God’s Family, the Church

In a family there are some things which the members do on their own, such as working or going to school.  And there are other things which they do together, like having their Sunday lunch or going on holiday.

So it is with the Family of God, the Church.  There are some things that we do by ourselves, such as saying our daily morning and evening prayers.  But the chief thing that we all do together is public worship.  By public worship I mean services in church in which we come before God as his Family and People.

Uniqueness of the Eucharist

The greatest of these, and the one which is completely different from all the others, is the Eucharist.  It is also called the Mass, the Holy Communion and the Liturgy, but whatever it is called it is the same service.  The reason why it is the greatest service is that, unlike any other act of worship, it was instituted and given to us by Our Lord himself.  That is why no other act of worship can possibly take its place.  And the reason why it is different from all others is that it is a Sacrament, an outward action by means of which God has promised to give us a gift for our souls.