December 10, 2006
Dear Friend,
Did you know that Vatican officials have study days? On a recent one organized for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, on the occasion of the anniversary of the promulgation of a Vatican Constitution, the Pope sent the prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal Francis Arinze, a message about the importance of Sunday worship.
The topic of the Study Day was, “Sunday Mass for the Sanctification of the Christian People” and Pope Benedict XVI in his message stated that it is urgent to emphasize “the sacredness of the Lord’s Day and the need to participate in Sunday Mass.”
The Pope stressed that, for the early Christians, participation in Sunday Mass “was the natural way to express their belonging to Christ, their communion with his Mystical Body, in the joyful hope of his glorious return.” This was manifested in a heroic way in the case of the martyrs of Abitene, who faced death exclaiming: “We cannot live without gathering on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist,” Benedict XVI said.
With Mass attendance numbers way down, it seems necessary to emphasize the sacredness of the Lord’s Day, inasmuch as the culture in which we live is often characterized by religious indifference and secularism. May the Lord’s Day regain its importance and be lived fully in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
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