Tag Archive for ‘eucharist’
Why I’m Still a Catholic
A young person’s perspective on the Eucharist Recently my nine-year-old brother, who is struggling with being bored with Mass, told me that He keeps asking God to show Him He is real but isn’t getting any response. I asked him, “How do you know the wind is real?” and his reply was “because you can […]
Nau Mai – Welcome
As part of my formation for priestly ordination I spent a year involved in pastoral work with the Marist community of St. Mary’s Whanganui. The community had responsibility for the parish of St. Mary’s and there was an active outreach to the pastoral care and support of the Māori community. One of my responsibilities was […]
Francis Speaks On the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Jesus Becomes Fragile in the Eucharist The Gospel presents us the narrative of the Last Supper (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26). The words and gestures of the Lord touch our hearts: He takes the bread in his hands, pronounces the blessing, breaks it and offers it to the disciples, saying: “Take; this is my body” (v. 22). […]
Healing the Body — A Few Steps Forward
The recuperative powers of the human body are remarkable. Following surgery, infections, even critical incidents such as strokes and heart attacks, the determination of the body to heal is a source of wonder. With the aid of excellent health care professionals and medical technology, we are so very blessed in the times when we are […]
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Sunday 6 June Vincent Donovan was a missionary in Africa, among the Maasai people. A member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, the Spiritans, he was ordained in 1952 and went to Tanzania in 1965. Part of his ministry was to go from village to village to celebrate the Eucharist. A rule that he […]
The Celebration of the Eucharist
Sunday 14 June Solemnity of Corpus Christi The Second Reading from the Prayer of the Church No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance […]
Communion in the Hand
In the period after the second Vatican Council there were many changes in the celebration of the Mass, including: the use of English rather than Latin, the dialogue mass with the people responding to the words of the priest, the sign of peace, and the possibility of communion under both kinds. At that time there […]
On the Eucharist
During a brief day-trip to two small Italian cities, Pope Francis stressed the centrality of the Eucharist to the life and actions of the Church, saying without Christ’s love and self-sacrifice, everything would be done in vain, since everything Jesus did was for others. “The Eucharist is not a beautiful rite, but it is the […]
The Our Father and the Breaking of the Bread
A summary of the General Audience March 14 In the Last Supper, after Jesus took the bread and the chalice of the wine, and gave thanks to God, He “broke the bread.” In the Eucharistic Liturgy of the Mass, the breaking of the Bread corresponds to this action, preceded by the prayer that the Lord […]
Sunday 18 June
The Body and Blood of Christ Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 4-16; Psalm 147B; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58 Food for the eternal journey In life, the Eucharist is God’s nourishment for us on the eternal journey. It takes us further than we can ever anticipate or dream. It offers us life only God can give. A friend […]
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