Monsignor Tony Randazzo explains the centrality of Eucharist and why Catholics attend Mass on Sundays.
Monsignor Tony Randazzo was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney on August 24 2016.
Transcript
For all Christians, Sunday is the first of all days because it is the day of the Lord’s resurrection. Put simply, it is the day that Jesus rose from the dead.
The very first Christians took Sunday, above all other days, to assemble, to pray, to read the Scriptures and to break bread. From that time until today, this celebration, that Catholics call the Eucharist, has continued. In our own time, we can find Catholic communities moved by the Holy Spirit, coming together on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist.
In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul used the image of the body of Christ when he spoke about the Church. He said, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Cor 12:27)
Sunday Eucharist – also commonly called Mass, is the centre of the Church’s life; it is where Catholics meet each other; not so much as a social event, but rather as a faith filled encounter.
Coming together in faith gives members of the Church the opportunity to worship God, to provide for those who are in need; to comfort those who are suffering and to encourage those who are weighed down by life’s challenges and difficulties.
Each member of the Church is like a different part of the body while Jesus is the head. For the body to function all of the parts need to come together under Christ. It is a great image because it reminds us that while each person is equal not everyone is the same. In Jesus Christ there is unity in diversity.
While each Catholic finds their place and purpose in the assembly on Sunday, they do not do so in isolation. Partaking in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a witness of belonging to the body of Christ and of being faithful to God.
Sunday Mass is a time to give thanks to God for all that has happened in our lives and it is a time to call out to God, asking for help in all the things that are about to happen in our lives.
It is a time for the believer to see God’s love present in the world in many ways, but most especially in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
At times it is all too easy to find yourself caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life where work becomes a burden, relationship are overly complicated and family life is chipped away. In the Catholic tradition Sunday has long been a day of prayer and rest.
The celebration of the Mass on Sunday reminds us that God is the centre of our lives and by rising from the dead Jesus Christ makes all things new.