Thursday, June 5, 2014040Those who insist others pray and believe exactly like they do, those who have alternatives to every church teaching and benefactors who use the church as a cover for business connections may call themselves Catholics, but they have one foot out the door, Pope Francis said.
The liturgy of the Eucharist in the strict sense begins when the bread and wine are brought to the altar. What, then, is the meaning of preparing these gifts for the sacrifice?Columnists
After the hymn “Glory to God in the Highest,” the priest recites the opening prayer. On a specific feast this prayer sets the tone for the feast and indicates the reason for the celebration. Columnists
Like the longer greeting we looked at last time, the shortest greeting the priest can choose for the beginning of the Mass also originates in the Bible.
Friday, January 31, 2014071Thousands of people converged on downtown Dallas for the 2014 March for Life Mass at the Dallas Convention Center, a venue that Bishop Kevin J. Farrell said to thunderous applause that he would like to outgrow within the next two years.
“Why start the Mass with a ritual greeting?” we sometimes hear. “This sets a stiff, official tone to the entire celebration. Why not start with an informal greeting like ‘Good Morning,’ which would promote a more congenial/familial mood, more in style for the beginning of a meal?”
Sunday, July 28, 2013075Pope Francis told young people God might have been trying to communicate something in forcing the World Youth Day vigil's change of venue from a huge field to a long narrow stretch of sand and sea.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013060The mosaic of hundreds of national flags waving in the cold wind on Copacabana beach was symbolic, as pilgrims from all backgrounds, driven by a single faith, participated in the opening Mass for World Youth Day.
Monday, July 8, 20130126Before saying a word publicly, Pope Francis made the sign of the cross and tossed a wreath of white and yellow flowers into the Mediterranean Sea in memory of the estimated 20,000 African immigrants who have died in the past 25 years trying to reach a new life in Europe.
There are times during Mass when the choir is holding forth with a beautiful hymn that I find myself thinking out of the box of the sanctuary. Such a musing took place during our magnificent Pentecost celebration recently.
