Priests find themselves confronting a considerable
task: to convince their people that to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of
Obligation is not only a sacred endeavor full of special meaning but also
obligatory. Although not infallible, one national survey revealed that about 20% of Catholics in the United States of America attend Mass every Sunday
and Holy Day. The remaining 80% are divided between two categories: those who
go to Mass about once per month and those who virtually do not attend at all.
Acknowledging the substantial challenge that priests
possess, Pope Saint John Paul II published his Apostolic Letter, Dies Domini (The Lord’s Day), dated
May 31, 1998 (the Solemnity of Pentecost). The Holy Father, who recognized that
a significant misunderstanding regarding Mass attendance and the genuine notion
of rest on the Lord’s Day prevails in scores of locations around the globe,
took up the concepts of the beauty and value of Sunday and how the Catholic Faithful
are to commemorate the first day of the Christian week.
There exist perennial complaints arising from some
quarters directed against papal and curial pronouncements: “They are much too
long . . . they’re too complex . . . ‘ordinary’ Catholics have neither the time
nor the know-how with which to plough through these heavy publications . . .
these writings might make sense but they are not applicable at the parish
level.”
Is it possible for the content and logic of Dies Domini to be conveyed by priests to
contemporary, “ordinary” Catholics? The following suggestions—by no means
exhaustive—are presented as a means by which to put this Apostolic Letter to
use in the parish.
1. Priests and the Faithful will benefit immeasurably
when priests make this document part of their reading. So much of what the Holy
Father wrote during his almost twenty-seven year pontificate is, contrary to
the unfair caricature painted by the at-times hostile secular press, positive
and uplifting rather than merely prohibiting. Yes, Pope John Paul
unhesitatingly affirmed in Dies Domini that
the Faithful “are obliged to attend Mass (on Sundays and Holydays) unless there
is a grave impediment” (49). But he also glowingly presents the treasure we
have in the first day of the week—the Day of the Resurrection—and explores the
inherent symbolism of Sunday as “the eighth day”: “that truly singular day,”
referring to a text of Saint Basil the Great (329/330-379), “which will follow
the present time, the day without end which will know neither evening nor
morning, the imperishable age which will never grow old; Sunday is the
ceaseless foretelling of life without end which renews the hope of Christians
and encourages them on their way.” (26)
When priests study Dies
Domini, they increase in their own grasp of the intrinsic raison d’etre of
the Lord’s Day, thereby enabling them to persuade their people of the same.
2. The Sunday parish bulletin provides an excellent
medium by which to offer the salient points of Dies Domini. Some argue that those who do attend Mass each Sunday
and Holy Day of Obligation are the last ones who need to hear the Holy Father
address the crucial subject of Mass attendance. These Catholics, obviously, are
doing now what the Church directs relative to the Third Commandment of the
Decalogue. Yet, it is critical for the regular attendees also to know well the
basis of the Church’s teaching pertaining to the Lord’s Day, for two primary
reasons: to appreciate more deeply for themselves the splendor of the selfless
Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary perpetuated in each Holy Mass and the
authentic concept of Sunday rest and how both fit into the whole of Catholic
belief and practice; to be prepared to speak with those Catholics—whether at
home, in school or in the workplace—who do not always go to Mass and inspire
them to begin arranging for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist as a vital
part of their Sunday schedule.
3. Compose a parish letter that highlights the helpful
reasoning of Dies Domini and mail to
all adults in the parish. This missive from the pastor to his people is
designed to reach those primarily who do not go to Mass. These parishioners are
probably not familiar with the Holy Father’s writing on this matter (and
perhaps on many matters) but may have some comprehension of the Third
Commandment and what it requires. Building on this knowledge, the letter may
detail briefly the Church’s insistence that Catholics gain innumerable graces
when participating worthily at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. A gentle and
informative letter that steers clear of pointing the finger at those who
currently do not attend Mass will do much in educating parishioners,
particularly those who are not active in the sacramental life of the Church.
The Holy Father did his part in issuing Dies Domini. Now, priests can accomplish
much by spreading the substance of this work to their people. This is the
Church at her best: the Word of God is first proposed by Christ Himself, and
then needs the assistance of the pastors if it is to find a welcome in the
hearts of the Faithful. May Dies Domini
be the impetus for a new, fresh revival in love for the Mass and adherence to
Sunday rest among the Catholic disciples of the Master.
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