Q. It is a sin to shop, go see a movie, or go out to eat on a Sunday. When I do any of those things, am I not forcing people to work and to break the Sabbath rest?
A. It is not a sin to do the activities you mention on Sundays. Many people do not share our religious practices and do not perceive Sunday to be a day of rest. They may have other spiritual traditions and practices that are just as important to them. If you choose not to participate, then well and good, but you are not forcing others into sin if you choose to take advantage of these normal opportunities for relaxation.
Q. I keep hearing about the Novus Ordo and how it is not the real Mass. This confuses me, and I am concerned that I am doing something wrong.
A. Novus Ordo refers to the time, immediately after the Second Vatican Council, when the Church was transitioning from one eucharistic practice to the eucharistic practice discerned by the bishops of the council as normative from our time and place. At one time, it was the “new Mass,” but now it is simply “the Mass,” the way we liturgically express ourselves as Roman Catholics. When people use this term, they are championing a pre-Vatican II perspective and understanding.