Eucharist: The most cherished Gift We celebrate the body and blood of Christ not as isolated objects of adoration but as food and drink, like the manna in the desert and the water brought forth from a rock. Jesus makes it very clear how we are to approach his body and blood: “If you do  Read more …

Whosoever would be saved needeth before all things to hold fast the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except a man keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he will perish eternally. Now the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the Substance.  Read more …

One of the foundational truths of our faith is the “one God in three Persons: Father all-powerful, Christ Lord and Savior, Spirit of love.” How do we understand the Trinity? We don’t! God, by definition, is ineffable, beyond conceptualization, beyond imagination, beyond language. The Christian belief that God is a trinity helps underscore how rich  Read more …

The word “Rogation” comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning “to ask” , which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities . “Rogation” means “asking”, which is a theme particularly prominent in the Gospel text for this Sunday (St. John 16:23-33). We call this Sunday “Rogation  Read more …

GOD our Mother “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13) On this Mothers’ Day, I invite you to reflect upon one of the sweetest and tenderest pictures of the character of God. That revelation is not made in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah  Read more …

Would the disciples have accomplished anything without the Holy Spirit? No. Will we? That question needs to ring continually in our ears because we Christians are usually highly motivated self-starters. If we weren’t, we probably wouldn’t have gotten past all the obstacles there are to involvement in evangelism. Because we’re highly motivated we look ahead. We  Read more …

“Ecclesia.” What is the church? Who makes its rules? Last Sunday, confused, anxious and troubled by the news of Jesus’ departure, the disciples asked what that meant. What will we do without Him? In the Gospel today, Jesus answers, saying that “The Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you  Read more …

In the celebration of the Eucharist, the glorified Christ becomes present under the appearances of bread and wine in a way that is unique, a way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist. In the Church’s traditional theological language, in the act of consecration during the Eucharist the “substance” of the bread and wine is  Read more …

Facing the Unknown The disciples are anxious and fearful because Jesus said that it is expedient that He go back to the Father. They are worried about their “unknown” future without Him. Facing and dealing with the unknown is a reality we all struggle with on a daily basis: There are known unknowns, that is  Read more …

Peace not Food! Peace not toilet paper, Peace not hand sanitizers or mask. That is what the good Lord brought his disciples in his first appearance after death. In their confinement, He brought them Peace not Food. “Peace be with you”. These are the first words that the Lord addressed his apostles who were still  Read more …