Met a friend 2 days ago who reminded me of an older friend who never really went to Church on Sundays... Instead, he frequented what he nicknamed "Bedside Baptist" :P
Q. Why do we have to go to Church on Sunday? Why not keep the Lord's Day holy at home?
A. Most families the world over come together (usually for a meal) to celebrate important anniversaries e.g. birthdays, wedding anniversaries and sometimes even death anniversaries (cf. Unveiling of the Cross ceremonies).
These tend to be annual anniversaries.
Some couples - especially those that are young and still dating - tend to celebrate even their monthly "anniversary" (usually of when they started going out together).
The Church is also a family - God's family. He is the father (so Jesus taught us to call him, "Abba", "Dad"), Jesus is the first born son (so St. Paul calls him), Mary is the mother (if she is the mother of Christ, the Head of the Mystical Body, then she must also be the mother of the rest of Christ's Mystical body - us), and we are the rest of the brothers and sisters.
This supernatural family also comes together (usually for a meal - "The Lord's Supper" aka "The Mass") to celebrate important family anniversaries e.g. birthdays of the kids (Jesus' on Christmas, ours on the day we're born into heaven - this is why saints have a day we celebrate them. It is the day they die on earth and consequently born into heaven).
However, there is one anniversary in this supernatural family that is supremely important, more important even than the dating couple's monthly anniversary. It is so important the Church celebrates it every week, because without it we wouldn't be a family at all. Easter. Without Christ rising from the dead, he could not ascend into heaven (today's feast btw), and without ascending he could not send the Holy Spirit to us. And without the Holy Spirit, God the Father could not adopt us as his children. There would be no Mystical Body (that Saul persecuted and Christ complained about). There would be no supernatural family.
Every Sunday is thus an "anniversary" celebration of Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, the Lord's Day.
God says keep holy the Lord's Day. How? How do we keep family anniversaries? By celebrating them with the rest of the family - by going to Church.
Happy Sunday!
16thMay 2015