Pope Leo urges Catholics to rediscover Sunday as the ‘weekly Easter’

In his Aug. 12 General Audience, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to reclaim Sunday as the Lord’s Day, emphasizing that the Eucharist draws the faithful into Christ’s Resurrection and directs them toward the hope of his return.

His reflection continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, focusing on the liturgical year and Sunday as its foundation.

“The encounter with Jesus,” Pope Leo said, “who died and rose again for us, is the purpose that the Church always pursues, placing the celebration of the Paschal event at the centre of every moment.”

The Holy Father connected that encounter to the Church’s celebration of the liturgical year.

“The liturgical year should thus be understood as a constant renewal of the work of salvation which Christ accomplishes in history,” Pope Leo said. “As she journeys through this temporal cycle, the Church remains in contact with the Lord’s redemptive action, so that all the faithful may be filled with His grace.”

Pope Leo pointed to Sacrosanctum Concilium’s description of Sunday as “the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year” and “the original feast day.”

Drawing on Pope St. John Paul II’s apostolic letter Dies Domini, Pope Leo described Sunday as the “weekly Easter,” when the Church recalls and makes present Christ’s Resurrection.

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“Springing from the Resurrection,” the Pope said, Sunday “cuts through human time, the months, the years, the centuries, like a directional arrow which points them towards their target: Christ’s Second Coming.”

The Holy Father then emphasized the central place of the Eucharist in observing the Lord’s Day.

“To sanctify Sunday,” he said, “it is fundamental to celebrate the Eucharist.”

Gathering to hear the Word of God and receive the Body of Christ, he explained, makes the Christian community’s communion with the Lord visible.

“This assembly cannot be substituted by a solely virtual presence,” the Holy Father added, “nor can it be reduced to a merely passive gathering.”

Pope Leo encouraged the active participation of the faithful and called for greater efforts to help Catholics whose work schedules make attending Sunday Mass difficult.

“I urge everyone,” he said, “to seek the best possible conditions so that even those who are unable to take time off work on Sundays may take part in Holy Mass.”

The Pontiff concluded by emphasizing the place of the liturgical year in the life of the Church.

“In it, the Church celebrates the salvific relevance of the mystery of Christ,” he said, “enabling believers to participate in it ever more deeply.”