A Closer Look at Sunday

One of my professors in the seminary told us that the oldest liturgical feast celebration is neither Christmas nor Easter, rather it is Sunday. After the death and resurrection of the Lord, the early Christians gathered on Sunday to celebrate, give thanks, and remember what God did for them in Jesus, namely His passion, death, and resurrection. Sunday was a day for the people to gather, listen to God’s word, and be fed with the bread of life. From the very beginning of the Church, the Eucharist has always been at the center, thus calling it “the source and summit of Christian life.

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Take and eat, take and drink.” The first disciples took these words to heart. In fact, Jesus gave the command, “Do this in memory of me.” So, every time the disciples gathered, they remembered Jesus and made present the sacrifice of His love. Additionally, these words pertain to eating the body of Christ and drinking the blood of Christ. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians our partaking of the bread and wine is our participation in the body and blood of Christ. No wonder the Church encourages us to receive both the Body and Blood of Christ each time we receive communion. Our reception of both species is a fuller sign of our participation in Jesus ’words.

Sunday is a beautiful and meaningful celebration for us Christians. To come to the Eucharist is more than an obligation. If we see it only as that, then we miss the point. Rather, the Sunday liturgy is a response to God’s love for us. It is the realization and affirmation that God continues to be alive and active in our lives. He heals, encourages, challenges, offers hope, forgives, loves, and yes, gives life. The Eucharist is about our God who is faithful to His promise, “I am with you always.” Each time we gather for Eucharist, we bring our daily experiences of the paschal mystery, the dying and rising of everyday life, to the Table and we give thanks.

As we prepare for the resumption of the reception of the Blood of Christ, I encourage all of us to renew our commitment, love, and devotion to the Eucharist. Sunday, the oldest feast, is our feast – the feast that celebrates the joy of God’s presence in our lives.