The Sabbath
It is necessary to stress...the particular Sunday Eucharist and Sunday itself experienced as a day of faith, the day of the Risen Lord and of the gift of the Spirit, the true weekly Easter. For two thousand years, Christian time has been measured by the memory of that, "first day of the week" (Mk. 16:2, 9; Lk. 24:1, Jn. 20:1), when the Risen Christ gave the Apostles the gift of peace and of the Spirit (cf. Jn. 20:19-23). The truth of Christ's resurrection is the original fact upon which Christian faith is based (cf. 1 Cor 15:14), an event set at the center of the mystery of time, prefiguring the last day when Christ will return in glory... Precisely by celebrating His Passover not just once a year but every Sunday, the Church will continue to show to every generation "the true fulcrum of history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and it's final destiny leads..."
Sharing in the Eucharist should really be the heart of Sunday for every baptized person. It is a fundamental duty, to be fulfilled not just in order to observe a precept but as something felt as essential to a truly informed and consistent Christian life. We are entering a millennium which already shows signs of being marked by a profound interweaving of cultures and religions, even in countries which have been Christian for many centuries. In many regions Christians are, or are becoming, a little flock (Lk. 12:32). This presents them with the challenge, often in isolated and difficult situations, to bear stronger witness to the distinguishing elements of their own identity. The duty to take part in the Eucharist every Sunday is one of these. The Sunday Eucharist which every week gathers Christians together as God's family round the table of the Word and the Bread of Life, is also the most natural antidote to dispersion. It is the privileged place where communion is ceaselessly proclaimed and nurtured. Precisely through sharing in the Eucharist, the Lord's Day also becomes the Day of the Church, when she can effectively exercise her role as the sacrament of unity.
Blessed John Paul II
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