Dies Domini - Keeping the Lords Day Holy - Parts 20 - 22. - Pope John Paul II

20. According to the common witness of the Gospels, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead took place on "the first day after the Sabbath" (Mk 16:2,9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1). On the same day, the Risen Lord appeared to the two disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35) and to the eleven Apostles gathered together (cf. Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19). A week later — as the Gospel of John recounts (cf. 20:26) — the disciples were gathered together once again, when Jesus appeared to them and made himself known to Thomas by showing him the signs of his Passion. The day of Pentecost — the first day of the eighth week after the Jewish Passover (cf. Acts 2:1), when the promise made by Jesus to the Apostles after the Resurrection was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 24:49; Acts 1:4-5) — also fell on a Sunday. This was the day of the first proclamation and the first baptisms: Peter announced to the assembled crowd that Christ was risen and "those who received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41). This was the epiphany of the Church, revealed as the people into which are gathered in unity, beyond all their differences, the scattered children of God.

The first day of the week

21. It was for this reason that, from Apostolic times, "the first day after the Sabbath", the first day of the week, began to shape the rhythm of life for Christ's disciples (cf. 1 Cor 16:2). "The first day after the Sabbath" was also the day upon which the faithful of Troas were gathered "for the breaking of bread", when Paul bade them farewell and miraculously restored the young Eutychus to life (cf. Acts 20:7-12). The Book of Revelation gives evidence of the practice of calling the first day of the week "the Lord's Day" (1:10). This would now be a characteristic distinguishing Christians from the world around them. As early as the beginning of the second century, it was noted by Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, in his report on the Christian practice "of gathering together on a set day before sunrise and singing among themselves a hymn to Christ as to a god".(19) And when Christians spoke of the "Lord's Day", they did so giving to this term the full sense of the Easter proclamation: "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil 2:11; cf. Acts 2:36; 1 Cor 12:3). Thus Christ was given the same title which the Septuagint used to translate what in the revelation of the Old Testament was the unutterable name of God: YHWH.

22. In those early Christian times, the weekly rhythm of days was generally not part of life in the regions where the Gospel spread, and the festive days of the Greek and Roman calendars did not coincide with the Christian Sunday. For Christians, therefore, it was very difficult to observe the Lord's Day on a set day each week. This explains why the faithful had to gather before sunrise.(20) Yet fidelity to the weekly rhythm became the norm, since it was based upon the New Testament and was tied to Old Testament revelation. This is eagerly underscored by the Apologists and the Fathers of the Church in their writings and preaching where, in speaking of the Paschal Mystery, they use the same Scriptural texts which, according to the witness of Saint Luke (cf. 24:27, 44-47), the Risen Christ himself would have explained to the disciples. In the light of these texts, the celebration of the day of the Resurrection acquired a doctrinal and symbolic value capable of expressing the entire Christian mystery in all its newness.

Blessed Celine Borzęcka - Poland / Belarus

Co-Foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection

Mother Celine Chludzińska Borzęcka, also known as Blessed Celine Borzęcka (born Celine Chludzińska; October 29, 1833 – October 26, 1913), was a foundress, along with her daughter Hedwig Borzecka, of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection, a Roman Catholic religious order.


Celine was born in Antowil, Orsza, formerly Poland, today in Belarus, one of the three children of wealthy land-owning parents, Ignatius and Petronella Chludzińska. Growing up, she considered a religious vocation, but out of obedience to her parents she married Joseph (Józef) Borzęcki in 1853 becoming Celine Borzęcka. During their marriage, Celine gave birth to four children, two of whom died in infancy. She helped her husband manage their estate and educated her two daughters, Celine and Hedwig (Jadwiga), at home.

In 1869 her husband Joseph had a stroke and was struck by paralysis. Seeking out the best medical treatment for her husand, Celine and her family moved to Vienna. Joseph died a few years later, after which Celine went with her two daughters, Celine and Hedwig, to Rome.

In Rome, she met Fr. Peter Semenenko, a co-founder of the Congregation of the Resurrection, who became her spiritual director. In 1882, Celine Borzęcka along with her daughter Hedwig (her daughter Celine had married) and two other women began living as a religious community. In 1887, Celine Borzęcka opened her first school, where Monsingor Giacomo della Chiesa (the future Pope Benedict XV) served as chaplain.
On January 6, 1891, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection was officially founded, and the two co-foundresses, Mother Celine Borzęcka and her daughter Mother Hedwig Borzęcka made their final vows. In the fall of 1891, the order's first house was opened near Wadowice in Poland. Other houses soon followed in Bulgaria, Poland, and the United States. Mother Celine Borzęcka continued to lead the order until 1911. She died in Krakow, Poland.  She was known for being a faithful saint because instead of following her own wishes, she stayed with her husband and followed her parents orders.  
 
She was beatified on October 27, 2007