CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES
Honouring Sunday
As the Synodal Pathway of listening and discerning unfolds, we the bishops of England and
Wales, are paying particular attention to the hopes and fears, the joys and anxieties of all
who are sharing their thoughts and feelings with us.
Longing for our Lord
We are attentive to the experience of the last year or so, when we have lived our faith
through the limitations of the pandemic. We have heard of the longing which some express
as a “homesickness.” We want to be in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We yearn to
celebrate the sacraments together, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We desire to be
nourished by our Lord in Holy Communion. The live streaming of the Mass and the
remarkable response of our Catholic communities to those in need, have provided comfort,
sustenance and resilience.
The Eucharist, source and summit
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our spiritual and pastoral life. Many people have
said to us that they have appreciated the noble simplicity of the Mass at this time, which has
allowed the mystery and majesty of our Lord’s sacrificial love to shine through.
The central appeal of the Mass, its beauty and its transcendence,raises our minds and hearts
to God in an unambiguous and compelling manner. Our Lord Jesus invites us to receive
anew the gift of Sunday as the preeminent day, the day of the Resurrection, when the
Church gathers to celebrate the Eucharist. Here we stand together before our heavenly
Father, offering our thanksgiving and prayer, through our Saviour in the Holy Spirit. Here
we receive Christ in his Word. Here we are nourished by Christ in his precious Body and
Blood. This is our primary joy, for which there is no substitute, and from which we draw
our strength.
The Gift of the Sunday Eucharist
The Sunday Eucharist is a gift; as God’s holy people we are called to praise and thank God
in the most sublime way possible. When the Church speaks of the Sunday obligation, it
reminds us that attending Mass is a personal response to the selfless offering of Christ’s
love.
At this time, we recognise that for some people there may be certain factors which hinder
attendance at Sunday Mass. The pandemic is clearly not over. The risk of infection is still
present. For some, there is legitimate fear in gathering together. As your bishops, we
recognise that these prevailing circumstances suggest that not everyone is yet in the position
to fulfil the absolute duty to attend freely Sunday Mass.
Responding to the Gift
We now encourage all Catholics to look again at the patterns which they have formed in
recent months with regard to going to Mass on Sundays. This would include consideration
and reflection about what we might do on Sundays, such as sports or shopping, or other
leisure and social activities. This review, and the decisions which arise from it, fall to every
Catholic and we trust this will be done with honesty, motivated by a real love for the Lord
whom we encounter in the Mass.
The Sunday Mass is the very heartbeat of the Church and of our personal life of faith. We
gather on the “first day of the week,” and devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). The Eucharist sustains us
and spurs us on, renewing our gratitude and our hope. When we say “Amen” to Christ in
receiving his Body and Blood, we express the love of God which is deep within us, and at
the end of Mass, when we are sent forth, we express our love for our neighbour, especially
those in need. These two dimensions reveal the full meaning of our faith. We are gathered
together and sent out, we pray and are fed, we worship and we adore; these are intrinsic to
our lives as those baptised into Christ.
Approved at the Plenary Assembly of Bishops in Leeds
Thursday 18th November 2021