Some Christians will ask, “when were you saved?”. Generally, the people who ask this question have experienced a time in their lives when they felt a profound conversion in their lives and gave their lives over to Christ. This is when they believe they were saved. The terminology of “being saved” has solid roots in …
In today’s second reading Paul writes, “I should like you to be free of anxieties.” I’m glad to hear that because I want to be free of anxiety. Who wants to be anxious? Yet, at times we are. Sometimes the concerns are real. At other times we make a mountain out of a mole hill. …
The 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 the Real Presence of Jesus is biblical (see Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:14-20, and …
In recent days, the first readings at daily Mass have told the story of the “tension” between David and Saul. Saul had named as the first king of Israel but failed to follow God’s direction. David fights in Saul’s army but Saul quickly becomes jealous. Here is a brief outline of recent readings at daily …
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – HomilyJonah 3:1-5, 10Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (4a)1 Corinthians 7:29-31Mark 1:14-20 You can see near the end of this homily, I did something different to help people understanding the Bible shapes how we celebrate Mass and what we say. This is not easy to capture in typed words. …
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The 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 words are “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon …
“To give or not to give,” that is the question I put before you today. If a person comes up to you on the street and asks for help, do you even consider giving them any assistance? I think the most common reason people answer no is they think the person may use it to …
As today’s first reading begins, “Samuel was sleeping in the temple.” Why? His mother prayed fervently for a child. When God gave her Samuel, she was so appreciative of the gift of a child that she gave Samuel back to the Lord to serve him. So, Samuel’s life centered at the temple. As he was …
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The Eucharistic Prayer – Preface The Eucharistic Prayer starts with a preface. The preface begins with the priest saying, “The Lord be with you” and the people responding, “and with your Spirit.” The preface ends with the “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) divides the Eucharistic Prayers into eight parts. …
In 1973 the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark Roe v. Wade decision that ensured a woman’s right to abortion. This was based on somehow seeing abortion as part of a woman’s right to privacy. From this, they said there was a constitutional right to abortion. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have …
