A Treasure To Be Shared

Shylock | The Merchant of Venice If we do take Pope Francis at his word, then 'tis of little moment to squander time in disputation regarding the past. What hath transpired is irrevocable. His Holiness's pronouncements, beseeching that a tumult (i.e., a mess) be wrought, are well-acknowledged. Thus, the disorder (i.e., the mess) doth linger even after its creator hath departed this realm. This disarray hath been entrusted to others for resolution. Let us now attend to his penance. Let us change the bedclothes and launder the garments, set aright the chairs of the kitchen, cleanse the dishes, and restore order to the household. What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful. It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place. |  Benedict XVI, Letter of Accompaniment to the MP Summorum Po...

Catholics, specifically we of the Latin (Roman) Rite, use unleavened bread in the Eucharist (Holy Communion) primarily because it is acknowledged to be the type of bread that Jesus used at the Last Supper, which coincided with the Jewish Passover Seder, where unleavened bread is traditionally used. The practice acknowledges the connection of the Mass to the Last Supper and Jesus's sacrifice. Historical Context During the time of the Last Supper, the Jewish Passover meal (Seder) was being celebrated, and Jewish law mandated the use of unleavened bread (matzah).  Symbolism Unleavened bread, lacking leaven (yeast), symbolizes purity and the absence of sin.  Tradition and Continuity By using unleavened bread, the Catholic Church maintains a link to the historical Last Supper and emphasizes the continuity of the Eucharistic sacrifice from that event. Eastern Catholic Churches While the Eastern Catholic Churches also celebrate the Eucharist, some of them use leavened bread, reflecti...

We Ordinariate Catholics are a small and determined community within the Church. The Personal Ordinariates, of which there are three at present, are like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade. St. Mark 4: 31-32 Those who share in the blessings of the Ordinariate tend to be confident Catholics because the identity that we share has its source and summit in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which we call Divine Worship, the source and summit of the Christian life. The primary mission of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is evangelization. Through the reverence and beauty of our worship, study of sacred Scripture and charity for those in need, we desire to share the joy of being Roman Catholic! Our mission is particularly experienced in our (reverent ad orientem ) celebra...

The period of Ordinary Time from Pentecost until Advent in the calendar that is followed by the majority of Latin Rite Catholics, i.e., those who follow the calendar for the Novus Ordo Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI, is referred to as Trinitytide in the Personal Ordinariates . It is the longest season of the Church year. Anglo-Saxon churches and parts of northern Europe celebrated a feast of the Trinity as early as the 9th century. Saint Thomas Becket (1119 or 1120–1170), who was made bishop on the Sunday following Pentecost, is known to have celebrated the feast of the Holy Trinity at Canterbury. In 1334, Pope John XXII instituted the Feast of the Holy Trinity for the entire Church on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Trinitytide begins on the Sunday following Whitsuntide (the Octave of Pentecost). Trinitytide is a time of hope-filled Christian discipleship that arises from living in communion with the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is central to authentic Christian mission. When Jesus se...

Are those addicted to their phones contributing to a rise in street-level, home, and workplace conflict? Counsellors and professional mediators seem to think so. And the children and youth who have ended their lives due to bullying on social media? And the people maimed or killed by distracted drivers ? BYU/Nystrom & Associates/PT/State Farm | Overuse of cell phones can hinder face-to-face encounters, decrease the quality of relationships, and cause misunderstandings, all of which can have a detrimental effect on communication. Even if a phone is not being used, its presence can provide distractions that prevent people from participating fully in and connecting with others in real-time discussions. 1. Disrupted Face-to-Face Interactions Phubbing The act of snubbing or ignoring someone in a face-to-face interaction by constantly checking or using your phone is called "phubbing". Reduced Engagement Even when trying to pay attention, a part of the brain may still be focused ...

The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you’re in mission territory. | Bishop Robert Barron There is a lot of complaining about social and political upheaval. Many Western societies are tipping sideways due to poorly thought out and poorly managed governmental social policies. Peoples from very different cultures are inflecting their new homelands, and responses range from indifference to confrontations of one kind or another. I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God.  | Saint Dominic Savio May it be suggested that there is an opportunity to evangelize newcomers and invite them to embrace the Christian Faith? Though social circumstances could be seen as a challenge or threat, the creative mind can see beyond obstacles to create opportunities to welcome people, foster civility, and to work for the common good by sharing what Christianity has always offered: faith and reason, authentic hospi...

Faith and hope are means by which we express our love: we believe God's word, because we love it; we hope after heaven, because we love it. We should not have any hope or concern about it, unless we loved it; we should not trust or confide in the God of heaven, unless we loved Him. Faith, then, and hope are but instruments or expressions of love; but as to love itself, we do not love because we believe, for the devils believe, yet do not love; nor do we love because we hope, for hypocrites hope, who do not love. But we love for no cause beyond itself: we love, because it is our nature to love; and it is our nature, because God the Holy Ghost has made it our nature. Love is the immediate fruit and the evidence of regeneration. | Excerpt from Sermon 21. Faith and Love , Saint John Henry Newman. https://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume4/sermon21.html   Faith is not just a matter of logic or intellectual assent, but is rooted in a deep, personal love for God and His teaching...

2 Peter 1:3-4 |  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature. Deification, also known as theosis or divinization, is the process of becoming united with God, sharing in His divine life, and experiencing His eternal happiness. This concept is deeply intertwined with the doctrine of the Trinity, as it is through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that humanity is called to share in God's own life. The Scandal of the Incarnation: Irenaeus Against the Heresies, Selected and Introduced by Hans Urs von Balthasar, trans. John Saward  (1981), pp 54 & 55. | There was no other way for us to receive incorruptibility and immortality than to be united to incorruptibility an...