Over the course of a year, the Church unfolds in its liturgy the various mysteries of our redemption. The following is an outline of the Church calendar:
We should begin this answer by considering the definition of a saint. Because we are accustomed to thinking of sainthood as something attainable to only a select few, it is difficult for us to realize that we, in fact, are part of the Communion of Saints. A saint is a good person; not a perfect person but a good person. They strive to choose what is good; to be holy. Just as Jesus called his disciples to holiness, we too are all called to be holy – to be saints.
This question comes up often, usually from someone who has attended a wedding or a funeral Mass, received communion, and is planning on attending Mass again later in the day. Like many things in the Church, this law was changed in the wake of Vatican II.
The Church calls for the removal of holy water from the fonts during the Sacred Triduum only (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday). This is done in preparation for the blessing of water at the Easter Vigil when the fonts are refilled.
Communion’ refers to the effect of the Eucharist: the Body and Blood draw us together as ‘one body, one spirit in Christ’ (Eucharistic Prayer III). The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ (Lumen Gentium, 11) of our Catholic faith precisely because it is the both the origin and goal of our common union in Christ. What a great gift of God!
This past Monday, January 8th, the Church celebrated the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This weekend we hear readings about being called; Samuel in the Old Testament and Andrew and Peter in the Gospel of John. This is a good time to consider what our own baptism means to us.
“I’ll pray for you.” What do these words truly mean? It’s not just heart-warming to be remembered in prayer; Christian prayer also produces spiritual effects in the person praying and in the person prayed for.
See the answer to this week's question. Spread the Good News! Collect E Cards to help you answer questions of the faith posed to you. E Cards take the fear out of evangelization!
See the answer to this week's question. Spread the Good News! Collect E Cards to help you answer questions of the faith posed to you. E Cards take the fear out of evangelization!
See the answer to this week's question. Spread the Good News! Collect E Cards to help you answer questions of the faith posed to you. E Cards take the fear out of evangelization!
See the answer to this week's question. Spread the Good News! Collect E Cards to help you answer questions of the faith posed to you. E Cards take the fear out of evangelization!