Spirituality

Mass has ended – now what?

After celebrating the Eucharist, we are blessed to "go in peace," seeking the guidance of the Spirit in serving others and letting others serve us.

Mass, a hurricane of grace, draws us out of the eye of ‘I’

Just as bread and wine are transformed at Mass into the body and blood of Christ, a priest is forever changed by tending the flock entrusted to him.

Following Jesus is a daily choice, pope tells religious at Vatican

Christians truly encounter Jesus through concrete events in life that occur "every day; not every now and then," the pope said in his homily for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day for Consecrated Life.

World needs courageous prophets, pope says at Angelus

All men and women, especially those who are suffering, can gain hope by encountering "people who are courageous and persevering in responding to the Christian vocation," the pope said before reciting the Angelus Feb. 3 with people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Before you ‘say the word,’ read up on holy Communion

Part six of a seven-part series on the Mass looks into the culmination of the sacred mysteries in the Communion rite. See two reflections and videos in preparation for receiving the Body and Blood of Christ.

Person to person, the body of Christ

Extraordinary ministers of holy Communion extend the participation of the laity in the Mass, knowing well the honor and intensity of that grace-filled moment for each communicant.

Called to celebrate a deeper communion

If the liturgy is truly the source and summit of the church's life, the Communion rite is the source and summit of the liturgy. A catechist offers three points to remember before we receive the Lord.

Bread and wine, or body and blood of Christ?

Father Ken Doyle explains to a reader how the elements of the Eucharist retain their physical properties while becoming Christ's glorified presence. He assures another reader of the fate of miscarried children.

Endure hard times by remembering God’s love, his promise, pope says

Being a Christian, he said, means having encountered Jesus, feeling his love and choosing to believe in his hope and promise.

Love triumphs over rejection for those who live in Christ

Jesus endured disbelief and scorn with complete trust in the Father's faithfulness, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior. We can be equally confident as we share in Christ's mission.