This makes me think.... about how far I need to go, but not being intimidated by that.

We need the living Christ, whom we can know only through our encounter with him. But encounter presumes actual presence -- the Real Presence, which in turn, requires the Sacrament and the Church that alone is authorized to give us the Sacrament, the church that Christ himself willed into existence and continues to support. The Eucharist, at each new celebration, must be recognized anew as the cord of our Christian life. But we cannot celebrate the Eucharist adequately if we are content to reduce it to a ritual of -- more or less -- a half-hour's duration. To receive Christ means to worship him. We welcome him properly and worthily at the solemn moment of receiving him, come to understand his nature, and in worshipping him learn to know him, come to understand his nature, and follow him. We need to learn once more how to rest peacefully in his gentle presence in our churches, where the Eucharist is likewise always present because Christ intercedes for us before the Father, because he always awaits us and speaks to us. We must learn again how to draw inwardly close to him, for it is only thus that we become worthy of the Eucharist. We cannot prepare ourselves to receive the Eucharist simply by thinking about how it should be done. We can prepare for it only when we try to comprehend the depths of its demands on us, of its greatness; when we do not reduce it to our level, but let ourselves be raised to its exalted level; when we become aware of the accumulated sound of the prayers offered during all the centuries in which generations of men have advanced and are still advancing toward Christ.

--Pope Benedict XVI, writing as Cardinal Ratzinger in Co-Workers of the Truth, p. 81-82.

This makes me think... about how my communion in the Eucharist is incomplete without communion with others

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). 

Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself. I cannot possess Christ just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have become, or who will become, his own. Communion draws me out of myself towards him, and thus also towards unity with all Christians. We become “one body”, completely joined in a single existence. Love of God and love of neighbour are now truly united: God incarnate draws us all to himself...

Eucharistic communion, includes the reality both of being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented. Conversely... the “commandment” of love is only possible because it is more than a requirement. Love can be “commanded” because it has first been given...

Anyone who needs me, and whom I can help, is my neighbour. The concept of “neighbour” is now universalized, yet it remains concrete... [it] calls for my own practical commitment here and now...

Jesus identifies himself with those in need, with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Love of God and love of neighbour have become one: in the least of the brethren we find Jesus himself, and in Jesus we find God.

--- Benedict XVI, encyclical, Deus Caritas Est ("God is Love"), 2005, par. 14, 15.

My France Pilgrimage... Photos pour vous!

My family and friends, and the podcast audience, know that I was recently on vacation and on pilgrimage in France, thanks to a fortunate intersection of timing, my husband's work in Paris, the official draft of the manuscript being done, and that wonderful perk known as frequent flyer miles. Of course we carry your intentions with us everywhere we prayer... and we were delighted to bear that burden of prayer.

Here is the man who made it all possible...

Yeah, Bob's a bit fried here, after a full week of work and then yours truly shows up when he is not-quite-done with all his work and she says "let's walk somewhere for dinner!"

But, great guy that he is, he willingly complied and he, already having French food for a week without me, asked for a pizza! Being a bit jet lagged and raggy myself, I didn't fight it, and we had some of the best pizza this side of Rome, so a simple meal and a short bottle of chianti for the win! Paris, like our New York roots, has some of the best varieties of food anywhere on the planet.

(Note the gray skies... we had a lot of rain as we traveled.)

The next day... the first pilgrimage stop: 140 Rue de Bac, and the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. It's a cool website, so you should check it out. This is where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine Labore and explained to Catherine that she'd like what we call "the Miraculous Medal" designed and struck. You remember what the Miraculous Medal is, right??

Nope, not that. That's St. Pat. Just checking to make sure you're awake.

That's right, you remember.

It's a simple place, this shrine, and here's the courtyard that leads to the street... you could almost miss this place in the midst of the bustle of Paris. And not surprisingly, many people do. We were fortunate to be there for the Feast of the Sacred Heart and to pray for all our intentions there.

If you know the story of this Marian apparition, you know that Our Lady very tenderly appeared to Catherine by sitting down in a chair in the convent chapel, and talked to Catherine as knelt at her side. It's depicted here below.

Here is the chair that Mary sat in next to the altar.

There's some great footage and details at the shrine website, so do check it out. The chair is roped off in front of a side altar next to the main altar, and I just love that Mary came and sat to have chats with Catherine. That statue is St. Vincent de Paul... he founded the religious order that Catherine was a part of. You may be interested to know that St. Vincent's heart is in that reliquary above the tabernacle... and the flames of the heart of love of Vincent is depicted behind his statue... he was so on fire with love of God and neighbor... kind of reminds me of the the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Requisite shout out to my fellow St. John's University alums, founded by the Vincentians.)

For you Paris tourists who love to shop, this shrine is right across the street from Le Bon Marche!  well, of course I had to go in and see what all the fuss was about! Here's my husband's eye for photograhy... pictured below... One of the first department stores in Paris... it's a relic from another age. Here's the center foyer.

A bit of lunch and we were off to Sainte-Chapelle. (A cool 4 minute video here can explain this so much better than I can.) But there is some of the most breath-taking stained glass in the world there... and a good portion is under construction for years to come. Our photos don't do it justice, but there's all kinds of cool stuff on the web on it. 

\

If you saw Catholicism with Fr. Robert Barron, you'll recognize this door below... now, if you didn't before, you're gonna want to watch that 4 minute video I suggested.

And for dessert? Prayer at Notre Dame Cathedral... coming up on its 850 year birthday. <-more details here. 

We've been here before, and the weather was threatening, so we just dashed inside out of the rain, and did not get many photos this visit. So I'll let Google images help here. I was happy to pray in the quiet, soak in the beauty of the Rose Windows with my binoculars, and light a candle is front of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux.

The next day we were off on a 6 hour train ride from Paris to...

This was my first glimpse of her when we arrived... she stands like a strong tower in the center plaza greeting everyone, and tons of flowers are at her feet from grateful pilgrims.

The highlight for me was the Grotto...

Notice the pilgrims who are moving in a silent queue to the area where the spring was that Bernadette dug for at the direction of Our Lady. And then the crowd parted for a bride and groom to pay their respect to Our Holy Mother.

If you listen to the latest Among Women podcast, I describe the different basilicas on the grounds of the sanctuary. This is the one built on the rock above the grotto... the first church on the site.

And below, here you can see the plaza area in front of the Grotto, but you can't see the Grotto for the trees on the left under the wall.

This is the view of the long piazza where the processions take place, below, and on the far hill, an old fortress... probably the only other "tourist" site in Lourdes.

 This is the cross atop the rosary basilica.. a crown for Mary... (more clouds on the way...)

And here is my attempt at saying something theological... but maybe it fails... think of the three spires of the cathedral as the trinity... and Mary's crown, and her joy, is that she has a relationship with each one... She is not a member of the trinity, or some kind of goddess... she is simply the closest human being in relationship to them. And that makes her spiritual motherhood of us so important! She helps us draw near to God!

So that's why I'm sticking with Mary....

The daily candle-light Rosary procession...Momma Mary walking with her children.

 Praying the rosary in French, Italian, Spanish, English, and German... and singing too!

 Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave, M-A-R-I-A!

Her image looked better in real life... the lighting freaked out the camera phone light sensor...

 Just praying with thousands of fellow believers. We walked to the rear to get the photos and to take some video. (That's me in my blue rain jacket at the lower left, with my candle.)

 The mosaics at Lourdes are some of the most wonderful I've ever seen. Here's an outdoor altar at night.

Of course, here's one of Mary's best friends... St Bernadette...

This painting below is the earliest known portrait of her as a young girl.

 Here's the underground basilica that holds 20-25K people!! This is the final benediction after the Eucharistic procession went outside all around the grounds. We estimate about 3 thousand in here.

 very modern... Bob thought it looked like a bunker... or something from a Soviet country before the Cold War ended.... it was built around 1958 for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions...

 So I'm asking myself: "If you wanted to keep 25K out of the snow and rain year-round, and you wanted to hide them in a mountain village in the Pyranees, what would you do?"

The underground basilica under that patch of grass on the right side of the pavement. If you didn't know it was there, you'd miss it!

We lit a candle for your intentions.

And we had a Mass said for the intentions too.

 Finally -- a sunny day on Sunday! And one more look at the gold leaf on the crown on the roof of the rosary basilica.

You might enjoy this live web cam, and website from Lourdes!

The Jesus Moment... my latest at Patheos...

I want to wish you all a very happy Holy Week! Tonight starts the vigil that leads us into the Triduum.  Over at Patheos, I offer my latest column. Here's the front end...

I collect refrigerator magnets that capture some of my favorite moments. You’ll find many familiar faces under clear plastic frames, loved ones from far and near. The rest of the door is littered with keepsakes from favorite travel destinations. One magnet, quoting Italian author and poet, Cesare Pavese, explains them all: “We do not remember days. We remember moments.” 

The power of memory is at once a terrible and tremendous gift. I have learned that the more I recall, with gratitude and thanksgiving, the things that bring me freedom and joy, the more I am drawn to remember them when terrible things strike. Such memories bind and hold me together, anchors against strong tides. Leaning into difficult moments, I sift the value of their import, against what I hold true. 

I recently came out of the confessional after a tender, grace-filled moment with Jesus in the sacrament of Reconciliation, having released a deep emotional wound. Minutes later in the pew, after my prayers of release and relief, I sought to linger in the peaceful presence of God. 

I opened my bible to the fifth chapter of John. The words on the sacred page seemed as if they were written just for me. The text described Jesus’ instantaneous healing of a paralyzed man whose affliction disabled him for 38 years.  This, after I had just experienced something lifted from my heart that had crippled me for about the same length of time. Those verses were a second gift from Jesus, a bonus to the graces of the sacrament, given to me, no doubt, so I wouldn’t miss the point. The formerly paralyzed man didn’t keep his news to himself. And so, here I am, in imitation. 

Jesus could not have been any more real to me than if he walked into the chapel and sat down next to me. I will hold onto that for some time to come and cherish it as I, too, learn how to walk with stronger legs after Jesus. 

That moment in the chapel was just the most recent in a series of Jesus moments in my life. I could never have constructed it, or imagined it on my own. It was totally orchestrated by him. Like a lover’s spontaneous kiss that renders you speechless, it begs only to be received. 

There's more, here.

This makes me think... about the things I might pass on to my daughter.

In general, I would want to witness to my daughter that it is worthwhile to "lay down one's life" for others in imitation of Christ. I would hope she would see from my own example that one does not need to be perfect to be a wife and a mother. Nor need one be perfect to be a single woman for Christ or to be a consecrated religious -- for Christ is all-forgiving, eager to erase the past and give us fresh energies to bear the burden of our womanly roles.


By being close to Christ, in the sacraments and in prayer, we can fulfill our great feminine vocation: to live our our love for others day by day in faithfulness.


Finally, I would have my daughter steep herself in Marian devotion and frequently read the lives of women saints so that she could see how beautiful they were in their feminine warmth, charm, and faithfulness...


I would want my daughter and all women to study John Paul II's apostolic letter "On the Dignity and Vocation of Women" (Mulieris Dignatatem). It is a remarkable document...


It this letter, the Holy Father insists that no matter how badly treated a woman may be, her essential dignity comes not from attitudes of weak and often sinful human beings, but from union with God. "This dignity consists in the supernatural elevation to union with God. (n.4)" Indeed, how many times have we faithful women of the Church found ourselves, after being beaten down by the world, kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament sensing gradually that, no matter what, we are beautiful in the eyes of God.

--Ronda Chervin, Feminine, Free, and Faithful, (1995)

Among Women Podcast #127 Captive Hearts Now Free

Among Women 127 tells remarkable stories of the faith of women imprisoned for the faith in our "Blessed are They" segment, as it relates the passion and death of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, two martyrs who were jailed for their beliefs in Christ and executed in the arena. Their lives are forever memorialized in Eucharistic Prayer I, otherwise known as the Roman Canon.

In our "Among Women" segment, I bring an interview that is months in the making. "Tracy" from the sunny beach, is a longtime AW listener who came forward to share her story of faith and family triumph as she emerged from 8 years of separation from her husband who was imprisoned for a felony. Through her testimony "Tracy" talks about clinging to God's Word in the middle of the night, the sanctity of marriage vows, the power of loving friendships in the Body of Christ, and the reconciling graces of forgiveness.

"Tracy" reminds us that for every person who has ever served time, in many ways, their families serve the time too. Hear how she picked up the pieces and moved on one day at a time. 

On the subject of toes... a page out of my prayer journal

I'm over at Patheos...

In this chapel, directly above the monstrance, there is a statue of the Risen Jesus, arms outstretched. Faithful to the biblical accounts ( Jn 20: 24-28), the wounds of Jesus’ crucifixion are still visible on his glorified body.  This depiction of his once-crucified feet extends low into my field of vision, inches away from the monstrance, as I concentrate on his True Presence in the Host. 

And as I visit, the statue’s portrayal, and the Lord’s profound nearness in the Eucharist, is an ever-present reminder of “This is my body, which is given up for you (Lk 22:19).” 

As I enter the chapel each week, my knees hit the floor and I bend low: My Lord and my God! 

Not insignificantly, my Lord and my God has toes. 

And I’m struck deeply by the delightful humanity of it all. The precious and weighty reality of the Incarnation becomes, remarkably, accessible. And in that moment of recognition, I find this God, who is undeniably wondrous and magnificent as the Creator of the Cosmos, all at once, very much lovable to my down-to-earth womanly sensibilities. 

I have a God with toes. Isn’t that amazing?!

Of course, there's more. 

This makes me think...

The Christian faithful are to hold the Most Holy Eucharist in highest honor, taking an active part in the celebration of the most august sacrifice, receiving this sacrament most devoutly and frequently, and worshiping it with the highest adoration. In explaining the doctrine about this sacrament, pastors of souls are to teach the faithful diligently about this obligation.


--- Code of Canon Law - par. 898

Among Women ReadHER 11.26.11 Mass Translation, Mass Confusion, Mass Participation...

Among Women ReadHer

11.26.11

When Thanksgiving is Filled with Turkeys
By Fr. James Martin SJ at Patheos.com
A bit late for the actual holiday, but soooo much of this is applicable to the forthcoming Christmas celebrations!


Sharing With Others
By Rachel Balducci at Testosterhome
A little bit on the joy of girls, and a little bit of loving on the strangers we meet.


31 Elaborate Marriage Proposals
Posted at MentalFloss
Hey, I'm just happy that people STILL want to get married, despite the high stats on cohabitation, and people who eschew marriage! (Altho', theologically and biologically speaking, I believe we are made for marriage, and the ultimate marriage feast of the Lamb, but I digress...) Don't know how many Catholics are represented here, but surely a few clever romantics!


Saying Good-Bye to the Old English Translation of the Mass
By Patrice Fagnant MacArthur at Spiritual Woman
It's ok to say you will miss the old translation. It's healthy, even, to say that this will be hard for you, for us. 


Pope Benedict XVI on Children and Prayer
By Lisa Hendey, at Faith and Family Live
So simple, so true, so easy to share. (So often folks think of B16 as this giant theological intellectual... and *ahem* he is... but he is also a great, humble, Papa who speaks to the moment, even with children.)


Jesus' Eager Desire: Our Participation at Sunday Mass
By Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston (as found in The Pilot)
Excellent catechesis for everyone everywhere (not just us folks in MA) on our relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, and our relationships with the people in the pews next to us in our parishes. Long letter, but worth it. Share it with your loved ones.


Did you see the pilot episode for the sitcom Mass Confusion? If not, you can catch it on demand at Catholic TV.

This makes me think... about Jesus in the Eucharist

"The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed” (1 Cor 11:23) instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his body and his blood. The words of the Apostle Paul bring us back to the dramatic setting in which the Eucharist was born. The Eucharist is indelibly marked by the event of the Lord's passion and death, of which it is not only a reminder but the sacramental re-presentation. It is the sacrifice of the Cross perpetuated down the ages.This truth is well expressed by the words with which the assembly in the Latin rite responds to the priest's proclamation of the “Mystery of Faith”: “We announce your death, O Lord”.


The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift – however precious – among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work. Nor does it remain confined to the past, since “all that Christ is – all that he did and suffered for all men – participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times”.


When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the memorial of her Lord's death and resurrection, this central event of salvation becomes really present and “the work of our redemption is carried out”. This sacrifice is so decisive for the salvation of the human race that Jesus Christ offered it and returned to the Father only after he had left us a means of sharing in it as if we had been present there. Each member of the faithful can thus take part in it and inexhaustibly gain its fruits. This is the faith from which generations of Christians down the ages have lived. The Church's Magisterium has constantly reaffirmed this faith with joyful gratitude for its inestimable gift. I wish once more to recall this truth and to join you, my dear brothers and sisters, in adoration before this mystery: a great mystery, a mystery of mercy. 


What more could Jesus have done for us? 


Truly, in the Eucharist, he shows us a love which goes “to the end” (cf. Jn 13:1), a love which knows no measure.


---Blessed John Paul II, from his final encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia



H/T Bad Catholic

Tweet 

This makes me think... about the gap between faith and life

In speaking of conversion, the New Testament uses the word metanoia, which means a change of mentality. It is not simply a matter of thinking differently in an intellectual sense, but of revising the reasons behind one's actions in the light of the Gospel. In this regard, Saint Paul speaks of “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). This means that true conversion needs to be prepared and nurtured though the prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture and the practice of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Conversion leads to fraternal communion, because it enables us to understand that Christ is the head of the Church, his Mystical Body; it urges solidarity, because it makes us aware that whatever we do for others, especially for the poorest, we do for Christ himself. Conversion, therefore, fosters a new life, in which there is no separation between faith and works in our daily response to the universal call to holiness. In order to speak of conversion, the gap between faith and life must be bridged. Where this gap exists, Christians are such only in name. To be true disciples of the Lord, believers must bear witness to their faith, and witnesses testify not only with words, but also with their lives.

---Bl. John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, par. 26, (1999.)

Parents: Here's Help in Preparing Your Child to Receive the Sacraments. (You can DO this!)

I love Lisa Mladinich's energy and verve when it comes to sharing the faith with children. I've endorsed her work here and elsewhere. Today, I'm asking her to share, in her own words, her latest booklet, and how it can help us prepare children for their sacraments. --Pat

Sacraments: Bridging the Gap between Heaven and Earth

“The Sacraments of Christian Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist – lay the foundation of every Christian life.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 1212)

It is very humbling to be in this particular space. I’d like to profusely thank Pat Gohn, catechist par excellence (for whom my admiration is just huge), for inviting me to offer a guest blog in celebration of my new booklet, “Be an Amazing Catechist: Sacramental Preparation” (Our Sunday Visitor, 30 pgs). Written with both parents and catechists in mind, it is a guide for teaching the sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation accurately and vibrantly, so that both you and the children will come to a more complete appreciation for their purpose, beauty and power to transform lives.

“Sacraments are ‘powers that come forth’ from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are ‘the masterworks of God’ in the new and everlasting covenant.” (Luke 5:17, 6:19, 8:46)(CCC 1116)

Teaching the sacraments can be unbelievably exciting. Consider this: The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that everything Jesus did during His public ministry announced and prepared the way for everything He would accomplish in us afterwards (CCC 1115). By coming to earth in all His divinity and taking on human form, He bridged the gap between heaven and earth. Before He ascended to heaven, He created a spiritual bridge for us by establishing the sacraments, each a vehicle for its own unique grace, to be administered by the Church.

It is well worth the effort to prepare ourselves to teach these thrilling truths to our children with sensitivity, enthusiasm and wisdom. As we pray, study, and cling to the sacraments, our lives become flooded with God’s grace.

Culled from my own experiences, research, and interviews with dedicated parents and catechists, this little guide on sacramental preparation is packed with practical, creative, and inspirational help on topics such as:

• The call to teach the Faith, and the call to conversion
• Submission to the Church’s authority and the graces that follow
• Heroes of the Faith
• Teaching reverence to children
• Lesson planning basics
• The purpose of confession
• Helping kids overcome their fear of the confessional
• Explaining the Eucharist
• Options for receiving Communion
• Confirmation preparation
• Breaking through to teens
• Nine things that confirmands should memorize
• Helping teens develop a Catholic identity
• Assessments
• The importance of reaching out to other parents 

All my booklets run $2.95 for a single copy and $17.90 for bundles of ten.

The original booklet, “Be an Amazing Catechist: Inspire the Faith of Children,” a guide to creative teaching methodologies that can be used with any religious ed curriculum, is also available in Spanish!

--Lisa Mladinich

Lisa is also the founder of Amazing Catechists. Read Lisa's weekly column at Patheos. 

A look back at where I've come from...

And where you'll still find me, every Friday. Our parish and its adoration ministry members recently celebrated ten years at this. I've always had a slot on Fridays.

I hope that you might try this devotion yourself, if you are able. Once a month or once a week. Or just any time at all. Jesus waits for you.

Mary and the Eucharist -- I really love Bl. JP2's insights

The intimacy between Jesus and Mary cannot be underestimated, and Blessed John Paul's meditation on Mary's "eucharistic" faith is one worth pondering. My latest over at Patheos is a second look at some highlights from the late pontiff's last encyclical, and it's final chapter describing Mary as a woman of the Eucharist.

Here's a bit:

John Paul’s encyclical recalls Mary as a human person who was intimately acquainted with the Son of God, as both his Mother, and as a his first disciple. In her personal “yes” to the Father, who announces the Good News of Christ’s coming into the world through her, we also intuit, how Christ to comes us, miraculously, through the Eucharist.

 [T]here is a profound analogy between the Fiat which Mary said in reply to the angel,   and the Amen which every believer says when receiving the body of the Lord. Mary was asked to believe that the One whom she conceived “through the Holy Spirit” was “the Son of God” (Lk 1:30-35). In continuity with the Virgin's faith, in the Eucharistic mystery we are asked to believe that the same Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine. ”(Ecclesia de Eucharistia, par. 55.)

Mary first received Christ in her heart by her “yes”, and then conceived Christ in her womb by God’s holy action. Referring to this miraculous indwelling of Christ in Mary, Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, would acclaim Mary as the first tabernacle in history: “Blessed is she who believed! (Lk 1:45)”

Indeed, blessed are we, too, in the precious moments following a holy Communion, becoming sanctuaries that harbor the Sacred Host that is Jesus. Our preparation beforehand and outlook after receiving him must imitate Mary’s.

And is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the newborn Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic communion? ” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, par. 55.)

 Don’t be fooled into thinking these descriptions are just lofty platitudes of Mary’s faith. John Paul describes a remarkably empowered person. Her times of suffering portend the highest heroic virtue. 

Read it all.

Happy Corpus Christi

OK, this is a book trailer, but it teaches a few good things about the Eucharist.


Things I've already posted here: My column featuring Blessed John Paul II's encyclical on the Eucharist, and this video of "Flash Mob"-style Adoration.

Video: Catholic Flash Mob? Or Eucharistic Street Evangelists? An interesting co-mingling.

H/T @ChayLupita on Twitter

As we approached Corpus Christi, a look at JPII's Final Encyclical on the Eucharist

Take a short tour of the last encyclical that we received from Pope John Paul II on the Eucharist, at my column this week at the Catholic Portal at Patheos...

In the encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Blessed John Paul II sought to rekindle in Catholics our Eucharistic amazement… “to contemplate the face of Christ” anew, and to receive Christ in the most intimate way possible this side of heaven.

When it was released in 2003, I wondered if Ecclesia de Eucharistia, (“On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church.”) would be his last encyclical. In frail health from advancing Parkinson’s disease, I marveled at both the unrelenting schedule and prolific output that came from John Paul II. Yet, here it was, his fourteenth encyclical. From my vantage point, the Holy Eucharist empowered and animated the ailing pope.

Blessed John Paul II not only taught the Second Vatican Council proclamation that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life (Lumen Gentium, 11), ” he witnessed to it in his heroic person.

The Catholic Church celebrates Corpus Christi Sunday this coming week, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus. This is a prime opportunity to examine our own relationship with the Eucharist in the microcosm of our lives… to draw our very lifeblood from Christ in the Eucharist.

...

In the Eucharist, we see and find and receive Jesus. Recall the disciples along the road to Emmaus in the post-Resurrection accounts. Their amazement and joy at discovering Jesus alive -- in the context of their daily lives -- was uncontained.

To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize him wherever he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of his body and his blood. The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by him she is fed and by him she is enlightened...

Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Lk 24:31). (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, par. 6.)

There's more here. 

One of my favorite ministries for youth & young adults in Boston...

LIFT Promo from LIFT Ministries on Vimeo.


Go to LIFT tonight! Or put it on your calendar for the summer!

It's Holy Thursday: Go Find Him

The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is “the source and summit of the Christian life”. “For the most holy Eucharist contains the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our passover and living bread. Through his own flesh, now made living and life-giving by the Holy Spirit, he offers life to men”*. Consequently the gaze of the Church is constantly turned to her Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love. 


---John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist and its Relationship to the Church) (Note: this was the last encyclical John Paul II gave us.)


*Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.

Today... a few random thoughts

I really like this feast day...the Feast of the Annunciation.... cuz Momma Mary is my mother, friend, guide and a sure path to Jesus.

We've all have days that change our life... but on this day, something happened to Mary that not only changed her life, but changed my life and yours. Her "yes" to God's message from an angel ushered in the messianic age. (See Luke 1.)

Today has a different meaning for me, too.

On this date, 18 years ago, I had one of those life-changing days: I received a really awesome gift... the birth of my third child and last child, Peter.  It was a thrilling birth, but a hard one on my body. But Peter James came into our lives and has never stopped bringing us joy.

Here he is at age 2.

Peter's turning 18 signals that I'm now a parent to three grown-up children. My life, and his, are getting ready to change again as he prepares to graduate high school and I prepare for an empty nest, of sorts. As the older two went off to college, and on to new things, people would ask me what I was going to do... as I've always been cobbling together various part time pursuits in the writing and ministry life.  I'd always look back over my shoulder at Peter there... a lot of things in my life could wait until he was ready to fly. But by late August, Peter will depart for college, somewhere. (Its not fully decided where, just yet.) And come fall, I wonder what else I might be doing, when I'm not attending fencing meets and piano recitals and parent-teacher meetings and such.

I wonder whether my life will stay in its current rhythm or if it will change again.

A mother, I think, grows up and changes right along with her children. The phases and stages of mothering flow and change according to the family's needs. Through it all I've looked to Mary for her witness and example. She raised a son to adulthood. And she knows. And I'm counting on her to let me know just what I need to know when August rolls around. Mary's never failed me.

Mary, and the rosary, got me through the baby and toddler years where sometimes I thought I might lose my mind for the sheer work and exhaustion that comes from the high demands of hands-on mothering. And Mary got me through the middle years as I pondered the renewed life of a cancer-survivor Mom. And she got me through the teenage years with ever-increasing grace and fortitude. And now I look to her again, as I begin yet another slow-motion letting go and leave taking of another young adult child.

Here's Peter in the final fencing bout that won the State Title for his team last month.
The bout and the tourney was won by one point. 
To say it was a cliff-hanger was an understatement.

Peter, today, photo courtesy of The Eagle-Tribune.

Today's Annunciation reminds me that God is always about announcing Good News. And his love comes to us, not only through the message of an angel, and the power of the Blessed Virgin's "yes"... but it also manages to comes to us in all the ways we have said "yes" to God's will in our lives... For me, today, that equals a yes to marriage, yes to bearing children, yes to raising them, and yes, even now, to watching them go.

Mary's motherhood has deep ramifications for all women, and for all the world. And on another day, we might talked about the theological import of all of that.

But for me, and for today, I'm happy that Peter's birthday shares her special feast. Mary was all about yielding her life to God as a Mom. She raised a son. She prayed for him. She watched him go...

~~~~


Love this brand new video featuring Fr. James Martin, SJ.

Who Cares About the Saints? - Mary from Loyola Productions on Vimeo.

From the archives:

• Last year's post on the Annunciation.
• And an older post that I love about Mary and the Eucharist.