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=> Why Should We Go to Qurbana?

Posted by Paul Younan (Guest) - Sunday, October 24 2004, 17:20:50 (CEST)
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Perhaps this question can best be answered by comparison with another familiar ritual: from time immemorial families have gathered round the camp fire or table to relax with one another, share some food, engage in conversation, tell stories, laugh, and generally build the bonds that tie together the various members of the family and nurture their relationships. The hectic pace of the modern world has put strains on families in many ways, but in few ways more devastating--at least to some families--than in breaking up the regular routine of shared meals. Staggered working hours, after-school activities, homework, television, athletic programs--a multitude of distractions drag us apart and leave us little time to do that nurturing and building that every family and family member needs, and which used to be done to a large extent around the dinner table. As a result the bonds of togetherness and commitment fray, and the sense of well-being and security evaporate amidst the bustle and din of endless distractions, or the mind-numbing pursuit of entertainment and pleasure.

The Qurbana can be viewed as the Church's family table. Since the time of the earliest Christians, the "Table of the Lord" has been the center of our common life. As persons were made members of the Church, through baptism they were born (Cf. Jn. 3:5) into the family of believers. "And some of them readily received his word, and they believed and were baptized. And there was added on that day about three thousand souls, and they remained constant in the teaching of the apostles, and participated in prayer and in the breaking of the Eucharist." (Acts 2:41-42) The common table was the family dining room, if you will, where nurture and fellowship built the sinews of strength which held the faithful constant to their Lord and to one another through trials and tribulations.

The Apostle Paul early on recognized the central place of regular fellowship in building and sustaining the bonds of faithfulness. When he saw some beginning to waver and in need of encouragement, he wrote: "Let us not forsake our assembly, as is the custom of some. Instead, each must seek out the other, especially as you see the day drawing near." (Heb. 10:25) The danger posed by neglecting fellowship is not merely to the institution of the Church, but to the faith and spiritual well-being of individual believers. Early Christians not only felt that the Body of Christ was re-constituted each time they met for the "breaking of bread", but they recognized how much the bonds of fellowship were strengthened and their own faith nourished on these occasions. This is why, when the Qurbana was concluded, the presbyters and deacons went looking for the ill, taking with them the Bread of Life--like a mother taking a portion to a bed-ridden family member--to sustain them with the common food of the family, and to stretch the bonds of love to include them within the family circle.

To withdraw from the Qurbana on Sundays because of the distractions of the world, whether for business or pleasure, is to withdraw from the community which makes Christ present by its gathering. It is a way of saying no to the Savior who bids, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened down, and I will refresh you." (Mt. 11:28) There is no substitute for the "table-talk" of the Qurbana, and for the opportunity it offers to us to affirm our faith and commitment, both to the Lord of the household, and to the fellow-members of his family.

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My Forum Paul Younan - Sunday, October 24 2004, 15:28:57 (CEST)
- Ass Kicked?? Jeff - 10/24 16:57
  - Yup, Ass Kicking Christian style! Paul Younan - 10/24 17:14
    - Re: Yup, Ass Kicking Christian style! parhad - 10/24 19:00
- Didn't get his ass kicked here, either: Jeff - 10/24 16:58
- In conclusion.... Jeff - 10/24 17:02
  - That's YOUR Catholic shit.... Paul Younan - 10/24 17:17
    - What is the Qurbana ? Paul Younan - 10/24 17:19
      - Why do we call the Qurbana a "Sacrifice"? Paul Younan - 10/24 17:20
        Why Should We Go to Qurbana? Paul Younan - 10/24 17:20
        How do I benefit personally from the Qurbana? Paul Younan - 10/24 17:21
        Re: How do I benefit personally from the Qurbana? parhad - 10/24 19:24
      - who wrote this for you? parhad - 10/24 19:06
    - Re: That's YOUR Catholic shit.... parhad - 10/24 19:02
      - Dummy Paul Younan - 10/25 04:10
        Re: Dummy parhad - 10/25 05:00
        Re: Dummy Paul Younan - 10/25 05:10
- Re: My Forum parhad - 10/24 18:33

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