Biblical Holy Day --> Commandment --> Mass?

[Safia]

Hi everyone!

Fr. Serpa answered the following way regarding the Biblical foundation for Mass:

One of the Ten Commandments states: Remember to keep Holy the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8). Very early in the Church the Sabbath (which is Saturday) was replaced by Sunday as the Lord’s day because on Easter Sunday, our Blessed Lord arose from the dead.

How did the “mass every Sunday” requirement develop? Were Jews required to attend the temple in keeping Sabbath? Is there any kind of explicit answer to this question in early Church history?

Many thanks.

 

[Dave_Noonan]

Hi everyone!

Fr. Serpa answered the following way regarding the Biblical foundation for Mass:

How did the “mass every Sunday” requirement develop? Were Jews required to attend the temple in keeping Sabbath? Is there any kind of explicit answer to this question in early Church history?

Many thanks.

Very interesting question! Obviously for the ancient Israelites, “remembering the sabbath” didn’t include coming to the temple before there was a temple (just for example). And synagogues were a much later development; and there’s no requirement in Jewish Law to attend a synagogue every week.

But in a more direct answer to your question, no, Jews were only required to come to the temple three times a year: for Passover/Pesach; Pentecost/Shevuot; and Sukkot. Of course they could choose to come more often but it was not part of Jewish law.