Sunday Eucharist

“We cannot live without the Lord’s Supper,” cried the Christians of Abitina in the time of Diocletian. For them it was life or death. Threatened with execution, they declared, “Without fear of any kind we have celebrated the Lord’s Supper, because it cannot be missed; that is our law.” The testimony of these fourth-century martyrs to the critical importance of the Sunday Eucharist could not be more vivid.

Even today some Christians put their lives at risk by daring to take part in Sunday Mass. In a sense Sunday Mass is a matter of life or death for every follower of Jesus. Without the coming together of the church, without the nourishment and inspiration the Eucharist gives, faith can wither and die. By contrast, when believers gather to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, faith is brought to life and the work of redemption carried on.

The terms “Sunday” and “Eucharist” each carry a wealth of meaning that enriches the other.  In biblical tradition Sunday is the first day, the day of creation, the day of light.  For Christian believers it is the day of the Lord, the day of resurrection, the day of new creation, and the day of the Church.  

The Eucharist is what Christians do in obedience to Jesus’ command at the Last Supper: “Do this in memory of me.”  They meet together, share the good news, give thanks and praise, receive the holy gifts, and go forth.  In so doing they celebrate and enter into the saving mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  

“Sunday” and “Eucharist” thus combine to create the action we call Sunday Mass.  While Mass is regularly celebrated on weekdays, Sunday Mass has a unique importance in the life of the Church.  

Down through the centuries the meal celebrated in the Lord’s memory has attracted a variety of names.  It has been called the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of the Mass, Holy Communion, or simply Mass (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1328-1332 for a fuller list).  Here the two most familiar terms, “Eucharist” and “Mass,” are used interchangeably.  The word “Eucharist” itself has a dual reference.  It can mean either the action of the Mass or the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive in Holy Communion.

The Bishops of the Second Vatican Council called the Mass the fount and apex of the Christian life (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 21 November 1964, #11).  Because they understood the supreme importance of the Eucharist, they encouraged everyone to participate as fully as possible.  

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated on 4 December 1963, says:

Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.  Such participation by the Christian people as a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people” (1 Peter 2:9) is their right and duty by reason of their baptism (#14).