Mass
If you are a regular reader of my blog, I would think you probably are a regular churchgoer. If so, you can use this article to reflect on why you find value in going to church. This can help keep…
Read MoreRecessional, Hymn, and Other Prayers Then the altar servers, lector, and clergy recess out as we sing a hymn. We began with a procession that symbolized all of us entering in. We end with the recessional symbolizing all of us…
Read MoreThe “Last” Prayer After Communion, we stand as the priest offers the Prayer After Communion. There was a period of time when this prayer was mistakenly called the Closing Prayer. This is understandable since it is the last prayer said…
Read MoreStanding or Kneeling Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the normal practice was to receive Communion kneeling at the Communion rail. Now the official practice in the United States is to receive standing. Timothy P. O’Malley writes, “We stand and…
Read MoreOn the Hand or the Tongue? Many of us grew up when the only acceptable way to receive the Body of Christ was on the tongue. Now, we are allowed to receive on the hand. Receiving on the hand was…
Read MoreThere’s No Cup For several centuries, the Precious Blood was not offered to the laity. This was not meant to be an act of exclusion. It was out of reverence for the physical handling of the Precious Blood. In 1984,…
Read MoreWhy Can’t Non-Catholics Receive Communion? To understand this practice, we must understand what it means to receive Communion. It is not just bread. It is truly Jesus we receive. We call it “Communion” because we believe that receiving it means…
Read MoreMortal Sin and Receiving Communion Why does the Catholic Church say that those who are in a state of mortal sin are not to receive Communion? This is rooted in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, Paul speaks of unworthy…
Read MoreDo You Realize What You Are Eating? Now, we come to the point in Mass where we receive Communion. Every time we receive Communion, we need to be thinking about what we are consuming. It is not just bread and…
Read MoreI am Not Worthy to Receive You Following the Sign of Peace, we come to the Lamb of God. The words said by the priest, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world,”…
Read MoreThe Sign of Peace Having celebrated the Sacrifice of Jesus in the Eucharist, after praying the Lord’s Prayer, we offer a Sign of Peace. On several occasions Jesus offered peace to his disciples. The words said by the priest here…
Read MoreI completed my presentation, Why Should I Go to Mass (Weekly)?, last night. This video isn’t just for people who don’t go to Mass. It will help you reflect on why it is important to go to Mass. You can…
Read MoreThe Hidden Depths of the Mass #31The Lord’s Prayer Every time Mass is celebrated we all join together in saying the Lord’s Prayer. Why include it at Mass? The whole of Mass comes from the Lord and is rooted in…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Concluding Doxology The Eucharistic Prayer ends with the priest saying, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours,…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – Intercessions As we conclude the Liturgy of the Word, we offer the Prayers of the Faithful. Here, we offer explicit intercessions in prayer. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Eucharistic Prayers also include intercessory prayer…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Oblation The greatest sacrifice ever offered is the sacrifice of Jesus freely giving his life for us on the Cross. As Jesus says in John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – Memorial Acclamation & Anamnesis Following the words of Jesus that transubstantiate bread and wine into his Body and Blood, comes the Memorial Acclamation and Anamnesis. At this point in the Mass, we recall the paschal mystery…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Institution Narrative cont’d Last week we discussed the Institution Narrative where Jesus instituted the Eucharist as he said, ‘this is my Body…this is my Blood.” We believe in the Real Presence because Jesus says so. …
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Institution Narrative After the Epiclesis comes the Institution Narrative. The Institution Narratives are Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper. The Catholic Church did not make up its teaching on the Eucharist. Our belief in…
Read More3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – HomilyJonah 3:1-5, 10Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (4a)1 Corinthians 7:29-31Mark 1:14-20January 21, 2024 You can see near the end of this homily, I did something different to help people understanding the Bible shapes…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayer – The Epiclesis Within the Eucharistic Prayer, the Epiclesis is the portion where we ask the Holy Spirit to transubstantiate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. In Eucharistic Prayer II, the explicit…
Read MoreThe Eucharistic Prayers Following the offertory at Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer follows. There are a total of ten Eucharistic Prayers found in the Roman Missal that contains all the prayers for Mass. The Eucharistic Prayers are trinitarian in their nature. …
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Eucharist – “My Sacrifice and Yours” As we transition from the offertory to the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest says, “Pray my brothers and sisters,, that my sacrifice and yours, may be acceptable to God, the almighty…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Eucharist – The Offertory Part 3 When the gifts of bread and wine have been placed on the altar, water is used twice. The first is as the priest or deacon pours wine into the chalice…
Read MoreThe Liturgy of the Eucharist – The Offertory Part 2 After the gifts of bread and wine have been brought to the altar, the priest holds up first the bread and then the wine and says (silently if music is…
Read More