Hey there, Over the past two weeks, we’ve looked at the first two sacraments of initiation: Baptism and Confirmation. Today we cover the third, the Sacrament of Communion. One thing in particular struck me as I was gathering these resources. It’s the concept that although we eat the host (take it into our body), we are united with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Communion. In other words, …
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Hey there, Here we are in the month of May when most parishes in the US confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on school-aged Catholics. My church held Confirmations last week. The kids had been preparing for a while and the day finally came when the Bishop anointed them with the Chrism oil and might even have given them a little slap on the cheek. Did you know that the age at which …
Continue Reading about Driving Graces With The Sacrament of Confirmation
Hey there, A few years ago, my church moved the baptismal font from the private room in the back of the church to the front near the altar. And they incorporated Baptisms into the Mass, right after the Homily. I liked the change because it’s a blessing to witness the working of the Holy Spirit, and welcoming a new member into our church. And it’s a reminder of our own initiation into the …
Continue Reading about Shining a Light on Our Baptismal Calling
Hey there, Have you heard the one about the Catholic Priest who discovered his Baptism was invalid? Not only was he not a Priest, but he wasn’t even Catholic! Unfortunately, it’s no joke. Father Matthew Hood watched a video of his Baptism from 30 years earlier and heard the Priest use the wrong words … “We baptize you” instead of “I baptize you.” And according to the Catholic Church, that …
Hey there, Happy Easter! Yes, you read that right. And no this is not last week’s issue of Genuflect. I know Easter Sunday has come and gone. But Easter has just begun! While most people are done celebrating the resurrection of our Lord, we Catholics are just getting started. In fact, we’ve got 39 more days to go in the Easter season … in the Eastertide. 39 more days to …
Hey there, When you’re shopping, do you pay attention to the brands you buy? Do you wear clothes with visible logos like Nike or Tori Burch? Or Gucci or Rolex? What brand of car do you drive? Or do you want to drive? To sell their products, brands make their logos visible so you’ll notice your friends who use them. Some brands turn to celebrities and social influencers to promote their …
Hey there, The mind is a powerful thing. It can heal our body. It can minimize pain. It can alter reality. The mind can also do harm. This is where the Ninth Commandment comes in. The first eight commandments deal with actions that are sinful. The last two commandments are different. They deal with sins based on thoughts … including today’s Ninth Commandment: thou shalt not covet thy …
Hey there, “Bear false witness.” The eighth commandment uses such old fashioned language that it may get a little lost in translation. We tend to think of it as lying. And that’s accurate. But it goes beyond telling an untruth … to also encompass things like knowingly misleading, gossiping, defaming, and omitting the truth.. This week’s issue of Genuflect takes a modern day look at …
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Hey there, One of my favorite movies is Ocean’s Eleven. Eleven con men come together to rob 3 Las Vegas Casinos of millions of dollars. We watch as the team is assembled. We see the planning and practicing. We see the successful con … and we see the celebration. We root for them every step of the way … and delight in their success. Ocean’s Eleven glorifies theft. And there are …
Continue Reading about Stealing: It’s About Respecting More Than Property
Hey there, The question is asked. “Is there anything more beautiful in life than a boy and a girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?” And the answer is given. “Yes there is a more beautiful thing. It is an old man and an old woman finishing their life’s journey together on that path. Their hands are …
Hey there, Noah was taking the animals into the ark in pairs as he had been commanded by God. He took in elephants, giraffes, cows, bears, monkeys and all the animals. Finally, he tried to take in a donkey. He told the donkey to go in, but the donkey would not go in. He tried pushing the donkey in, but the donkey would not move. He tried pulling the donkey in, but the donkey would not …
Continue Reading about The Fifth Commandment’s Call to Respect Human Life
Hey there, A few years ago I was visiting one of my kids at college and I decided to take advantage of confession that was offered ahead of Mass at the campus Catholic church. I sat face to face with the Priest and he asked me how my relationship was with my parents. Sadly, I reported to him that my parents were both deceased. And we moved on to another topic. I thought at the time it was …
