Mass and Sacraments

Category Archives: Mass and Sacraments

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“We Must Go Out”: A Podcast About Confirmation

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“When you get confirmed, what happened to the Apostles is the exact same thing that will happen to you . . . maybe minus the visible tongues of fire . . . I don’t know, I’m not making any guarantees. But the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit will actually be upon you. This is what happens in the Sacrament of Confirmation, that we receive these gifts. And these gifts are what? St. Paul writes about them in the book of Galatians – the fruits of the Spirit are: love, and joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You receive the power to live a new life, not just for yourself but for other people.”

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A Great Day to Die

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If I want to live, there are things in me that need to die. My selfishness, my lust, my greed, my grudges, and my sin have got to go.

Each day we’re faced with this choice: will I live for myself or will I lay my life down? Is my life focused on success or sacrifice?

When we walk into a church, we are confronted with the radical call to die. When we see the baptismal font, we are reminded that it’s only through death that we can rise with Christ. And when we dip our fingers into the Holy Water, we trace the sign of the cross to say, “God, drown whatever needs to be drowned in my heart. I want to live with you, so I’m willing to die like you.”

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Where Have You Been?

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We, like the Samaritan woman, continually ask God, “Where have you been?” or “Where were you?” when relationships or life don’t go the way we planned.

The thing is God never asks us, “Where have you been” because He knows where we’ve been. He knows the websites, the parties, the rooms we have entered, and the bottles we have opened to satisfy our thirst. He knows the relationships we have been in and the lines we have crossed emotionally, physically, and sexually. And yet, He sits at the wall of the well waiting for us to discover Him and accept His mercy and love.

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Anything But Ordinary Time

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Maybe God’s calling you to reorder in that way. Or maybe He has a different way of walking with you and helping you establish order. Let Him walk with you. Let Him speak truth into situations in your life and bring calm to the chaos.

We waited all throughout Advent. We celebrated all throughout Christmas. Now we have the beautiful season of Ordinary Time to settle into a routine – but a routine that looks different than it did last year, because we’re letting God in to our lives in new ways.

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My Side of the Confessional: What Is It Like for a Priest?

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I was once riding in a shuttle-bus with a number of older folks on the way from an airport. They noticed that I was a priest and started asking questions about it. “Do you do all of the priest stuff?” “Yep.” “Even the Confession thing?” “Yeah. All the time.”

One older lady gasped, “Well, I think that that would be the worst. It would be so depressing; hearing all about people’s sins.”

I told them that it was the exact opposite. There is almost no greater place to be than with someone when they are coming back to God . . .

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Beyond Words: 11/25/2012

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Beyond Words: 11/11/2012

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“Bless Me Father, I’m #sorrynotsorry”

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This is also a feeling Catholics may have when approaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We know we need to go. Christ gave us this sacrament by which we “obtain pardon from God’s mercy” and are “reconciled with the Church” (CCC 1422). We need to hear those words — “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace!” Yet sometimes, like my mother, we do something and while we know it’s wrong we’re not that sorry. Should we still go to confession?

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 11/11/2012

Jesus is saying to you every day: “I’m going to ask you for everything . . . and then some.” That’s the way of the cross and the way of the gospel.

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 11/04/2012

Are you just going through the motions of prayer, or are you entering in with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength? Love God intentionally today.

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Beyond Words: 10/28/2012

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 10/21/2012

What does it mean to be a hero? Would you think it’s heroic to embrace suffering? A lot of people run away from suffering but Christ showed us that if we want heaven, we have to be willing to suffer here on earth. Our crosses aren’t meaningless when we unite them to the cross of Christ.

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Beyond Words: 10/07/2012

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 09/23/2012

What would it take for you to live according to God’s way of peace, instead of according to the world’s way of being emotional and reactive?

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Beyond Words: 09/16/2012

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 09/16/2012

In the Catholic life, you have to live the “both/and.” You have to make a resolve and accompany it with prayer. If you want to follow Christ you have to lay down your life and take up the cross.

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 09/09/2012

Because we are physical beings, Christ uses physical things to interact with us. In the Gospel He heals through touch and in the Sacraments He gives us Himself through the things He has created. Are you going to let God heal and restore you today?

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Why Do Catholics Dress Up for Mass?

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Clothes say something about what we think, what we value. They also influence how we behave and feel. Sunday is special, and God’s House is special. Some things are really important, and our clothing and demeanor ought to reflect this truth.

The exterior reflects the interior, and God definitely deserves the best we have inside and out!

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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday: 08/05/2012

Every one of us occasionally has doubts about the existence of God, or we struggle with trusting in God. We can’t allow these attacks however, to form our judgement about the love of God. His love for us is infinite and He is always ready to fulfill us both physically and spiritually.

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Why Do Catholics Exclude Others from Receiving the Eucharist?

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Only Catholics can receive the Eucharist at Mass because the Eucharist is the Sacrament of our unity in Christ; those who receive it need to have unity in the Faith.

The practice of excluding some people from Holy Communion is a Biblically based, ancient Christian discipline observed by both Catholics and many Protestants.

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