Glory all around

We must look to the Resurrection of Christ to fully understand the Lord's Day. 

What glorious future and salvation of life, the Lord’s death and Resurrection has given us! The Resurrection of Christ is not just an Easter story, and Easter is not just a happy ending to the Jesus story! Rather, Jesus’ Resurrection is the beginning of new life for humanity, almost like the beginning of creation where Jesus himself is presented to us in the form of the new Adam. The Resurrection marks eternal life for all who believes. Christ’s triumph over the grave is Heaven’s pledge to us that we too shall be raised. This is why Jesus is referred to as the “firstfruits of them that are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). ." The word "firstfruits" speaks of a sampling, a foretaste, a glimpse. Jesus is the firstfruit – and as Paul says in Romans, ‘the firstfruit of many brothers and sisters.’ (Rom. 8:29). The salvation we receive through Christ’s Resurrection is knowing that we are those brothers and sisters.

 In His Resurrection, the promise of a risen savior was authenticated so that all Christians would have hope and trust in the promise of eternal life. Throughout scriptures, we are reminded of the importance of Christ’s Resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:14 speaks of our faith; our faith would be worthless. It is our faith in the risen Lord that saves us. In the Gospel reading Matt 14:22-33, Peter’s faith was tested. Peter called out to the Lord, “if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.” This is not just a story of faith, but also of obedience to God, as Jesus cried out to Peter; ‘Come’ Peter had enough faith to believe. And he demonstrates his faith into action. But when the strong wind bought the element of fear upon him, he began to sink. Then he cried out to the risen Lord, and he was saved. Like Peter, we are to have faith in the Resurrected Christ and we are to be obedient to the word of God in keeping His commands. Faithful children of God reflect upon the Savior’s Resurrection every Sunday (the resurrection day –John 20:1). Easter is indeed the story that lives forever. Psalm 118 identifies the day of Christ’s exaltation as a day of rejoicing and gladness. This is the origin of the term “the Lord’s day.” Every Sunday, we are reminded of that Christian joy - the day Christ rose from the dead, breaking the chains of death, bringing an end to sin and bestowing the gift of peace.

In his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini, “The Day of the Lord,” Pope John Paul II invited us to think more deeply about time itself in order to appreciate God’s gift of the Lord’s Day. He writes (#7), “Do not be afraid to give your time to Christ! ...He is the One who knows the secret of time and the secret of eternity, and He gives us ‘His day’ as an ever new gift of His love. The rediscovery of this day is a grace which we must implore, not only so that we may live the demands of faith to the full, but also so that we may respond concretely to the deepest human yearnings. Time given to Christ is never time lost, but is rather time gained, so that our relationships and indeed our whole life may become more profoundly human.” This is what God calls to our attention through the third of the Ten Commandments: “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.” As faithful servants of Christ, we are called to obedience to God. From the beginning, God set aside one day of the week to be different from the others. He called it the Sabbath; it was meant to be a day for rest and worship. Jesus Himself affirmed the value of the Sabbath, saying (Mk 2:27), “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Sundays, however, when preserved as days of rest, bring a healthy rhythm to our lives, remind us of the value of both work and leisure, and renew our eagerness for spending eternity with the Lord who made us.

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (#2181), “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.”

Sunday recalls the day of Christ's Resurrection. It is also a reminder to faithful Christians that the presence of the Living Christ is always with us. "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 .” . . Pope John Paul II.