The Sabbath - the end of the work of the six days. the sacred text says that "on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done", that the "heavens and the earth were finished", and that God "rested" on this day and sanctified and blessed it. 213 These inspired words are rich in profitable instruction:

In Creation God laid a foundation and established laws that remain firm, on which the believer can rely with confidence, for they are the sign and pledge of the unshakeable faithfulness of God's Covenant. 214 For his part man must remain faithful to this foundation, and respect the laws which the Creator has written into it.

Creation was fashioned with a view to the Sabbath and therefore for the worship and adoration of God. Worship is inscribed in the order of Creation. 215 As the rule of St. Benedict says, nothing should take precedence over "the work of God", that is, solemn worship. 216 This indicates the right order of human concerns.

The Sabbath is at the heart of Israel's law. To keep the commandments is to correspond to the wisdom and the will of God as expressed in his work of Creation.

The Eighth Day. But for us a new day has dawned: the day of Christ's Resurrection. the seventh day completes the first Creation. the eighth day begins the new Creation. Thus, the work of creation culminates in the greater work of redemption. the first creation finds its meaning and its summit in the new creation in Christ, the splendour of which surpasses that of the first creation. 217

Sunday is expressly distinguished from the Sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ: 107