Is online shopping on Sunday grave matter?

Bernadette · May 20, 2024, 07:27:32 AM

This came up (from me) in another thread, so I wanted people's opinions on it specifically. I never knew shopping on Sunday was grave matter until recently. I do all of my shopping online. Is it less grave when it's online, or is it the same? Thanks, all.

Heinrich · May 20, 2024, 07:47:08 AM

Yeah, don't do it. It further machinates the mechanism of societal decay. Plus, a Commandment forbids it.

Bernadette · May 20, 2024, 07:57:45 AM

Quote from: Heinrich on May 20, 2024, 07:47:08 AMYeah, don't do it. It further machinates the mechanism of societal decay. Plus, a Commandment forbids it.

Even when the order isn't processed until Monday?

Heinrich · May 20, 2024, 08:07:57 AM

You know, do what you want. Sunday is not meant for unnecessary shopping. Regardless of platform. Last two times I shopped on Sunday: had to buy car part(or I wasn't going to make it home) and some crackers, ginger and alkaseltzer for a sick Frau H. Both instances were extremely unsettling. But sure, granulate exceptions to make your life more convenient. I mean, what could go wrong? Humanism has created such a wonderful world, right?

Bernadette · May 20, 2024, 08:22:09 AM

It was an honest question, Heinrich. Don't be spikey.

Heinrich · May 20, 2024, 08:32:55 AM

Its tone was venial.

The Curt Jester · May 20, 2024, 08:47:28 AM

Don't do unnecessary shopping on Sunday. It doesn't matter what the seller does on his end because that is out of your hands. What matters are the actions you can control (yours).

Acolyte · May 20, 2024, 09:14:30 AM

I had a NO priest tell me it's ok to shop for food on Sunday if I was going to consume that food on that particular Sunday. No exceptions.

He also said it's ok to mow the lawn on Sunday, but be sure and pray while mowing. Rosary, mental prayer, etc. His point was to keep God in mind during as much of the day on Sunday as possible.

Regardless, I don't shop or mow on Sunday but just offering an example of why the question about shopping and physical work on Sundays is asked from time to time. Depends on what priest you ask.

Bonaventure · May 20, 2024, 10:00:59 AM

You are very scrupulous, about as much as I was at my worst. As such I don't think hashing these things out on here will do much good. It just feeds the scruples.

With that said, here is my opinion, one former severe scruple sufferer to a current one:

1. Do your best to sanctify Sunday and rest.

2. Try to avoid unnecessary shopping on Sunday, including online. Sometimes we slip up, and forget.

I don't think it's grave matter, unless you were to willfully, intentionally, make an act of the will, and say, I'm going to spend today, Sunday, instead of recreating, leisure, praying, etc., surfing Amazon, Target, etc and adding stuff to my cart and shopping.

Again, we slip up. Reading your thread, I just remembered yesterday that we ran out of Listerine, and I had an expiring CVS Caremark $10 coupon. I went and bought Listerine which will be shipped to my home later in the week.

Do I think this is grave matter? No. Could it be a venial sin? In this case since I didn't even remember or notice, probably not. Will some here or IRL argue that it is? Yes. Do I care? No.

Another example of grave matter would be, if you totally and unnecessarily decided to go to a car lot on Sunday, and decided to spend hours looking around, test driving, and buying the car, and you had 0 good reason to do so. Usually any mitigating circumstance will lesson the sin.

KreKre · May 20, 2024, 10:24:39 AM

You forgot about it, you didn't have the intention to do it, so it's probably a minor venial sin. I wouldn't go to confession just because of that, but maybe mention it the next time you go, if you remember.

Like I said in the other thread, making someone work on Sunday is a grave matter, that is certain. However, I am almost positive that this specifically applies to employers who demand their workers to work on Sunday, and not to customers who take advantage of that. Sure, such customers create an economic demand for work on Sunday, and incentivize employers to mistreat workers, and take advantage of that, there is no doubt that it is not good, but is it a grave matter? I'd say that's a really, really big stretch... It's probably a venial sin.

And if you accidentally forget that it is Sunday, even though you had the best intention of not shopping on Sunday, it is certainly not a mortal sin, even if it were a grave matter (which it probably isn't). I wouldn't worry about it.

Even if you did it intentionally and said: "I know this is bad, but I'm going to do it anyway, because I value a jar of mayonnaise more than some worker not having a day off on Sunday", which is probably the worst way in which you can do this, I would still doubt that it's a mortal sin (although I would confess it, just in case, because the intention here would be pretty bad). Ultimately, the grave culpability is on the employer, and your sin would not be making someone work on Sunday (because you can't make anyone work on Sunday, except your employees, and only if they are desperate for work), but rather taking advantage of sin and providing the economic incentive for it.

Regarding online shopping, 99% of time, the orders are not processed manually on Sunday, the computer just registers it automatically and workers get to it on Monday. But since you cannot be sure that's the case, it does not give you the universal permission to shop on Sunday. Just try not to do it in the future, and don't worry about it.

Bernadette · May 20, 2024, 10:32:34 AM

Quote from: Bonaventure on May 20, 2024, 10:00:59 AMYou are very scrupulous, about as much as I was at my worst. As such I don't think hashing these things out on here will do much good. It just feeds the scruples.

You're probably right.

KreKre · May 20, 2024, 10:47:41 AM

Quote from: Acolyte on May 20, 2024, 09:14:30 AMHe also said it's ok to mow the lawn on Sunday, but be sure and pray while mowing. Rosary, mental prayer, etc. His point was to keep God in mind during as much of the day on Sunday as possible.

I think this is a pretty bad advice. When you mow the lawn, you should be focused on mowing the lawn, otherwise you might injure yourself or someone else. And when you pray, you should be focused on praying, that should go without saying.

LausTibiChriste · May 20, 2024, 11:47:55 AM

I have nothing to back this up with and I am retarded so take it for what it is but:

We are called to sanctify Sunday, not to not do anything other than Mass on Sunday. The Church, in Her perennial Wisdom, has said that in order to sanctify Sunday, we ought to go to Mass.

If what I have heard in the past is correct, we are admonished not to do servile work on Sundays - ie. something a servant would do (cut the grass, clean the attic, etc.). But even by this metric - are we not supposed to cook on Sundays?

If you're shopping for something that's not necessary then I think that's wrong.

If you're shopping for something that's necessary (ie. groceries) that's fine.

Bonaventure · May 20, 2024, 12:31:24 PM

QuoteIf what I have heard in the past is correct, we are admonished not to do servile work on Sundays - ie. something a servant would do (cut the grass, clean the attic, etc.). But even by this metric - are we not supposed to cook on Sundays?

The key is all unnecessary servile work.

Cooking and light cleaning are almost always ok. Spending 6 hours to do a heavy detail of one's truck, or tiling the floor, is not, unless it is necessary.

drummerboy · May 20, 2024, 01:00:32 PM

Even if it's not processed till Monday, online shopping on Sunday takes away time from other things we should be doing on Sunday. Limiting screen time in general on Sunday is wise.