The average Catholic in the pew hearing the term ‘Eucharistic missionary’ might think this is a special role in the Church, performed by well-trained holy people in some far-flung region. And yet, every Catholic is called to be a Eucharistic missionary. The faithful’s everyday call to a Eucharistic encounter that ultimately leads to the life…
Michael R. Heinlein What a disappointment it’s been, though unsurprising, to see Catholics offering negative commentary of this summer’s National Eucharistic Congress in the US. Now, I’m not an idealist. Some of the criticism can be warranted. Missteps have been made at the local and national levels. I firmly believe that deeper Eucharistic faith, more…
One of the great tragedies in all literature is the biblical story of Saul. Saul makes Hamlet look like a Disney character. Hamlet, at least, had good reasons for the disaster that befell him. Saul, given the gifts with which he started, should have fared better, much better. His story begins with the announcement that…
Whether you’re 8 years old or in your 80s, at some point in your life you’ve probably struggled with the question, “Why do we have to go to Mass?” You just may not feel like going at times. You may not like the music or the homilies in your parish. You may think Mass is…
The Sunday Gospel 2 Kgs 4:42-44 Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18 Eph 4:1-6 Jn 6:1-15 The celebration of a National Eucharistic Congress this year invites reflection on the gift and mystery of the Eucharist. We are reminded that each time we participate in the Mass we are connected to an unbroken tradition that traces back to…
Q: Is a parish required to provide a screen and kneeler in the confessional? Our pastor moved our confessional from a room with screen and kneeler to a family room that does not have a screen or kneeler. So, our parishioners no longer have the option to use a screen and kneeler. Our second graders…
Want to hear a secret? You likely know a prayer that can reorient you to everything in your life. And it goes like this: “Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Or as you might have learned it growing up:…
The Eucharist is the summit of our faith, in which the entire story of our salvation is made real in a miraculous and powerful way. The Roman Missal calls Holy Eucharist the “Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received; the memory of his Passion is renewed; the mind is filled with grace; and a pledge of…
During my high school years, I lived with my grandmother Matilde. Sunday night was a sacred time when she would always take me to church. Back then, I lived in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, and we had two options to go to Mass: Our Lady of the Rosary Church, three blocks away, or…
Sidewalk chalk, that staple of summer, is easy to spot on an early morning walk. You may be tempted to start skipping over the loosely drawn squares of some little person’s hopscotch course. Or, since this chalk often comes in pastel hues, it’s hard to create a convincing Elmo, but an artist has given it…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser