Among the important themes of the upcoming diocesan synod is that of the parish as an altar community — a “community called together around the altar, the table of the Lord, in the Eucharist.” (Synod theme, I.1) In this context, the parish “is the place where all the faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ’s saving doctrine; it practices the charity of the Lord in good works and brotherly love.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2179)

As a community centered on the celebration of the Eucharist, the “source and summit of Christian life” (“Sacrosanctum Concilium,” No. 10), the parish, therefore, allows itself to be formed by Jesus Christ, “whose death has reconciled us” to the Father. (Eucharistic Prayer III) In order to be formed by Jesus Christ, the parish and its members are challenged to gain a deeper understanding of the theological, liturgical and practical dimensions of being “a community of the altar.”

The theological dimensions of a being a community centered on the Eucharist include the reasons for coming together to participate in the Eucharist. The parish gathers for the celebration of Mass because Jesus Christ gave us the command: “Do this in memory of me.” When we participate in the Eucharist, we accept our Lord’s invitation to enter into the sacrifice of the Son to the Father, in the Holy Spirit.

The parish is challenged to develop a deeper understanding also of the liturgical dimensions of being a eucharistic community. In this context, we ask ourselves: What are we doing when we gather on Sundays for Mass? To begin to answer this question, we recall that the Mass is not simply a recalling of Christ’s self-offering on the cross. More than a memorial, the Mass is a “re-presenting” (Catechism, No. 1366) of the sacrifice of the cross. At the Eucharist, the passion, death and resurrection of Christ are made present and we are privileged to be caught up in this great mystery of faith.

Therefore, a parish gathers on Sunday to praise God, to give God thanks for our redemption and the awesome gift of life in Christ, to ask for his mercy and to petition him with the needs of the Church, the world and the local community. In this way, the Mass is a dialogue between God and his people, in which God speaks through the prayers, Scripture readings and homily and the priest and the assembly respond, each according to their role.

The celebration of the Eucharist, then, is an active conversation that has both interior and exterior elements. Interiorly, one ponders the meaning of the Scripture readings and the homily, strives to make one’s own the prayers, and unites oneself with the self-offering of Christ to the Father. Exteriorly, one participates by praying the prayers, singing the hymns and assuming the various postures and gestures reverently and attentively. Thus, the Mass is the extraordinary, preeminent prayer given to the Bride (the Church) by the Bridegroom (Christ) when our “bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest.” (Catechism, No. 1387)

The parish, as a community called together around the altar, responds also to the practical dimensions of this calling. How do we gather as a community? First of all, it is on Sunday especially that the parish gathers around the altar. In today’s increasingly secularized society it has become more and more of a challenge to set aside Sunday as time for rest in the Lord. Pope John Paul II comments:

“Until quite recently, it was easier in traditionally Christian countries to keep Sunday holy...Today, however, even in those countries which give legal sanction to the festive character of Sunday, changes in socioeconomic conditions have often led to profound modifications of social behavior and hence of the character of Sunday...Unfortunately, when Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes merely part of a ‘weekend,’ it can happen that people stay locked within a horizon so limited that they can no longer see ‘the heavens’.” (“Dies Domini,” No. 4)

The parish tries to ensure that its members have the opportunity “to see the heavens.” To achieve this goal, the Sunday liturgies should be carefully planned and attentively carried out, in accordance with the liturgical norms. Appropriate catechesis helps parishioners gain a better understanding of the Mass, its various parts, its prayers, and the action of Christ. The homily can be used effectively for this purpose. Opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration and private visits to the Blessed Sacrament help the faithful whet their appetite for the Eucharistic celebration. (cf. “Redemptionis Sacramentum,” No. 134)

These are just a few of the ways that the parish, as a community gathered around the altar, may grow in its understanding of the theological, liturgical and practical dimensions of the awesome Paschal Mystery.

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