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'Rediscovering Sunday'
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
In his apostolic letter on keeping the Lord’s Day holy, Dies Domini,
Pope John Paul II writes: “Blest be he who has raised the great day of
Sunday above all other days. The heavens and the earth, angels and
people give themselves over to joy.”
At the Last Supper, the first Mass, Jesus proclaimed: “Do this as a
remembrance of me” (Lk. 22:19). The teaching of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church is rooted in this directive: “The Sunday Eucharist
is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this
reason the faithful are obligated to participate in the Eucharist
on days of obligation, unless excused for serious reason (for example,
illness, care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who
deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin” (2181). The
Catechism continues: “Participation in the communal celebration of
the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful
to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness to this by their
communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness
and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.” (2182)
In recent times, many people have slipped into comfort with attending
Sunday Mass when it’s convenient and skipping it when it is not. The
simple truth is that all Catholics (shut-ins and the infirm are excused)
have an obligation to participate every Sunday. This is necessary
because every Sunday is our pre-eminent day as Church; every
Sunday is both the day of resurrection and the day that shapes us to be
Church as we live in union with Christ and in union with one another. It
is every Sunday that we need to keep holy in order to live in
union with Christ more deeply throughout the week. We need every
Sunday as a day of spiritual formation to maintain a healthy and human
balance in our life. It is most important that everyone, and especially
parents who are the primary formers of their children in the faith,
commit themselves and their families to faithful, weekly attendance at
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Proper preparation for Sunday Mass is important. Good liturgy does not
just happen; it takes preparation on the part of all those who are
involved. For those who participate as members of the assembly
(congregation), there is a need to take responsibility for doing your
part to achieve the “full, active and conscious participation” called
for by the Second Vatican Council. We are not to be passive
spectators. Rather, we are to be active participants. First and
foremost this is done by bringing the sacrifices we make and uniting
them with Christ’s sacrifice on the altar. This is the primary
participation to which everyone, or-dained and lay, is called.
The outward manifestations of participation — joining in the prayers,
responses, singing, processions — are all concrete expressions of this
inner participation. It is the heart that matters. Our hearts must be
open to God’s Word, they must be hearts eager to praise him, hearts
united with him, hearts ready to please him.
This inner participation does not just happen on its own. A context must
be generated. And so, it is crucial to realize Mass is not “business as
usual.” The way we dress has a bearing on this. We should dress for the
special and privileged occasion Mass presents.
It is most helpful, too, to have read and prayed over the readings
assigned to the Mass attended beforehand, ideally in the family context.
In this way, those at Mass are familiar with the readings and have had
an opportunity to reflect on the message those texts contain and how
they seem to apply to the reader.
As I stressed in my pastoral letter written on the occasion of the Year
of the Family back in 2003, high priority should be given to families
participating in Mass together. While this is not always possible,
there’s no substitution for the spiritual bonding that occurs when
family members regularly pray together at Mass. Such time together might
be followed by discussion about the Mass on the ride home or later in
the day, perhaps at a family meal. The readings proclaimed, the message
offered in the homily, the connections in the life of the family to a
particular liturgical season are a few of the things that can be
discussed. Living the reality of the “domestic Church” in this way
becomes nourishing not only for adults and older children, but allows
parents to become the teachers of their children God has called them to
be.
In a special way I am calling those concerned with the formation of
children and teen-agers to take most seriously this call to rediscover
Sunday. In our schools, in religious education programs, in youth
ministry programs, and in liturgies with children and teen-agers, the
necessary place of Sunday in Catholic life must continually be
reinforced. Experiences of religious formation throughout the week
should prepare young people for their full, active and conscious
participation at Sunday Mass. If the enthusiasm young people demonstrate
at athletic events was brought to the liturgy, our Sunday celebrations
would not be judged boring or a waste of time by our youth. Yet, always,
it must be remembered that Mass is not intended to be entertainment. We
do not participate at Mass to receive; rather, it is to give praise and
thanksgiving to God.
Ask yourself: What needs to change in your life and your family’s life
in order to recapture the importance of Sunday? What are the rhythms and
routines that are crowding Sunday out of your life? What are the changes
that need to be made so that Sunday can once again take its rightful
place in the life of the Church and her members?
It is my prayer that during this Year of the Eucharist all of us will
come to know the Risen Christ better, and in coming to know him through
the Sunday liturgy, we may become more credible witnesses of Christ’s
life, proclaiming his Gospel of salvation and effectively building a
culture of life and hope. |
