PART V – A DAY FOR RELATIONSHIPS
According to the common witness of the gospels, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead took place of the “first day after the Sabbath” … On the same day, the Risen Lord appeared to the two disciples of Emmaus … and to the eleven Apostles gathered together … (Pope John Paul II, Dies Domini, 20).
WORDS TO LIVE BY
Another reason we Christians celebrate Sunday is because it is the day we believe Christ was raised from the dead. So, not only did God Himself rest on this day, and not only had God decreed the Sabbath a day of remembering and rest, but this is also the day on which the earliest Christians met to remember Christ, to break bread and to share the cup, and in so doing, make Christ’s real presence real again. In the early years of the Church, the first day of the week shaped life. It was the day everyone looked forward to because it was the day that formed how they lived as they were sent forth “to love and serve the Lord”. And so it is for us. No Sunday is complete without sharing in the liturgy, without being present with neighbors, friends, family, and even strangers gathered around the table together.
FOR REFLECTION
What keeps you and your household from fully participating in the Sunday liturgy (or from not participating at all)? How can you overcome these obstacles?
YOUR COMMITMENT
Make a firm commitment to be present for the Sunday liturgy each and every week. Consider no week complete without it. + Blessings!