Paper presented at a bi-annual meeting of Evangelicals and Catholics Together, of which I am a member, June 5, 2023, Colorado Springs. If anyone says that these seven sacraments are so equal to one another that one is not in any way of … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – September 2024
Question from the Reader: My priest at Mass said that the number of the Sacraments was not determined until the Council of Trent. I was told since I was a child in religion class that Our Lord Jesus established seven sacraments in the … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – July 2024
June 28, 2024 by Rev. John P. Cush, STD
How Do Sacraments Work? Question from the Reader: What does sacramental causality mean? My parish priest mentioned this concept in our adult education class on the sacraments and never explained it. Can you help me understand it? Answer … [Read more...]
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
A Theological Reflection on the LORD’S Prayer as a Model for the Parish
February 23, 2024 by John Grim
Voices constantly scream at us with urgent demand, including our own anxieties. How is it that only a third of Catholics believe in the Eucharist? How am I supposed to evangelize a culture that is increasingly hostile to truth? Is there a … [Read more...]
Why Doesn’t Holy Communion Always Seem to “Work”?
St. Thomas Aquinas and Ronald Knox on Objective Grace and Subjective Dispositions at Work in the Reception of the Sacrament
March 29, 2023 by Fr. Charles Fox
For anyone with more than a passing acquaintance with Holy Communion, questions emerge about its efficacy that do not admit of easy answers. The Eucharist is immensely powerful, so why does it not seem to make more of a difference in every … [Read more...]
Book Reviews – October 2022
September 30, 2022 by Book Reviews
Touched by Christ: The Sacramental Economy. By Lawrence Feingold. Reviewed by Mark McCann. (skip to review) Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity. By Brett Salkeld. Reviewed by Dan Sherven. (skip to … [Read more...]
Eucharistic Competence
May 27, 2022 by Fr. Winfried M. Wermter, CO
By Fr. Winfried M. Wermter C.O. Translated from the German by Dr. William R. Gallagher Introduction Nowadays people everywhere talk about competence. It is truly important that people be on familiar ground in their area of expertise, … [Read more...]
Overcoming Polarization Within the Church
Reconnecting the Sacraments with the Moral Life
April 28, 2022 by Michael Vacca
Note: This article originally appeared in The Catholic Journal, July 4, 2019. Introduction: Framing the Issue Sadly, our world is more divided than ever before. Even a cursory glance at politics, education, or culture suffices to give one … [Read more...]
Thinking About Ministry After Covid
Based On Ecclesiological Insights of Pope Francis
December 24, 2021 by Fr. Nihal Abeyasingha
The opening paragraph of Lumen Gentium states, “Since the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race, it desires now to unfold more f … [Read more...]
Becoming Members of the Suffering Servant
“For This Shall Every Good Man Pray”
September 24, 2021 by Mark Drogin
The final Gospel ends with Jesus teaching us to fish for human souls. The three synoptic Gospels report Jesus saying, “I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10); the conclusion of the final Gospel describes Jesus i … [Read more...]
Called to the Reverent Stillness at Mass
July 29, 2021 by Christina M. Sorrentino
Why as Catholics should we keep silence when we go to Mass? Because the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, Who is God Almighty, is present, truly present with us. We are entering into a “sacred space” set aside for prayer and worship, where w … [Read more...]
The Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Needed Sacrament
May 7, 2021 by Deacon James Stagg
Do you often look out over your congregation assembled for Mass, and wonder where and when the majority go to Confession? Do you, bishop . . . priest . . . deacon . . . inform your parishioners regularly that they have an obligation to … [Read more...]
Questions Answered – May 2021
May 7, 2021 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Question: Why do priests hear confessions during Mass? Doesn’t this detract from the spiritual involvement in all the aspects of the sacrifice? Answer: The questioner seems very upset that two sacraments are going on at the same time and … [Read more...]
Celibacy as an Asset in Ministering to Married Persons
April 22, 2021 by Matthew Kappadakunnel
Celibacy for the Kingdom of God might seem like an obstacle in relating to the struggles of married people, including but not limited to spousal conflicts, balancing home and work duties, managing multiple children, and dealing with in-laws … [Read more...]
The Mass that Always Was There
April 22, 2021 by Gerard T. Mundy
As a result of the 2020-2021 coronavirus pandemic, Catholic bishops in dioceses around the world restricted public access to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the United States, every Latin Rite diocese reportedly canceled public Masses at … [Read more...]
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