I was Protestant for a time. I sang modern Christian music and swayed and held up my hands and loved the other members of the church. I found it difficult when there were divisions in the congregation and when some of my “family” decided to “plant a church” of their own. The trust was broken […]
Yesterday in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. He then led, on foot, the Eucharistic procession that wound along Rome’s Via Merulana, until reaching the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Following are ample extracts from the Holy Father’s homily, which focused on the Gospel story […]
On a November morning before dawn my wife and I, and three other people on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, followed a Franciscan priest into the small edicule that surrounds Jesus’ tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The priest was going to say Mass, and he was pleased that we could […]
It’s Lent and time to take into consideration what we can do to strengthen our relationship with God and grow more deeply in our faith. Lord only knows how badly our world needs stronger faithful people! What better way to do that than adding extra time with the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist? Christ […]
We understand the sacraments as “visible signs of an invisible reality.” While this is true, it really doesn’t tell us much about the sacraments. A visible sign of what? What is the reality? The questions (and answers!) contemporary Catholicism provides are clearly not satisfying.
I believe what I believe I believe what I believe That when in life I do achieve And rise in state and sight of men The truth I mask and myself deceive. I believe what I believe Knowing deep wherein thoughts conceive That if a thousand falls I make Even then would pardon relieve. I […]
“Let us rejoice then and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ Himself. Do you understand and grasp, brethren, God’s grace toward us? Marvel and rejoice: we have become Christ.” This exuberant declaration, bold bordering on outrageous, comes not from some starry-eyed New Age huckster, but from a pillar of Catholic […]
JI attended a Protestant church a while ago for a worship service. A friend and colleague had died, and I was there to pray for him and his family. The church was beautiful. High ceilings, with stained glass windows on the back wall of the sanctuary. A pulpit made of beautiful wood, raised high in […]
In March of 2007, less than a month after I had turned twenty-two years old, I was deployed to Afghanistan with my engineer unit. I would remain in Afghanistan, with the exception of twenty day’s vacation in January of 2008, for the next fifteen months. At that point in my life my faith was quietly […]
The 50th International Eucharist Congress was held in Dublin between the 10th to the 17th of June 2012. The Congress was not confined exclusively to Dublin however but was in part celebrated at Ireland’s national Marian Shrine in Knock and at Saint Patrick’s Purgatory in Donegal. The overall theme of the Congress was “Communion with […]
“If we wish to discover in all its richness the profound relationship between the Church and the Eucharist, we cannot neglect Mary, Mother and model of the Church…Mary can guide us toward this most holy sacrament because she herself has a profound relationship with it.” (Blessed Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia) At the […]
Bride and Bridegroom Beautiful changes have been made to the translation of the prayer that comes shortly before Holy Communion is distributed. Since Vatican II, the priest has said, “Happy are those who are called to His supper” as he held up the Eucharist. The new translation is more poetic and better fits the solemnity […]
Sunday, June 26, Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, previously known as Corpus Christi. This used to be a major feast day of the Church with processions and everything — a really big feast, up there with Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost. We celebrate the Blessed Sacrament to affirm […]
[This report was prepared on behalf of a group of Catholic parents to address issues locally that may also be going on elsewhere in the country. It is published here as a resource for parents who may find it useful.] The Role of the Eucharist and the Mass in the Catholic School: Parental Concerns and […]
Teach me, LORD, your way that I may walk in your truth. (Ps 86:11) Sounds simple, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine any Christian looking at the above verse and disagreeing with its content. Essentially, it is a summary of our mission as followers of Christ. But exactly how does the Lord teach us “His way” […]
It is not news that in the last 40 years the Sacred Liturgy has been treated with a banality that has gone from the sentimental to the silly to the irreverent to the heretical, and back again, a few million times. Now, of course, there is nothing silly or banal about the Eucharist and other […]
Standing in the liminal space between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man, the true believer often finds himself wrought by two seemingly conflicting realities. On the one hand he knows he is the creation of the one true God, redeemed by the God-man Jesus who is the Christ, and sanctified by the […]
Jesus said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer”… And He took bread, and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My Body which is given for you.” And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which […]
Hear Gary Zimak on EWTN radio’s Son Rise Morning Show Tuesday, 3/8 at 6:45 a.m. and on Ave Maria/EWTN Catholic Connection Friday, 3/11 at 8:35 a.m. No matter how close we are to God, the season of Lent provides a great opportunity to grow closer to Him. One of the biggest mistakes that we can make is to not take advantage of […]
