Category Archives: Dies Domini

It’s been a long time since we began this reading of Dies Domini. Have you gained any insights? Prayed or reflected in any new way because of it? Thought about the Eighth Day any more, and brought it to a … Continue reading →

A word for the Blessed Mother: 86. I entrust this Apostolic Letter to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, that it may be received and put into practice by the Christian community. Without in any way detracting from the centrality … Continue reading →

The Father made us. The Son saved us. The Holy Spirit sustains us in thanksgiving and hope. Our focus on Sunday is not an artifact of an ancient religion, but a living aspect of our faith in a living and … Continue reading →

Proclamation is associated with the explicit preaching of the Gospel message. It is a kerygmatic function of the Church, part of our obligation to the Great Commission (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). 84. Sustaining Christian life as it does, Sunday has the additional … Continue reading →

Sunday as the soul of time. What do you think about that expression? 83. Understood and lived in this fashion, Sunday in a way becomes the soul of the other days, and in this sense we can recall the insight of … Continue reading →

A day of rest can be dedicated to higher things, or we can find ourselves mired in an empty expression of laziness and a lack of initiative. “Day of rest” we get from Genesis. Have we offered a “day of … Continue reading →

Today we start the conclusion of Dies Domini. Sunday informs us about our place in the march of time in creation, with the Church, under the banner of the Risen Christ, and within Western religious culture. It is more than an … Continue reading →

What are the threats to Sunday? Pope John Paul II seemed to ponder post-Christian culture. 80. There is a need for special pastoral attention to the many situations where there is a risk that the popular and cultural traditions of … Continue reading →

What to do with holy days that fall on a day other than Sunday? Some involve observances that lack a place in the broadest sense of the Christian imagination. Work and other obligations overwhelm a sense of celebrating, say, the … Continue reading →

After feasts pertaining to Christ, we have the Blessed Mother, then martyrs and other saints: 78. Likewise, “in celebrating this annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, the holy Church venerates with special love the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of … Continue reading →

Most Christians do not see it this way: Easter and Pentecost ranking above Christmas. It’s not that there is some kind of competition among observances. But feasts that draw out some mystery or aspect of Christ are worth the special … Continue reading →

Saint John Paul looks at Sunday in the Liturgical Year with sections 76 through 80. 76. With its weekly recurrence, the Lord’s Day is rooted in the most ancient tradition of the Church and is vitally important for the Christian. … Continue reading →

This chapter (DD 74-80) will find us in the liturgical context, and take us through to the concluding sections. So we’re in the home stretch … almost. 75. Since Sunday is the weekly Easter, recalling and making present the day … Continue reading →

Let’s start a look at the final chapter, “Dies Dierum,” and we’ll begin by looking at “Sunday (as) the Primordial Feast, Revealing the Meaning of Time.” This is the most brief of the five chapters. After this chapter (DD 74-80) … Continue reading →

Finishing up Chapter Four: 73. Lived in this way, not only the Sunday Eucharist but the whole of Sunday becomes a great school of charity, justice and peace. The presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of his people … Continue reading →