When Did the Jewish Day Begin? (Plus: Vigil Masses!) | The Jimmy Akin Podcast

The Jimmy Akin Podcast | Episode 031 (April 28, 2025) Catholics can fulfill their Sunday obligation by going to Mass either on Sunday itself or on Saturday evening. Jewish people often reckon the day as beginning at evening, so are the two practices connected? Can Christians fulfill their Sunday obligation on Saturday night because that’s when Sunday began for Jews? In this episode, Jimmy Akin takes you through the history of how Jewish people reckoned such matters and how “vigil Masses” were introduced into the Catholic Church. Timecodes 00:00 – Coming Up 00:16 – Intro 00:51 – What the Law Says 02:03 – A Proposed Explanation 03:39 – 1) Jewish Practice Was Inconsistent 09:39 – 2) The Practice Was Introduced in the 1960s 12:01 – 3) It’s Not What They Said 14:24 – Conclusion 15:53 – Closing/Outro 16:48 – End