You are here: > Home > > Parish > Pastoral Life > Spiritual Guidance > Credo Letters
As we see around us, Sunday has become no different from any other day of the week, except that for many people it is a day off work. As far back as I can remember, Sunday was when my parents didn't work and I didn't have to go to school ! It was a day when the family spent the day together and we would see people going to church in the morning. As a young boy, together with my brothers, I was sent to "Sunday School" in the afternoon at the Congregational church, where we were taught about God and Jesus. Later, as teenagers, we graduated to the "Bible Class". In this way, I saw Sunday as a special day for God and for all kinds of family activities.
As a young student and much later as a theology graduate, I was asking myself questions as to why Sunday was special in this way. Did God designate this one day of the week simply to give every one a "rest" from work because he knows we need it ? I knew the story of Creation in the book of Genesis where God "rested" on the seventh day, but at the same time the idea that God needed rest after his labours somehow did not match my idea of God himself!
At the same time, the question of Sunday being a "Sabbath" in the Christian context was also something to explore. What is the true understanding of the traditional view of Sunday being a "day of rest" ? Is this a Christian view or is it something we have inherited from Judaeism ? Is there a difference between the Jewish "Sabbath" and the Christian "Sunday", not simply in time or day of the week but in their respective meanings ?
In the world around us, we see that the Christian character of Sunday is either ignored or completely rejected. As Catholic Christians we live, work and play in such an environment, and as such we are not immune from its influence. Has this secular indifference affected us to the extent that Sunday is simply the day when we fulfil an obligation to attend Mass, and no more ? Is it really an especially religious day for us ?
Every Sunday, we see more and more shops and commercial enterprises opening on a Sunday. we see this as being in conflict with the purpose of the Christian Sunday, or do we see this as nothing relevant to what Sunday is all about ? Have we, perhaps, concentrated too much on the notion of from work to the detriment of acquiring a true understanding of "resting in the Lord" on a particular day 'of the week?
In 1998, Pope John Paul II saw the importance of this subject for the Church by writing the encyclical "Dies Domini" (the Day of the Lord). In this issue I want to explore the real meaning for us of Sunday as "the Day of the Lord", when that time becomes "the soul of the other days"
Brian Pointer BA(Div) MA 9Theo)
Adult Christian Formation St. Richard's,
Chichester.
The words above are taken from Psalm 46, but also are appropriate as a focus for a better understanding of the meaning and purpose of Sunday as the "Day of the Lord". They are very much in line with the commandment of the Decalogue "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Ex.20:8). This whole subject of memory and 'remembering' is very interesting and significant for the way that we relate to the world around us and especially for our relationship with God. Our faculty of memory is absolutely vital for us to function as human beings; for it is only by 'remembering' what to do that we can actually move from one minute to the next ! It is our collection of experiences and knowledge lodged in our memory banks which make it possible for us to know not only what to do next but also to apply them in any judgement of a given situation in which we find ourselves. For instance, at this time of the year we "remember" those that were killed in the two great wars because we need to acknowledge their sacrifice and to hopefully learn from the terrible lessons of war.
What has this got to do with Sunday ? One of the major strands running through the Scriptures, throughout the Old and New Testaments, is the constant theme of the act of 'remembrance'. In remembering God's saving actions, his people bring into their own lives the reality of God's love for them. Through the act of remembrance, what was done in the past becomes part of their own experience of the love of God for his own people. Remembering God's creation of the world on each "day of rest", the Sabbath, as decreed by God, is to help his people to recognise and acknowledge their life-giving and liberating dependence on their Creator ("Dies Domini" p. 52). By withdrawing from the demanding cycle of earthly tasks on the Sabbath they were able to give this time to remembrance and celebration. In this way the time of the Sabbath becomes a 'holy' time, a day dedicated to God and not purely to themselves.
In their busy lives, when preoccupation with worldly matters takes over, the holy time of the Sabbath is a special Gift of God. A day when they have the opportunity to set aside time for God, to respond to his loving approach - 'Be still, and know that I am God."
The Christian 'Sunday' still retains those elements of withdrawing from earthly tasks and "remembering" God as Creator of all things, but now takes on a new meaning with its movement from the Sabbath to the first day after the Sabbath, from the seventh day to the first day. The remembrance of Creation becomes remembrance of the first day of the new creation - the Risen Christ. (Jean Danielou "The Bible and the Liturgy")
John Paul II developed this further in his encyclical, “As the day of Resurrection, Sunday is not only the remembrance of a past event; it is a celebration of the living presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of his own people." (Dies Domini p. 28) So, before the Christian "day of the Risen Lord" became referred to as "Sunday", it was celebrated on the first day of the Jewish week. This new "time" of remembrance represents the vital significance of the Risen Christ for the fledgling Christian community. The Sabbath as the day of rest given to God becomes the day of resting in Jesus Christ as the Risen Lord as a celebratory remembrance of his Resurrection on the first day of the week.
It is not a coincidence that the Roman name "Sunday" (the "day of the Sun") for the first day of the week was significant for the early Church. In the 2nd Century, St Justin noted that Christians gather together "on the day named after the sun". However, before this reference, for the early Christians this Roman worship of the sun took on a new meaning. This astrological or cosmic "day of the sun", a pagan consecration, coincided with the first day of the Jewish week and also the Christian "day of the Lord". Throughout the Roman empire, this cult of the sun, celebrated on the first day of the Roman week was the worship of that which gives light to the world.
We can see how the Christians drew a new meaning for this day on which they celebrated the Risen Lord as "the light of the world". Later, in the 4th C, St. Jerome wrote, "The day of the Lord, the day of the Resurrection, the day of the Christians is our day. And if it is called the day of the Sun by the pagans, we willingly accept this name, for on this day rose the Light, on this day shone forth the sun of Justice."
Sun-day for Christians became "the day of the Lord", an Easter celebration, a festival of the “new creation” in the Risen Lord, a day of light and joy. Although the practices of the Jewish Sabbath were gone, surpassed by the fulfilment which the Christian Sunday brings, the underlying reasons for keeping "the Lord's day" holy remained valid - for Jesus is the "Lord of the Sabbath". (Mk.2:28)
In his encyclical, John Paul II points out that our celebration of "the Lord's day" is not one of individual prayer and secret commemoration. Being baptised into his "mystical body", the People of God, "come together to express fully the very identity of the Church, the ekklesia, the assembly called together by the Rjsen Lord..”. "("Dies Domini" p.28) In this gathering we are expressing our unity in Christ, that communion brought about by the Holy Spirit at our baptism and made visibly present in the unity of faith at the celebration of the Eucharist.
It is in our celebration of the Eucharist at Mass that we fully celebrate Sunday as "the day of the Lord". We withdraw from the normal tasks and preoccupations of the weekdays and try to commit ourselves to making Sunday special for God and ourselves. The Eucharist expresses perfectly that special nature of the Lord's Day for it is "the beating heart of the Church", through which we are nourished by the Word of God both in the Scriptures and in the eucharisted bread and wine. At that special celebration on Sundays we bring all the week, both joys and burdens, to unite with Christ's sacrifice offered to the Father.
This is why Sunday is different from our activities of the week, even our other important and fruitful Christian actions from Mondays to Saturdays. Our active presence at the Sunday Eucharist expresses more fully the reality of our parishes being "Eucharistic Communities" when the whole community comes together, expressing its unity in Christ. ("Dies Domini" p.29)
Because Sunday is the particular day of the week on which we celebrate Our Lord's Resurrection, it is from that reality made present to us each week that we make the day different and special in our own lives. As witnesses and disciples of Christ we demonstrate to the world around us that special nature of Sunday. Equally, if we are lukewarm in our own commitment to the special time of Sunday, we also show to the world around us that its religious significance is not so important. John Paul II emphasised the importance of ensuring that our own witness is not down-graded: "The Church shows her faith in the strength of the Risen Lord and the power of the 'Holy Spirit by making it known that, today more than ever, she is unwilling to settle for minimalism and mediocrity at the level of faith." ("Dies Domini" p.46)
John Paul II is encouraging us to make sure that Sunday does not descend into only fulfilling an obligation to attend Mass, without our hearts and minds being fully engaged in the celebratory thanksgiving, the "remembering", and the life-giving presence of the Risen Lord. If we really acknowledge and believe that the Eucharist is "the beating heart of the Church" then we can appreciate the need for the Church community to celebrate Sunday as "the day of the Lord". But we need to be convinced of this need for divine nourishment and "resting" in the Lord, which is crucially important for the life of faith. ( "Dies Domini" p.42)
How can we become more convinced about this need for a more meaningful and fruitful participation in "the day of the Lord" ? One of the problems that has been recognised as a serious obstacle to growth in the continuing formation of Catholic life, has been the error of separating that formation into those things which are regarded as of the heart and those that are of the mind. This dichotomy of the mind and heart has led to a distinct separation between those who believe and teach that what is really important is what comes from the heart, and those who believe and teach that all that is needed is knowledge. The integrity and unity of heart and mind has often been shattered to the point that in preaching and catechesis, emphasis on one to the detriment of the other has led to an imbalance and superficiality which prevents real growth in personal Christian formation.
I intend to explore this very important subject further in a future article, but for the purposes of this letter the important point is that we all need to "move on" in our understanding and commitment to the Catholic life in order to have a better appreciation of Sunday as "resting in the Lord". The inspired author of the Letter to the Hebrews makes this point about Christians moving-on in their understanding of their foundational beliefs in order to avoid the danger of falling away from their faith, “About this - we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the Basic elements of the oracles of God." (5:11,12) He goes on to point out that it is the "solid food" of teaching they need now not the "milk" of their original faith.(5:13,14) In relation to understanding the special nature of Sunday, it is the desire, the hunger even, for solid teaching on the Church's faith in the "the Good News" which will motivate us to seek a more complete understanding of the divine purpose of our celebrating "the day of the Lord". In moving-on in our understanding we become more convinced about putting our heart and soul into our response to the call of Our Lord on Sundays.
As well as "remembering" Our Lord's Resurrection each Sunday, there is also a looking-forward to the final "day of the Lord" when he comes again at the end of time. At every celebration of the Eucharist, after we say the Our Father, the priest says ". ...as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ." Not only is Sunday the day of faith and unity but it is also the day of Christian hope. ("Dies Domini" p.33-34).
This hope is firmly rooted in Our Lord's promise of the life to come, and because we can place all of our confidence in Our Lord's promises, our waiting becomes a time of peace, particularly on a Sunday when we "rest" in the Lord. But this peace of mind, heart and soul, is a foretaste of that peace which passes all understanding to be experienced in the life to come. Therefore, we possess a mixture of peace and restlessness until we find that "rest" in God in which we find true human happiness.
St. Augustine of Hippo once described this foretaste of that final "resting in peace" as "the tranquillity of the soul", which is the true interior understanding of the Lord's "Sabbath". This tranquillity comes from the peace of a good conscience. Spiritual tranquillity is what we really seek but will only have in its fullness at our own resurrection to new life.
From what we have seen above, this day of "rest" does not mean a time of idleness, of literally doing nothing but resting in the physical sense. It is not a time of emptiness or boredom but a time of spiritual enrichment and fraternal communion.( "Dies Domini" p.57) In this way, Our Lord has given us the time to re-charge our spiritual batteries for the week ahead. It is a time set aside for us to grow in our faith when, perhaps, we find it difficult to find the time for this during the other busy days. I am sure Our Lord is fully aware that owing to the nature of the society we live in there can be little time to spend on those things which help us to move-on in our faith.
I personally can remember days, sometimes weeks, when investigating a serious crime, almost every waking hour was spent on the investigation. However, looking back now, I see that "the day of the Lord" was still there for me whenever I could have it as a "rest day". He knows that, because of the nature of society, there are situations that need to be dealt with on a Sunday. Nevertheless, he has given us the opportunity for spiritual renewal despite some people not being able to take that opportunity every Sunday. He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
The Magisterium, as the teaching authority of the Church, places an obligation upon us to take part in the Eucharist on a Sunday, unless we are unable for grave reasons. This obligation arises from our need for such spiritual nourishment and renewal, as well as the need to set aside Sunday as time for Our Lord. It is this day which feeds the other days of the week. It is this day from which the other days draw their spiritual nourishment.
Sunday is a time for celebrating Creation and 'new Creation'. This is a weekly occasion to set time aside for a joyful response to Our Risen Lord's call to rest with him. At the centre of that joyful response is our participation in the Sunday Eucharist at Mass. This joy is not a shallow or superficial feelings of satisfaction and pleasure, which inebriate the senses and emotions for a brief moment, but then leave the heart unfulfilled. It is much more enduring and consoling because it arises from our faith which gives us hope. ("Dies Domini" p. 50)
Quote of the month: ‘Be still and know that I am God* Psalm 46)