“Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man. …[P]rayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is ‘the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity … with the whole human spirit.’ Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ” (CCC 2564-2565).
This section of the blog is dedicated to topics related to prayer, worship, and liturgy.
Advent…this is a season of rapt anticipation. Watching and waiting, it is a time of preparation. Because it is often associated only with the preparation for the celebration of Christmas, one could be distracted from Advent’s true meaning. Derived from the Latin...
The Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrates the Incarnation of the Son of God as the mystery of His love. God does not change, nor does His love. All that exists does so because He loves it, and because it first is existed in Him. As we read in Psalm 33:11, “…the plans of...
The term epiclesis is a Greek word that means “invocation”, the calling upon God in prayer. Usually, we use it in reference to calling upon the Holy Spirit. We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Epiclesis ("invocation upon") is the intercession in...
Do you think he will not come to the feast; the Jewish leaders ask each other.[i] This question in the Gospel according to St. John, is posed by the Jewish leaders because Jesus is no longer going about in public. He knows, in fact, that they plan to kill Him. [ii]...
The time of Lent each year is a precious time marked by both the acknowledgment of our need conversion as well as growing in our friendship with the Lord.
Each year, the Holy Father publishes a letter for the World Day of the Sick. For this 32nd World Day of the Sick, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, focuses on healing and relationships. Here are some excerpts: “Let us look to the icon of the Good Samaritan” Brothers...
“‘I baptize with water,’ John replied, ‘but among you stands One you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” This place, Bethany...
Emmanuel...the Hebrew word that literally means "God-with-us" is something that we hear throughout the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas. The ancient 5th century hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, properly an Advent hymn, expresses the longing of the people of God,...
He was thinking thoughts of peace, and we did not know it.[i] Jesus is the word of God, His way of peace. In the Passion of Jesus, we see the cost of this peace that made reconciliation between man and God possible. Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker because of his...
Filled with love, Mary Magdalene stood beneath the cross. Despite the risks and shame, her love held firm. Since Jesus delivered her from her demon captures, healing her of sin with its inheritance of death, she was His own. “Slipping between soul and spirit, joint...