OCTOBER
That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians
gather to celebrate the risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.
With the event of the Resurrection, creation and
redemption reach their fulfilment. On the "first day after
Saturday", the women and then the Disciples, meeting the Risen
One, understood that this was "the day which the Lord has made"
(Ps 118[117]:24), "his" day, the Dies Domini. In fact, this is what
the liturgy sings: "O first and last day, radiant and shining with
Christ's triumph".
[...]
How much more necessary it is today to reaffirm the
sacredness of the Lord's Day and the need to take part in Sunday
Mass! The cultural context in which we live, often marked by
religious indifference and secularism that blot out the horizon of
the transcendent, must not let us forget that the People of God,
born from "Christ's Passover, Sunday", should return to it as to an
inexhaustible source, in order to understand better and better the
features of their own identity and the reasons for their existence.
The Second Vatican Council, after pointing out the origin
of Sunday, continued: "On this day Christ's faithful are bound to
come together into one place. They should listen to the Word of
God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the
Passion, Resurrection and Glory of the Lord Jesus and giving
thanks to God who "has begotten them again, through the
Resurrection of Christ from the dead, unto a living hope'"
(Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 106).
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Sunday was not chosen by the Christian community but by
the Apostles, and indeed by Christ himself, who on that day, "the
first day of the week", rose and appeared to the disciples (cf. Mt
28:1; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1,19; Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2), and
appeared to them again "eight days later" (Jn 20:26). Sunday is the
day on which the Risen Lord makes himself present among his
followers, invites them to his banquet and shares himself with them
so that they too, united and configured to him, may worship God
properly.
Therefore, as I encourage people to give ever greater
importance to the "Lord's Day", I am eager to highlight the central
place of the Eucharist as a fundamental pillar of Sunday and of all
ecclesial life. Indeed, at every Sunday Eucharistic celebration, the
sanctification of the Christian people takes place as it will take
place until the Sunday that never sets, the day of the definitive
encounter of God with his creatures.
Benedict XVI
Letter to Card. Francis Arinze on the occasion of the Study Day in
honour of the 43th anniversary of the promulgation of the
Constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium,
27 November 2006
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
See more at www.vatican.va
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter "Dies Domini", 31 May 1998.
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Sunday was not chosen by the Christian community but by
the Apostles, and indeed by Christ himself, who on that day, "the
first day of the week", rose and appeared to the disciples (cf. Mt
28:1; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1,19; Ac 20:7; 1Co 16:2), and
appeared to them again "eight days later" (Jn 20:26). Sunday is the
day on which the Risen Lord makes himself present among his
followers, invites them to his banquet and shares himself with them
so that they too, united and configured to him, may worship God
properly.
Therefore, as I encourage people to give ever greater
importance to the "Lord's Day", I am eager to highlight the central
place of the Eucharist as a fundamental pillar of Sunday and of all
ecclesial life. Indeed, at every Sunday Eucharistic celebration, the
sanctification of the Christian people takes place as it will take
place until the Sunday that never sets, the day of the definitive
encounter of God with his creatures.
Benedict XVI
Letter to Card. Francis Arinze on the occasion of the Study Day in
honour of the 43th anniversary of the promulgation of the
Constitution on the sacred liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium,
27 November 2006
© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
See more at www.vatican.va
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter "Dies Domini", 31 May 1998.
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PAST
ORAL COMMENT
Claudio Barriga, S.J.
The prayer intention for this month invites us to revalue
Sunday as a family day, a day of rest, marked by meeting with the
Lord, in particular in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Pope John Paul II offered a beautiful reflection in his 1998
letter Dies Domini, in which he explained Sunday as "dies Domini,
with reference to the work of the creation; dies Christi as the day
of the new creation and the gift of the Holy Spirit made by the
Risen Lord; dies Ecclesiae as the day in which the Christian
community gathers together for the celebration; dies hominis as the
day of joyfulness, rest and brotherly charity" (quoted by Benedict
XVI in Sacramentum Caritatis, n.73).
The first Christians understood that Jesus himself changed
the sabbath into Sunday. Origen explains it well in his
Commentary to Psalm 91: "The Word moved the feast of the
sabbath to the day when the light rose and gave us as the image of
true rest the day of salvation, Sunday, the first day of light, in
which the Saviour of the world, after fulfilling all his works in the
midst of human beings, conquered death and crossed the gates of
heaven, going beyond the creation of the six days and welcoming
the blessed sabbath and beatific rest". There are people who
throughout history came to the point of giving up their lives to
defend Sundays. The testimony of a group of Christians who were
martyred in the IV century in North Africa is memorable:
"Sine dominico non possumus!" Without the gift of the
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Claudio Barriga, S.J.
The prayer intention for this month invites us to revalue
Sunday as a family day, a day of rest, marked by meeting with the
Lord, in particular in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Pope John Paul II offered a beautiful reflection in his 1998
letter Dies Domini, in which he explained Sunday as "dies Domini,
with reference to the work of the creation; dies Christi as the day
of the new creation and the gift of the Holy Spirit made by the
Risen Lord; dies Ecclesiae as the day in which the Christian
community gathers together for the celebration; dies hominis as the
day of joyfulness, rest and brotherly charity" (quoted by Benedict
XVI in Sacramentum Caritatis, n.73).
The first Christians understood that Jesus himself changed
the sabbath into Sunday. Origen explains it well in his
Commentary to Psalm 91: "The Word moved the feast of the
sabbath to the day when the light rose and gave us as the image of
true rest the day of salvation, Sunday, the first day of light, in
which the Saviour of the world, after fulfilling all his works in the
midst of human beings, conquered death and crossed the gates of
heaven, going beyond the creation of the six days and welcoming
the blessed sabbath and beatific rest". There are people who
throughout history came to the point of giving up their lives to
defend Sundays. The testimony of a group of Christians who were
martyred in the IV century in North Africa is memorable:
"Sine dominico non possumus!" Without the gift of the
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Lord, without the Lord's day, we cannot live: That was the answer
given in the year 304 by Christians from Abitene in present-day
Tunisia, when they were caught celebrating the forbidden Sunday
Eucharist and brought before the judge. They were asked why they
were celebrating the Christian Sunday Eucharist, even though they
knew it was a capital offence. "Sine dominico non possumus"
(Benedict XVI, Vienna, 9 September 2007).
LITURGY – CELEBRATION
EUCHARIST:
Votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist.
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD:
First reading: I will rain down bread for you from the heavens: Ex
16:2-15.
Responsorial Psalm: Lord, you have redeemed us with your
blood: Ps 115.
Second reading: Every time you eat of this bread, you announce
the Lord's death: 1Co 11:25-26.
Gospel: I am the living bread that comes down from heaven: Jn
6:41-51.
given in the year 304 by Christians from Abitene in present-day
Tunisia, when they were caught celebrating the forbidden Sunday
Eucharist and brought before the judge. They were asked why they
were celebrating the Christian Sunday Eucharist, even though they
knew it was a capital offence. "Sine dominico non possumus"
(Benedict XVI, Vienna, 9 September 2007).
LITURGY – CELEBRATION
EUCHARIST:
Votive Mass of the Most Holy Eucharist.
CELEBRATION OF THE WORD:
First reading: I will rain down bread for you from the heavens: Ex
16:2-15.
Responsorial Psalm: Lord, you have redeemed us with your
blood: Ps 115.
Second reading: Every time you eat of this bread, you announce
the Lord's death: 1Co 11:25-26.
Gospel: I am the living bread that comes down from heaven: Jn
6:41-51.
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QUESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL
AND GROUP REFLECTION
1. How do you celebrate Sundays?
2. Do we teach our sons and daughters that this is a day
consecrated to God?
3. How can we foster participation in the Eucharist as the most
important part of Sunday in our families?
MISSION INTENTION
That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the
mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may
eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and
consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.
"All the Churches for all the world"
Therefore, as has often been said, missionary commitment
remains the first service that the Church owes to humanity today to
guide and evangelize the cultural, social and ethical
transformations; to offer Christ's salvation to the people of our
time in so many parts of the world who are humiliated and
QUESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL
AND GROUP REFLECTION
1. How do you celebrate Sundays?
2. Do we teach our sons and daughters that this is a day
consecrated to God?
3. How can we foster participation in the Eucharist as the most
important part of Sunday in our families?
MISSION INTENTION
That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the
mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may
eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and
consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.
"All the Churches for all the world"
Therefore, as has often been said, missionary commitment
remains the first service that the Church owes to humanity today to
guide and evangelize the cultural, social and ethical
transformations; to offer Christ's salvation to the people of our
time in so many parts of the world who are humiliated and
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oppressed by endemic poverty, violence and the systematic denial
of human rights.
The Church cannot shirk this universal mission; for her it
has a binding force. Since Christ first entrusted the missionary
mandate to Peter and to the Apostles, today it is primarily the
responsibility of the Successor of Peter whom divine Providence
has chosen as a visible foundation of the Church's unity, and of the
Bishops directly responsible for evangelization, both as members of
the Episcopal College and as Pastors of the particular Churches (cf.
Redemptoris Missio, n. 63).
[...]
Nor can we forget the many men and women religious and
lay volunteers who, together with the priests, spared no effort to
spread the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. May World
Mission Day be an opportunity to remember in prayer these
brothers and sisters of ours in the faith and all who continue to
work in the vast field of the mission.
Let us ask God that their example may everywhere inspire
new vocations and a renewed mission awareness in the Christian
people.
Indeed, every Christian community is born missionary, and
it is precisely on the basis of the courage to evangelize that the love
of believers for their Lord is measured.
Consequently, we could say that for the individual
members of the faithful it is no longer merely a matter of
collaborating in evangelizing work but of feeling that they
themselves are protagonists and corresponsible. This
corresponsibility entails the growth of communion between the
communities and increases reciprocal help with regard to the
oppressed by endemic poverty, violence and the systematic denial
of human rights.
The Church cannot shirk this universal mission; for her it
has a binding force. Since Christ first entrusted the missionary
mandate to Peter and to the Apostles, today it is primarily the
responsibility of the Successor of Peter whom divine Providence
has chosen as a visible foundation of the Church's unity, and of the
Bishops directly responsible for evangelization, both as members of
the Episcopal College and as Pastors of the particular Churches (cf.
Redemptoris Missio, n. 63).
[...]
Nor can we forget the many men and women religious and
lay volunteers who, together with the priests, spared no effort to
spread the Gospel to the very ends of the earth. May World
Mission Day be an opportunity to remember in prayer these
brothers and sisters of ours in the faith and all who continue to
work in the vast field of the mission.
Let us ask God that their example may everywhere inspire
new vocations and a renewed mission awareness in the Christian
people.
Indeed, every Christian community is born missionary, and
it is precisely on the basis of the courage to evangelize that the love
of believers for their Lord is measured.
Consequently, we could say that for the individual
members of the faithful it is no longer merely a matter of
collaborating in evangelizing work but of feeling that they
themselves are protagonists and corresponsible. This
corresponsibility entails the growth of communion between the
communities and increases reciprocal help with regard to the
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personnel (priests, men and women religious and lay volunteers)
and the use of the means necessary for evangelization today.
Dear brothers and sisters, the missionary mandate entrusted
by Christ to the Apostles truly involves us all. May World Mission
Day therefore be a favourable opportunity to acquire a deeper
awareness and to work out together appropriate spiritual and
formative itineraries which encourage inter-Church cooperation and
the training of new missionaries to spread the Gospel in our time.
However, let it not be forgotten that the first and priority
contribution that we are called to offer to the missionary action of
the Church is prayer. "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers
are few", the Lord said; "pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out labourers into his harvest" Lk 10:2.
"First of all, therefore", Pope Pius XII of venerable
memory wrote 50 years ago, "Venerable Brethren, We trust that
more continuous and fervent prayers will be raised to God for this
cause" (Fidei Donum, n. 49). Remember the immense spiritual
needs of the numerous populations who are far from the true faith
or who stand in such great need of the means of perseverance (cf.
n. 55). And he urged the faithful to increase the number of Masses
offered for the missions, saying that "this is in accordance with the
prayers of Our Lord who loves his Church and wishes her to
flourish and enlarge her borders throughout the whole world"
(ibid., n. 52).
Benedict XVI
Message for the 81st World Mission Sunday 2007
27 May 2007
personnel (priests, men and women religious and lay volunteers)
and the use of the means necessary for evangelization today.
Dear brothers and sisters, the missionary mandate entrusted
by Christ to the Apostles truly involves us all. May World Mission
Day therefore be a favourable opportunity to acquire a deeper
awareness and to work out together appropriate spiritual and
formative itineraries which encourage inter-Church cooperation and
the training of new missionaries to spread the Gospel in our time.
However, let it not be forgotten that the first and priority
contribution that we are called to offer to the missionary action of
the Church is prayer. "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers
are few", the Lord said; "pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out labourers into his harvest" Lk 10:2.
"First of all, therefore", Pope Pius XII of venerable
memory wrote 50 years ago, "Venerable Brethren, We trust that
more continuous and fervent prayers will be raised to God for this
cause" (Fidei Donum, n. 49). Remember the immense spiritual
needs of the numerous populations who are far from the true faith
or who stand in such great need of the means of perseverance (cf.
n. 55). And he urged the faithful to increase the number of Masses
offered for the missions, saying that "this is in accordance with the
prayers of Our Lord who loves his Church and wishes her to
flourish and enlarge her borders throughout the whole world"
(ibid., n. 52).
Benedict XVI
Message for the 81st World Mission Sunday 2007
27 May 2007
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© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
PASTORAL COMMENT
Claudio Barriga, S.J.
In continuation with the prayer intention for May, this
month the Holy Father reminds us that the entire people of God, all
baptized people, have a missionary responsibility. The Apostleship
of Prayer which, as we said in the Comment for May, was born
with a missionary impetus, has participated spiritually in the
evangelizing task of the Church in all its 160 years of history. We
continue "actively" in this participation, through our ecclesial
vocation of prayer and service - active in direct missionary service,
in every way we can, active in the prayer and sacrifice which are
the basis of our spirituality. Pope John Paul II's words in
Redemptoris Missio, (n. 78) confirm us in this:
"Among the forms of sharing, first place goes to spiritual
cooperation through prayer, sacrifice and the witness of Christian
life. Prayer should accompany the journey of missionaries so that
the proclamation of the word will be effective through God's
grace. In his Letters, Saint Paul often asks the faithful to pray for
him so that he might proclaim the Gospel with confidence and
conviction. Prayer needs to be accompanied by sacrifice. The
redemptive value of suffering, accepted and offered to God with
love, derives from the sacrifice of Christ himself, who calls the
members of his Mystical Body to share in his sufferings, to
complete them in their own flesh (cf. Col 1:24). The sacrifice of
missionaries should be shared and accompanied by the sacrifices of
all the faithful. I therefore urge those engaged in the pastoral care
of the sick to teach them about the efficacy of suffering, and to
encourage them to offer their sufferings to God for missionaries.
By making such an offering, the sick themselves become
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© Copyright - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
PASTORAL COMMENT
Claudio Barriga, S.J.
In continuation with the prayer intention for May, this
month the Holy Father reminds us that the entire people of God, all
baptized people, have a missionary responsibility. The Apostleship
of Prayer which, as we said in the Comment for May, was born
with a missionary impetus, has participated spiritually in the
evangelizing task of the Church in all its 160 years of history. We
continue "actively" in this participation, through our ecclesial
vocation of prayer and service - active in direct missionary service,
in every way we can, active in the prayer and sacrifice which are
the basis of our spirituality. Pope John Paul II's words in
Redemptoris Missio, (n. 78) confirm us in this:
"Among the forms of sharing, first place goes to spiritual
cooperation through prayer, sacrifice and the witness of Christian
life. Prayer should accompany the journey of missionaries so that
the proclamation of the word will be effective through God's
grace. In his Letters, Saint Paul often asks the faithful to pray for
him so that he might proclaim the Gospel with confidence and
conviction. Prayer needs to be accompanied by sacrifice. The
redemptive value of suffering, accepted and offered to God with
love, derives from the sacrifice of Christ himself, who calls the
members of his Mystical Body to share in his sufferings, to
complete them in their own flesh (cf. Col 1:24). The sacrifice of
missionaries should be shared and accompanied by the sacrifices of
all the faithful. I therefore urge those engaged in the pastoral care
of the sick to teach them about the efficacy of suffering, and to
encourage them to offer their sufferings to God for missionaries.
By making such an offering, the sick themselves become
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missionaries, as emphasized by a number of movements which
have sprung up among them and for them. The solemnity of
Pentecost - the beginning of the Church's mission - is celebrated in
some communities as a "Day of Suffering for the Missions".
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have sprung up among them and for them. The solemnity of
Pentecost - the beginning of the Church's mission - is celebrated in
some communities as a "Day of Suffering for the Missions".
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