exempt by custom in Britain? (Prummer 428)
6. What has the historical practice been?
These are the sources which I have found so far. Prummer is the most useful:
archive.org/details/MN5034ucmf_1/page/n187/mode/2up?view=theater
archive.org/details/moraltheologycom0000mchu/page/582/mode/2up?view=theater
archive.org/details/HandbookOfMoralTheology/page/n117/mode/2up?view=theater
1. Is the work done by bar staff, waiters, etc. servile work? This doesn’t seem like a clear-cut question to me following the books and could be argued either way. Is the work done by these people ordinary (natural)? (Prummer 426)
2. Is the labour necessary? If it is necessary to cook and serve food at home, then how is it not necessary at a restaurant or pub’?
3. Are we permitted to employ non-Catholics to work on Sundays and holy days? The answer seems to be: yes, without necessity in the case of infidels but only with necessity in the case of heretics and schismatics (since they are apparently bound by the laws of the Church). This is presuming that the natural law obligation of worshipping God is not infringed.
4. Are we forbidden from buying and selling food? Since food is necessary, and I have seen it stated that buying and selling of both necessary and small items is permitted, it would seem not.
5. Custom is mentioned by Prummer as a legitimate excuse to not follow the precept. Are bar staff, waiters, etc. exempt by custom in Britain? (Prummer 428)
6. What has the historical practice been?
These are the sources which I have found so far. Prummer is the most useful:
archive.org/details/MN5034ucmf_1/page/n187/mode/2up?view=theater
archive.org/details/moraltheologycom0000mchu/page/582/mode/2up?view=theater
archive.org/details/HandbookOfMoralTheology/page/n117/mode/2up?view=theater